2003's Thirteen revealed why Evie (Nikki Reed) betrayed Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) in the movie's ending, and it is for a chaotic reason. The psychological teen drama movie follows the story of 13-year-old Tracy as she navigates a dangerous life of sex, drugs, and missing school after being influenced by her newfound friend, Evie.
A good chunk of the movie sees Tracy and Evie doing their teenage shenanigans, with both of them actively being involved with drugs and malicious behavior as their way of escapism in their troubled family. Tracy's mother, Melanie (played by The Incredibles voice actress Holly Hunter), notices her daughter's erratic behavior, and she strongly believes that it may have something to do with Evie's arrival in her life.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Thirteen stars Nikki Reed, Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Jeremy Sisto, Sarah Clarke, and High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens. The movie premiered in theaters on August 20, 2003.
Why Evie Betrays Tracy In 'Thirteen' Is All Because of Evie's Reputation
Right from the start, Thirteen establishes Evie as a charismatic yet troubled teenager who sees herself as superior to her friends and other seventh-grade students.
Tracy, a brilliant student who lacks social life, wants to be like Evie, so she tries to impress her by stealing a wallet from a random woman, leading to their unexpected shopping spree with the stolen money.
Stealing is only the tip of the iceberg for Tracy's recklessness due to Evie, since she eventually changes her whole personality, clothing, and way of life due to being close to the troubled teen. Evie manages to draw Tracy away from school and her family, placing her in a rebellious world filled with drugs, alcohol, underage sex, and skipping school.
While Melanie tries to control her daughter, Tracy, from losing herself altogether, she is already at a point of no return, but it only takes one betrayal from Evie to be the cause of her downfall.
After Tracy finds out that she will repeat the seventh grade due to skipping classes, she seems to realize that she may have gone too far. When Mel decides to reject Evie's plea to adopt her, Tracy agrees, causing Evie to feel betrayed by her decision.
After learning about Tracy's decision, Evie ignores her and spreads rumors about her in school. She even uses her manipulative nature to convince her guardian (and cousin), Brooke, that it was Tracy who influenced her to do drugs and drink alcohol.
During an intervention that took place inside Tracy's house, Evie shifts the blame to Tracy by exposing her stash of drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and contraceptives (which is originally hers in the first place). Evie insists that Tracy is the bad influence, not her, telling her former friend, "I had to. You don't get it."
This ultimately leads to the downfall of the pair's friendship, and it's quite messed up because Evie only did it to protect her reputation and to avoid the significant repercussions of her actions.
Evie essentially wants to preserve her good girl image, which she wants to project to her peers, so she decides to bail and use Tracy to escape the consequences.
The Impact of Evie’s Betrayal on Tracy Is Deeply Heartbreaking
Evie's betrayal sent shockwaves to Tracy because she believed that Evie didn't have the guts to do it because of their already-strong bond.
Having been through a lot in a span of weeks, Tracy thought that she found a friend who will stick with her no matter what, through the ups and downs. However, Thirteen made it clear that Evie only used her for her own gain, and it was unclear if the friendship she offered was genuine in the first place.
Tracy learned the hard way how not to trust someone who was only there through the fun and games, only to leave her behind when the going got tough. The movie also hinted that the toxic dynamic between Tracy and Evie (where, at one point, they hurt each other on purpose) was doomed to fail from the start.
In the end, Tracy can only lean on her mother's love as her saving grace, even though she mistreats Mel throughout Thirteen.
