sentences:  Despite her usual composure, she goes "off the rails" after her parents' separation and the love triangle between her and her classmates Freddie McClair and James Cook, once close friends before their rivalry over Effy pushed them apart.Of the two, she loves Freddie more, but she is afraid of dealing with real love, so she instead goes after Cook.Her mother, Anthea Stonem, justifies Effy's behavior to JJ Jones by saying that "showing her cards scares her to death".