Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Hesitant and Searching
As the narrator of the story, Annabel is a very cautious and careful person. She doesn't even like to express her own opinion often because she's afraid of upsetting other people, so it makes sense that the story is told in her careful, measured tones. She always thinks events through thoroughly, turning them over in her mind and wondering how things could have gone differently or what the other person might be thinking. When Clarke moves away from Annabel at lunch, she reflects back on how Clarke must hate her for ditching her all those years ago:
Looking back, maybe if I had approached Clarke again, we could have worked things out. But I didn't. It was like the passing time and my guilt and shame opened up a chasm, wider and wider. Once, I might have been able to leap it, but eventually it was too distant to even look across, much less find a way to the other side. (4.76)
Annabel is always trying to figure out what's going on around her, and her detailed reflections on everyday life and past events make it so that the reader gets a very thorough picture of what's going on.