the first day back at school since the Christmas holidays cut a slice out of the year, 圣诞节把一年切出来一片，意思这只是一年中的一段，过完节要返校了。October对学校的感觉和自己想得不一样，她以为自己不会miss学校里的一切，但是当尤瑟夫出现的时候，她感觉到的是warm。I didn't think I'd missed the rubbery smell of the school of the ear-exploding ring of the bell or the flat grey of the playground, but I see Yusuf hurling a furry yellow tennis ball at a wall and l feel a rush of something warm. （P239）不过熟悉的朋友此刻并不能第一时间回应October这份细腻的情感变化，他在被众人簇拥着，所以她决定等一等：hes crowded with people all jostling and whooping and telling him their news and so l put mine away for later.（P239） 老师来问他们的项目进展，但是其实we've done absolutely nothing at all.（P239）啥都没做，那咋办呢，October学到了一个技能就是不能实话实说，所以她就附和尤瑟夫：l just nod while Yusuf says our research is going very well, which it isn't.（P239/240）October 很在意这个，说谎以及没有完成项目可能面临的惩罚： My tummy is in knots and I feel sick. l know enough from the names on the board and the detentions and the letters to parents to know that not doing your schoolwork is a problem so hugethat you could live inside it.（P240）不完成作业是个大麻烦，可能会受困于此。有了担心，自然想和同伴一起解决，但是尤瑟夫一直在忙着别的，I try to talk to Yusuf about it at break but he is playing with the others and skipping rope and chanting numbers.（P240）尤瑟夫在和其他小孩跳绳计数。看到他们蹦跳，October想到了爸爸的three steps，走了三步就滑倒的场景，她在这里唯一的朋友就是尤瑟夫，所以她想到的唯一的倾诉对象也是他，她希望自己可以像尤瑟夫的哥哥一样和他聊天。讲一些silly things，比如说：microwaving a plastic bowl until it made a bright blue puddle that seeped out over everything and ruined the kitchen worktop（厨房操作台）...（P240）想和朋友说说自己生活中的囧事却没有对象，For a while I am suspended in the lonely darkness and the sounds around me fade until there'sa tiny thump and the warmth of someone else. 这时候一个新朋友出现了，Daisy，这个姑娘很有分寸感， I turn my head to the left and Daisy smiles quietly at me and then looks away and down to the book in her lap. （P241）安慰到了，自己看自己的书，没有很多话。 两个人还是一起回教室上课的，这里的说法挺有意思：we walk back to lessons together.（P241）
