Kat is another major character featured in Rue’s world. Rue explains her backstory in the opening moments of the June 30 episode. When Kat was 11, she went on a family vacation to Jamaica. Over the course of 8 days, she drank 72 virgin pina coladas. Up until the vacation, Kat’s life was pretty great. She had a sweet boy back home, Daniel, who held her hand every day as they walked to class. Nothing was ever the same after she returned from Jamaica. Kat had gained 20 pounds. She tried to hide her body when she returned to school. Daniel noticed Kat’s physical change but still held her hand. However, he broke up with her in the next class. Kat was devastated.
The summer before high school, Kat began writing fan fiction. She became one of the most prolific smut writers on Tumblr and is largely credited with kickstarting the Larry Stylinson conspiracy theory. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked about Larry, am I right? Her fans online worshipped her and she loved it. She could be whoever she wanted to be online. No one was judging her whatsoever.
When the video of her having sex came out, Kat started to realize there were more people out there who wanted to worship her — and have sex with her. She tests the waters by posting a twerking video in sexy lingerie. Someone online begs Kat to take a video of her feet. A little bizarre, yes, but she obliges.
Rue has started going to NA and says she’s been clean for 60 days. She’s being partially honest. The terrifying fentanyl situation got Rue into some trouble. She was MIA for 16 hours trying to sleep it off. Her mom freaks out on her, as well as Jules. Jules says she doesn’t want to be friends with someone who is going to kill themselves. She’s been through too much already. Rue decides to try and stay clean for Jules.
At the NA meeting, she talks about the day she woke up from her coma. She recalls how scared her mom and sister were of losing her. Rue meets a fellow recovering addict named Ali, who makes her think about the consequences of her decisions. He knows she’s lying about being clean. He wants her to get in touch with him when she’s serious about getting clean.
Meanwhile, Jules is falling in love with “Tyler,” a.k.a. Nate. They’re texting constantly. While Jules doesn’t know that Tyler is really Nate, Nate knows exactly who Jules is. Jules shows Rue a photo of Nate’s package and Rue questions the actual size. Cue a hilarious tutorial about dick pics, which are separated into two categories — solicited and unsolicited. Rue explains the three subcategories of solicited dick pics — terrifying, horrifying, and acceptable. Jules asks Rue for help with taking partial nudes to send to Tyler.
When Jules learns that Rue has been clean for 2 weeks, she is so happy for her. Rue gets a little overwhelmed by the praise and goes downstairs to get some water. She spots pills on the counter. The timing of this couldn’t be worse. She goes back upstairs and bolts after snagging a pill.
The man who wanted to see Kat’s feet is now willing to pay her in bitcoin for a Skype session. She agrees to a session and he is upfront with her about his “extreme kinks.” He’s also brutally honest about his very tiny package. Kat can’t contain her laughter when she sees it for the first time. Turns out, this guy likes it when she makes fun of him. He wants her to control him and fine him when he doesn’t listen to her. She goes along with his kink but doesn’t actually believe he’s serious about paying her until he wires her $100 in bitcoin. Kat exchanges her bitcoin for cash. She changes her wardrobe and her class partner, Ethan, notices. He tells her, “You look different.” She quips, “I changed.”
Maddy begins to realize that something’s up with Nate. She notices all the text messages he keeps getting. After Nate and Maddy have sex, he goes to take a shower. Maddy uses this opportunity to go through his phone. She discovers multiple dick pics on his phone.
Cassie goes to stay with McKay for the weekend. Her mom’s only warning? Don’t get pregnant. They go to a college party. He’s trying to get into a fraternity. Cassie holds her own at the party.
Rue hasn’t heard from Jules all day and keeps getting no replies to her texts. In a moment of weakness, she takes the pill she stole from Jules’s house. When Jules finally texts back, Rue is passed out. The next day, Jules tells Rue that Tyler wants to meet at the lake on Saturday night after the carnival. Rue doesn’t think it’s safe for Jules to meet Tyler at night. Jules gets upset with Rue and walks away. Rue is genuinely concerned about Jules’s safety, but she’s also in love with Jules. Jules meeting Tyler/Nate face-to-face means Jules is slipping farther and farther away from her.
Rue goes to Jules’s house after school to clear the air. Rue cries in front of Jules and says she doesn’t want to fight with her. She just doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Jules. “I love you. I really do,” Jules tells Rue, who replies, “I love you, too.”
Jules says, “I hate everyone else in the world but you.” That’s when Rue kisses Jules, who doesn’t kiss her back. Rue realizes what she’s done and runs out. She goes straight to see Fezco for pills. Fezco tells her that he’s not going to help her kill herself any longer. She begs him to let her inside. When he refuses, Rue lashes out at him. She says every mean thing she can think of. “You did this to me!” Rue screams. “You f**king ruined my life!” She vows to hate him until the day she dies if he doesn’t open the door. Fezco doesn’t give in. You can tell he cares deeply for Rue. Instead of trying to score drugs elsewhere, Rue calls Ali for help.