Clay is on a mission to find out what happened to Hannah, and his journey is intensified when the tapes end up in his hands. Unlike the other students who receive Hannah's tapes, Clay listens to each one slowly, and then confronts the people Hannah names. This puts him in a dangerous position, as people like Justin, Bryce, and Courtney all want him to stay quiet about what he hears.
The more Clay listens to the tapes, the more they seem to trigger his own issues with anxiety, although the show has yet to fully delve into Clay's past. However, Clay is determined to find justice for Hannah no matter how much the other students threaten him. Ultimately, he ends up getting a taped confession out of Hannah's rapist, Bryce, even though he suffers a beating for his efforts. In the finale, Clay confronts Mr. Porter and tells him the full story of the final day of Hannah's life. He also hands over the tapes to the counselor in the hopes that he will choose to do the right thing with them.
In the final shot of the season, Clay is seen riding off into the sunset with Tony, Tony's boyfriend, and Skye, a barista that Clay has reached out to in hopes that she doesn't feel as if she has nowhere to turn like Hannah ultimately did.