Charming as a Verb

Henri immediately starts feeling nervous about his relationship with Corinne; he and Corinne do not have a lot of time to date, and as they are both graduating high school, they will be split up by moves to different universities very soon. Additionally, Corinne’s mother Chantale is intimidating and protective. Corinne and Henri are reasonable about their relationship and communicate openly about the guidelines they want for it. Corinne reveals that she’s been accepted into her dream school: Princeton University.

Corinne is going to Switzerland for Spring Break because Chantale is the keynote speaker at a conference in Geneva. Meanwhile, everyone at FATE is anxious about college acceptances because it is a major week for decisions. Henri’s application to Columbia is still pending, and he sees on the browser history that his father has also been regularly checking the website. While Corinne and Chantale are gone, Henri spends a lot of time in their apartment, trying to train their puppy Palm Tree. While there, he hears the pinging of alerts and sees that Chantale’s computer is on and open to her Columbia email address. Henri flirts with the idea of writing a recommendation on his behalf from Chantale’s professional email address but dismisses it, recognizing the moral, ethical, and legal concerns.

Henri finds his mother in their apartment dressed for the first time in her firefighter gear. She is proud of herself, and Henri is proud of her as well. He wants to seize his opportunity the way she did. He returns to Corinne’s apartment and Chantale’s computer. From Chantale’s Columbia email account, Henri sends a message to the Dean of Admissions, giving Henri a recommendation for admission. Henri knows this is wrong, but he figures that it is his one lucky break. He knows that other kids, like Marvyn, have plenty of connections and insincere ways of getting ahead in a system designed to be manipulated by the powerful. The Dean of Admissions sends a reply to Chantale’s email confirming that he will be on the lookout for Henri’s name. Henri deletes the email he sent and the one received from the Dean of Admissions. He does not, however, feel happy over increasing his chances of getting into Columbia; instead, he feels numb.

Henri spends days feeling guilty and out of sorts. When Corinne returns from her trip, Henri is awkward with her. Corinne has returned early from the trip to give her mother some time with a man at the conference and to see Henri again. Henri wants to confess what he did, but he knows he can’t. When Corinne initiates sex with Henri, he stops her. This makes Corinne feel bad, but Henri cannot be intimate with Corinne because of his guilt.

Henri still anxiously awaits his notice of admissions from Columbia. Things remain awkward between him and Corinne. There are also debate tournament finals in the coming weeks. Finally, he receives his notice of admission from Columbia—he has been accepted. Henri looks around school for Corinne to tell her the news. He runs into Marvyn, who has also been accepted. Marvyn is unfazed by what was his obvious and expected admission into Columbia. Henri is happy for Marvyn and for himself. Henri texts his father about the admission, who tells him to skip the rest of the school day and come home to celebrate. Just as Henri is about to leave the school, Mr. Vu yells at him to get into his office. Henri wonders what Mr. Vu could be so angry about, then remembers the fraudulent email.

Mr. Vu reveals that the Dean of Admissions at Columbia noted inconsistencies and ethical concerns with Henri’s admission; consequently, the school rescinded their decision to admit Henri. Henri admits to writing the email from Chantale’s email account. Mr. Vu is disappointed in Henri and worried that Henri, who has always been a good student, succumbed to pressure in unhealthy ways. Mr. Vu informs Henri that Chantale already knows what has happened. Mr. Vu isn’t sure if FATE will suspend him. In the meantime, Mr. Vu needs to do damage control with Columbia and sends Henri home to tell his parents.

Back at home, after hearing the truth, Henri’s father rages at him. Henri’s mother tries to defend Henri’s character, arguing that they had put a lot of pressure on Henri. Henri tries to defend his actions by pointing out that other students can pay people to do things like what Henri did for himself, that the system is rigged against him, and he only tried to fight for his place. Despite this, Jacques is shocked and outraged by Henri’s fraudulent email. He yells that Henri’s life has been a privilege in attending FATE. Henri yells back that it has never been easy for him to be the poor kid in a school of wealthy children. Henri tells his father that he should apply for Columbia himself and see how easy it is. This is a step too far. Henri mother’s tells Henri he can never speak to his father that way or throw in his face the privileges and opportunities that Henri has that Jacques never had.