Ever Wong and Megan

Ever Wong and Megan’s friendship begins in childhood and grows through years of dancing side by side. It gives Ever a place to speak honestly about ambition, family pressure, and old hurts; Megan, in turn, encourages her to pursue dance and offers practical as well as emotional support. Their closeness does not erase differences in their families’ circumstances, but it allows those differences—and the strain they create—to be spoken rather than hidden.

Childhood and Shared Dance

Megan has been Ever’s best friend since kindergarten, when both joined Zeigler’s Ballet Studio. They continue dancing together through high school, as members of a twelve-person flag corps and dance squad. Their friendship is therefore built not only on affection but on a shared practice: rehearsals, performances, choreography, and the work of staying in step. At the high-school field, Ever hurries to Megan before a soccer match because she needs to tell her that she has been accepted to Tisch. Megan’s response is immediate and unguarded: she drops the flagpoles and embraces Ever, then asks how and when the news arrived.

Their shared dance life also makes Megan a witness to the restrictions placed on Ever. After Ever misses the spring show, Megan recalls that Ever had choreographed half of the squad’s number and was pulled out of rehearsal by her mother. Ever says the humiliation came partly from the fact that it happened in front of the entire squad; her mother had objected to her partner dancing with a boy. Megan struggles to understand the rule, noting that Ever is already eighteen. The exchange shows both the intimacy of their friendship and a limit in their experience: Megan can recognize the unfairness of Ever’s situation, though the more relaxed conditions in her own family make it difficult for her to grasp fully.

Confidantes Amid Family Pressure

When Ever tells Megan about her Tisch acceptance, the news opens onto a conflict Ever cannot yet resolve. Her parents have long expected her to follow a medical path, and the deposit for that future has already been paid. They disapprove of the time she gives to dance and expect her to leave it behind after high school. Ever has also minimized her involvement in the parade so her parents will not interfere further. Megan hears the tension between a dream that is already within reach and a family plan that has been laid down for years. Ever cannot decide what to tell her parents; for the moment, she says she needs to concentrate on getting the dance right.

The two friends can joke about the restrictions Ever has grown up with, including her mother’s severe teaching about sex, but humor does not make the underlying pressure disappear. Megan asks directly whether Ever will tell her parents about Tisch, giving Ever room to acknowledge uncertainty rather than pretend she has a plan. The friendship’s value lies partly in that candor: Megan does not have to solve the conflict to be the person to whom Ever can admit how tightly it constricts her.

Unequal Circumstances and Mutual Understanding

The friendship is close, but the girls do not share the same economic freedom. While shopping with Megan in Taiwan, Ever notices how easily Megan buys small treats and souvenirs. Ever’s family counts every penny, so she holds back from spending and saves her money for the outfits they actually need. This contrast does not dissolve their companionship; it makes visible a difference Ever has learned to manage quietly. Megan’s casual purchases and Ever’s restraint belong to the same outing, but they arise from different household circumstances.

Megan’s support is also attentive to Ever’s emotional history. After Ever recalls being taught to feel shame about her body from childhood, she says she does not want that shame to control her anymore. Elsewhere, Megan embraces her after a difficult moment involving Dan, aware of the past between them and of the hurt Ever may still carry. Megan understands that the kiss is in the past, but she does not treat that history as proof that Ever is unaffected. She holds her close and proposes that they pick up the next day, when they can work toward a scholarship. Ever returns the embrace and makes herself greet Dan as a friend, while trying not to make Megan worry. Their closeness thus includes both comfort and the careful effort not to burden one another.

Friendship Across Distance

When Ever is sent to Taiwan, distance changes the form of the friendship but does not end its everyday exchange. After getting limited phone service, Ever downloads WeChat and invites Megan to join, as she does her sister Pearl. Her message to Megan asks how Dan’s visit is going, reports that the other students seem already connected through cousins and camp friendships, and says that she is looking for a dance studio. Ever also tells Megan that students are planning to sneak out clubbing. The message carries ordinary updates alongside the practical difficulty of being far from home: Ever is trying to establish a life in Taiwan while keeping Megan informed from across the world.

That correspondence recalls what has always held the friendship together. Dance is both their shared history and Ever’s hoped-for future; Megan is the friend who knows the rehearsals she has missed, the choreography she has contributed, and the pressure surrounding her choices. When Ever reaches Taiwan, she still looks for a studio, and she still turns to Megan with news. Their relationship remains a source of continuity as Ever’s surroundings, family conflict, and understanding of herself begin to change.