Mr. Terupt is in a coma. A substitute comes the very next day, and Mrs. Williams speaks to Mr. Terupt’s class. She assures the students that “the snowball incident was an accident—not anyone’s fault” (148). Jessica worries that Mr. Terupt will be in trouble for having let things get out of control, and she considers the possibility of Mrs. Williams being to blame as well for having given permission for the snow play.

Luke’s mom accompanies him to visit Mr. Terupt in the hospital. Upon seeing Mr. Terupt in a coma, Luke is convinced his teacher is going to die. Jeffrey blames himself for the accident and wants to go back to not caring about anything. Anna initiates a group visit with Danielle and Jessica, and this time, Danielle gets permission from her mother to go. When the girls meet to ride to the hospital together, Anna realizes that her mother recognizes Danielle’s older brother, Charlie. Anna’s mom and Danielle’s brother are the same age, knew one another in high school, and are both single. Danielle dismisses Anna’s match-making thoughts and decides that she likes hanging out at Anna’s house, though she knows it will be tough to convince her family to let her spend time with her friend outside of school.