I'm sure you've finished, are in the middle of, or at least heard of the new trending Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. Based on the book written by Jay Asher, the series follows the story of Hannah Baker, and why she chose to take her own life.
Each episode is a new tape describing the reason, or person, that contributed to this. But aside from the 13 reasons that Hannah states, there is one more factor, or person if you will, that ultimately led to her death: Kat.
Now I know this sounds shocking. What did Kat ever do to Hannah? She never backstabbed her, spread rumors, mistreated her, or anything along those lines. She wasn't even part of the show. Hear me out for a moment. Kat may not have been actually in the story, as she left at the beginning, but it's just that that makes her a part of it. She left. And if Kat hadn't left, Hannah Baker would not have killed herself.
Think about it for a minute. Reason 1 is about Justin Foley, who caught Hannah's eye soon after Kat's departure. But when Kat was still around, Justin had been her boy toy, not Hannah's. If Kat had never left, she still would've been hooking up with Justin, and thus Hannah would never have been played with, mistreated, and lied about to the whole school. The picture at the playground incident would have never even occurred and the initial rumors that began the cycle that ultimately led to her self-demise would have never surfaced.
That brings us to Reason 2, Jessica Davis. Hannah's former best friend she used to spend time with at Monet's almost every day until things started to fall apart. If Kat had never left, it would have been the three of them sipping hot chocolate at Monet's 24/7, not just Hannah and Jessica. Jessica fading away from Hannah with Alex would have never happened because there would be more than three of them. There would be no awkward third wheeling Jessica would want to avoid. If they had faded away, Hannah still would have had Kat and she wouldn't have been alone. And Kat would have stood up for Hannah when Alex's list came out. The three, or four when Alex came along, would most likely have grown to be very close friends and Hannah would have had more people in her life.
Alex Standall is Reason 3, another newbie brought into the clique at Monet's who ultimately destroyed Hannah and Jessica's fading friendship with a list of "Best's" and "Worst's" being passed around the school. Although Kat leaving doesn't directly affect or change this one, it still has an impact on it. If they'd still been good friends at the time due to Kat being there, Alex would have never added Hannah and Jessica to the list. In fact, he probably would've been able to talk to Kat, or even Hannah about the situation of Jessica turning down sex, and they would have set him on the straight and narrow on being patient and respecting her decision.
Next comes Reason 4, centering around Tyler Down. Tyler basically stalked Hannah -- followed her home, took pictures of her, etc. Although Kat still being there would not have stopped Tyler, it would have given Hannah someone to talk to about it. Kat would have been there for her, and would've helped create a plan to catch and stop Tyler. Together, they would've gotten through it, and Courtney wouldn't have even been in the picture. Speaking of pictures, the one Tyler took of Hannah and Courtney wouldn't have existed.
Which brings us to Reason 5, Courtney Crimsen. Like I said before, Kat being around would've given Hannah someone to deal with Tyler, and she would never have needed Courtney's help. Thus deleting the possibility of the picture of them making out ever existing. And if that picture hadn't been taken, Courtney would never have thrown Hannah under the bus by spreading rumors about her. All to protect her own sexual orientation from being known. The rumors about Hannah would never have escalated, and she wouldn't have been the subject of so much bullying.
Reason 6, Marcus Cole, is also affected by this. Since there was so much shit going around about Hannah, she had been labeled a slut and had a reputation of being easy. The very reason Marcus even went after her for One-Dollar Valentine's in the first place. If Kat had never left, the events involving Justin and Courtney that led to this false reputation would have ceased to exist, and Marcus wouldn't have gone after her. He would never have humiliated her, been an ass to her, or left her feeling like she was nothing.
Zach Dempsey takes Reason 7, another domino fallen directly from Marcus. Marcus' humiliation of Hannah led to Zach's attempt at comfort. A comfort Hannah assumed matched Marcus' attempt to get in her pants. Thus she shut Zach down, causing him to sabotage her "class compliments." Again, Kat being in Hannah's life would have stopped all this by first stopping the rumors, then stopping Marcus, thus stopping Zach. Zach actually liked Hannah, and with Kat still in her life avoiding all the pain people had caused her beforehand, she would have found an attempt from him to go out with her genuine and who knows what could have happened from there.
