I never thought about this before. The funniest part is that Evan KNOWS Jared is trying to look cool and he knows that Jared insecure but still convinced that Jared hates him. Quotes from the novel:
"He acts like he’s the shit, but he’s not totally convincing." "He still hasn’t looked at me (or a vagina, I’m guessing)" “Your ‘Israeli girlfriend’”— I make the air quotes so he doesn’t miss my point— “and your ‘buddies’ from camp? I’ve never heard you once mention any of their names.”
also that evan's idea of how to be lifechangingly successful at a first impression with his crush involves dryly going up & talking to her while also seeming so profoundly unrattled by doing so that he doesn't already know her name & will get it wrong even the first time due to how concerned he is with so many other things, & this will appeal so much....& then there's jared's approach to talking to evan on the first day of school going up to him with a practiced swagger only the deeply insecure can truly pull off & sure it's established he knows evan's name & secrets but he so obviously is coolly unconcerned with all evan's shit despite initiating this exchange. & what an asshole