Cassette 7: Side A
- Clay gets to Eisenhower Park, the place where Hannah had her first kiss. He climbs into the rocket-ship slide and pushes play.
- Hannah's voice is a whisper. She says she's going to try one more thing before she ends her life.
- She's going to see Mr. Porter, her guidance counselor. This tape is for him.
- Clay panics a little. He doesn't like the idea of an adult hearing these tapes.
- At that point, Clay hears Hannah knock on a door (in the tape). She is recording the conversation with Mr. Porter.
- After telling Mr. Porter that she's having lots of problems at school, she admits that she's thinking of ending her life.
- Mr. Porter asks if she really means it, and she says she does. But she doesn't want to do it. That's why she's come to Mr. Porter for help.
- The guidance counselor asks Hannah to talk about her life at school.
- She says she feels like no matter what she does, people keep hurting her. For instance, there are lots of rumors about her at school.
- She tells him about her name being put down on Alex's list her freshman year. She says, "And people have been reacting to it ever since" (15.122).
- Mr. Porter asks her the last time somebody reacted to it, and she tells him that it was at someone's house, after a party.
- He asks if something happened that night that she wishes hadn't, something involving a boy. Hannah is honest, and says yes.
- Mr. Porter wants to know if what the boy did was illegal, and Hannah says that she wasn't raped.
- He tells Hannah that if nothing illegal happened and she doesn't want to go to the police, she has two choices:
- 1) She can talk to the boy about what happened.
- 2) If she can't or won't talk to the boy, she needs to just "move on" (15.166).
- Hannah says, "You want me to move beyond this?" (15.175). She thanks Mr. Porter and turns to go.
- Still listening, Clay mentally begs Mr. Porter not to let Hannah go.
- Mr. Porter makes a half-hearted attempt to keep her in his office, but she leaves.
- She waits for him to come after her, to try again to reach her, but he doesn't.
- This is the final proof she needs that nobody cares enough to try to save her.
- She says she's sorry, and the tape ends.
- Clay wishes he could have helped her; he wishes he had tried harder.