Understanding
- The next day at school, Lily tells Conor she forgives him.
- He's all, for what?
- For getting her in trouble, Lily says. Duh.
- You got yourself in trouble, says Conor.
- So Lily tells him she forgives him for lying, then asks if he's going to say he's sorry.
- The answer? A big fat nope. And while they're at it, he doesn't forgive her, thank you very much.
- Lily tells him her mom says she's supposed to be nice to him because of what he's going through, but obviously it's tough when he's being such a jerk.
- Ugh. Conor just wants to kill her. He imagines himself ripping her in two. Instead, he opts to tell her that her mom doesn't know anything. Then he walks away.
- Everyone's been giving him special treatment since his mom got sick and Lily spilled the beans. They're all afraid to talk to the kid with the cancer mom, including the teachers, so they treat him like he's invisible.
- Except for Harry, who inexplicably started bullying him.
- That day during break, Harry punches Conor in the stomach.
- Lily watches and does nothing, but Miss Kwan sees them. She doesn't see the punching, she just sees that they're out past the break.
- Harry tells her they were just talking about the life writing assignment.
- Miss Kwan sends the other boys back to class, but she wants to talk to Conor.
- She knows he's being bullied, she says. And she can't imagine what he must be going through, but he can talk to her anytime.
- He says he's not going through anything. What he doesn't say is that he doesn't want special treatment; he just wants everything to be normal again.