Chapter 47: The Possum Prank and Missed Connections
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
In the fall of senior year, Bodie Kane uses a secret pay phone and overhears a conversation between her friend Geoff Richler and his mother. The mother complains about possums on the lawn, and Geoff jokes about their “tiny little devil eyes” and fangs. Bodie feels guilty for eavesdropping and hangs up.
The next day, rain prevents them from reaching their usual smoking spot on the mattresses, so Bodie and Geoff jimmy open the athletic equipment shed. The shed is filthy, smelling of mice, dust, and mold, but Bodie is so addicted to cigarettes that she endures it. They sit on the blue high-jump landing pad. Bodie deliberately repeats Geoff’s possum conversation verbatim, pretending it just crossed her mind. Geoff is stunned, believing he is experiencing déjà vu. Bodie does not reveal she overheard him.
A strip of light appears as three freshman boys open the door. Mistaking the older students for prefects, they ask what is happening. Geoff playfully threatens to unbutton his shirt, and the boys run away laughing.
Bodie then mentally steps back. She reflects that she never let Geoff know she had feelings for him. She realizes she may have always had a crush on Geoff, but his shorter stature allowed her to convince herself otherwise, enabling a close friendship without risk. She contrasts this with her crushes on unattainable figures like dead musicians and Mike Stiles, the most popular boy at Granby. She imagines an alternate universe in which she kissed Geoff, but in the real world the thought never crossed her mind.
Key Events
- Bodie eavesdrops on Geoff’s phone call with his mother about possums.
- Rain forces Bodie and Geoff to smoke in the hazardous equipment shed.
- Bodie repeats the possum conversation, causing Geoff to think he is dreaming.
- Three freshman boys interrupt; Geoff jokes by pretending to undress.
- Bodie reflects on her hidden crush on Geoff and the reasons she never acted on it.
- She imagines an alternate reality where she kissed him.
Character Development
Bodie Kane reveals several layers in this chapter. Her guilt over eavesdropping shows a moral awareness, yet she uses the stolen information to play a prank. This illustrates her desire to create a special connection with Geoff without risking real vulnerability. Her admission that she suppressed her feelings because Geoff was “a little short” exposes her self-deception and her tendency to settle for distant, unattainable crushes. The final reflection on the alternate universe underscores her regret and loneliness.
Geoff Richler is presented as trusting, good-natured, and quick-witted. He genuinely believes he might be dreaming and later handles the intrusion of the freshmen with humor. His friendliness and openness contrast with Bodie’s guardedness.
Mike Stiles (mentioned) serves as a foil: the “hottest boy at Granby” represents the kind of unattainable attraction Bodie allows herself to feel instead of pursuing a real, attainable connection with Geoff.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Possums symbolize neglected, unpleasant realities that people ignore until they intrude. In the phone call, the mother and Geoff treat possums as a nuisance; Bodie later uses the word to trigger a reaction, turning a trivial fear into a tool of connection and deception.
Déjà vu and alternate universes become motifs for missed opportunities. Geoff’s disorientation mirrors the way Bodie feels about her own life: she senses that things could have been different, but in her actual timeline she remains passive.
The equipment shed is a space of hidden, semi-legal activities—smoking, eavesdropping, pretending to be prefects. It parallels the secret phone booth and the private feelings Bodie conceals. Its dirtiness and risk echo the emotional hazard of being honest.
The secret pay phone represents Bodie’s habit of accessing others’ private lives without full consent. That knowledge empowers her but also distances her from genuine intimacy.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 47 crystallizes a core pattern in Bodie’s adolescence: she avoids emotional risk by fixating on unattainable figures and by using secrets to maintain control. The prank on Geoff demonstrates her cleverness and longing, but also her refusal to reveal her true self. The alternate-universe daydream foreshadows a life shaped by such choices. This moment helps explain why Bodie, years later, remains haunted by what she didn’t say or do.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Bodie not tell Geoff she overheard his phone call?
She wants to preserve the idea that they share a special psychic connection, and she enjoys the thought that he might believe in an inexplicable bond. Admitting the truth would shatter that illusion and force her to confront her feelings more directly. -
What does the possum conversation reveal about Bodie’s character?
It shows her excellent recall, her playful side, and her willingness to manipulate private information for her own ends. At the same time, it highlights her loneliness: she craves closeness but can only simulate it through a trick. -
How does the author use the setting of the equipment shed to reinforce the chapter’s themes?
The shed is dark, dirty, and full of hazards—the same conditions under which Bodie hides her smoking habit and her crush. Its cramped, hidden nature mirrors the secrecy of the pay phone and the emotional walls Bodie has built. The intrusion of the freshmen forces a brief moment of play, but afterward the shed’s grim reality returns, just as Bodie’s regret returns after the joke fades.