Summary

In the section January 2011, Connell picks up his mother Lorraine from work at Marianne's house where she cleans. He and Marianne talk about their test scores. Marianne asks why Connell talked to Miss Neary after class, teasing him about having an affair with her. Connell acts annoyed. He thinks about how stressful sex is. The conversation surrounding Miss Neary continues. Connell knows Marianne has never been with anyone before, that no one likes her because she is strange and private. Though they do not talk in school, Connell does not mind talking to her in her house. Often she confuses him, as he finds himself behaving differently around her. He remembers a morning she came downstairs in a bathrobe and looked embarrassed. In the kitchen she tells him she likes him. Lorraine's mother enters before Connell can respond.

In...