The Benefits of Being an Octopus

Zoey’s routine continues, but the fallout from the shooting and her debate lessons have given her new perspective. Her understanding of the world has begun to shift.

When Ms. Rochambeau drops Zoey off at the bus stop for the first time, she sees the trailer park where Zoey lives. She watches Zoey wrangle Bryce and Aurora as they get off the bus, managing Bryce’s increasing tendency to act out and Aurora’s increasing clinginess. As Ms. Rochambeau drives away, she gives Zoey a thumbs up, indicating that she approves of Zoey’s ability to handle the difficult situation. Despite the vote of confidence, Zoey can’t help but see her young siblings as a stranger might: “Suddenly all I can see is their gray-tinged clothes that smell like Frank’s cigarette smoke and their ratty hair that never got combed in the morning” (96). Zoey is becoming more aware of how Bryce and Aurora’s socioeconomic class may put them at a disadvantage with other kids at their school, the same way it has negatively affected her. Already, someone at school evidently has called Bryce stupid—a word he keeps angrily repeating.

At home, Zoey overhears a conversation between her mother and Lenny: He blames Kara for losing his job after he snapped at a patient.