Next on the list, Reason 8, is Ryan Shaver. The poem Hannah writes for her poetry group describing her pain came directly from all the prior events and reasons leading to her death. Events that would have never happened if Kat had still been around. With Kat still there, Hannah would never have even written such a poem, and thus Ryan wouldn't even get the chance to publish it behind her back. She could have been saved from more humiliation and ridicule by Kat still being there because she would have been happy, and not had gone through all those horrible things at that point.
Justin Foley returns for Reason 9, for letting his girlfriend at the time, Jessica Davis, get raped by his best friend Bryce Walker. Kat's presence in Hannah's life wouldn't have stopped the rape itself, but it would have saved Hannah from the terror of viewing it. The reason Hannah was in that room alone in the first place, was because she was too emotionally distraught to allow herself to be with Clay Jensen. And so she tells him to leave and stays there crying over the mess her life has become. If Kat was still in her life, Hannah would never have felt so drained and depressed and being with Clay would have been a happy moment, not an upset one, and thus she would have never been in that room by herself subject to the horrific event that took place after Clay left.
Reason 10, Sheri Holland, is another event from the night of Jessica's party that would have never taken place with Kat's presence. Another domino effect takes place as Hannah not viewing the rape would have caused her to not leave the party early, meaning she would not have been in the car with Sheri when the stop sign got knocked down. In fact, without Hannah in the car, Sheri would have been less distracted and not knocked down the sign at all, thus preventing the death of Jeff Atkins. And without the knowledge of the reason behind Jeff's death, Hannah would not have had another tragic event directly on her plate.
After this comes Reason 11, Clay Jensen, who technically was not a reason, but someone who was there for all of it and someone who Hannah wanted to know the truth. Clay left Hannah in the room where Jessica was raped by Bryce, which was his contribution to her suicide. She told him to leave, but wanted him to stay. Like I said before, Kat being there would have prevented all the distress that caused Hannah to get upset and kick Clay out of the room. Without all the events that had taken place because of Kat's departure, she would have been happy to be with Clay and nothing would have stood in their way.
The most horrific and tragic reason of them all is Reason 12, Bryce Walker. Due to all the depression and tragedy Hannah experienced, she found herself wandering the streets to think and get some peace of mind, when she stumbled upon a Bryce Walker party. She felt she has nothing left to lose so she goes, and she ends up getting raped by Bryce. This event is the one that really set off the trigger for Hannah to end her life. On top of all she'd gone through, she was done. And if Kat had never left, she would have never gone through all that, she would have never been depressed, and she never would have gone out in the middle of the night and discovered Bryce's party.
Reason 13, Mr. Porter is where it all ends for Hannah. Distraught, depressed, and in need of significant help, Hannah finds herself in his office seeking what she needs to not be suicidal. Unfortunately for her, Mr. Porter is oblivious to the signs and tells her to "get over it" and "move on." This was Hannah's last attempt at life, and being told that pushed her over the edge and thus she went home and committed suicide. Like I've been saying all along, if Kat had been around, all the events that led Hannah to feel this way would not have happened and she would have never found herself in Mr. Porter's office crying out for help.
Kat left and a series of events occurred that led Hannah to commit suicide. That's not to say it's Kat's fault. How could she have known that leaving Hannah would set off such a tragic domino effect? How could she have guessed it? She even notes during her interview with the Baker's lawyers at the end of the series that if she had still been around, Hannah would still be alive.
An insignificant event having nothing to do with any reason why Hannah did what she did still played a part in the script that was Hannah's life. It still played a part in why it ended. Our lives as they move forward are direct effects of our pasts. Each aspect of every event, every decision, leads us somewhere else. Don't take the insignificant things for granted. You never know what they could mean.
