Magnolia Parks

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain descriptions of possible sex addiction, substance abuse, and a graphic depiction of a drug overdose.

While watching Magnolia get ready to meet their friends for the evening, BJ admits that he slept with a model. Magnolia pretends that she doesn’t care and reminds him that she had a boyfriend at the time. BJ makes money by modeling, while Magnolia has a trust fund. Magnolia dresses in expensive designer brands and can always identify the brands that other people are wearing. The two join their friends, including Magnolia’s best friend, Paili Blythe; Henry Ballentine, BJ’s brother; and the Hemmes brothers, Christian and Jonah. Magnolia and Christian dated briefly after she and BJ broke up, and this is now a sore point with BJ.

Magnolia tries to joke and pretends to be friends with BJ, but she is still grieving their breakup and is hurt that they are no longer together. At one point, she feels light-headed and thinks, “I’m not having a panic attack, because […] those are for people who aren’t in control of their lives and I have a handle on everything, […] especially my heart” (8). However, she is unable to resist her physical attraction to BJ, and they continue to have sleepovers and spend almost all their time together although they are no longer having sex.