If Only Part Four: Spring / Chapter 33 Summary

Back to School

  • The kids in group talk about what to say and what not to say when someone dies.
  • Things not to say: "Don't cry," and "I know how you feel."
  • Things to say: "I'm sorry," and "I'm here for you."
  • Corinna's dad gets the flu. Deborah brings over soup. Her dad seems happy when he finds out she's the one who made it for him.
  • Corinna uses some of her birthday money to do something she's always wanted to do: get her ears pierced. Her mom had wanted her to wait until she was sixteen, but her dad, surprisingly, doesn't freak.
  • Corinna tells us how mean kids at school can be, and how they call each other names. There's a girl at school named Nicole who's overweight, and people call her Shamu.
  • Corinna feels lucky she's not overweight and doesn't have a weird name they can make fun of.
  • She says she needs to get brave.