Orange County, California

Orange County, California is the primary setting of the novel. This area is made up of suburban neighborhoods and communities that are planned and wealthy. This is where Stella goes to live after her parents die and she moves in with the Roths. One of the things that strikes Stella during the last few weeks of her life is how everything in the area is so routine.

STEP

Step is a special high school where delinquents attend. The school is right across the creek from the regular high school. STEP is where Daniel attends school. even though Daniel is very intelligent, he has bad behavior and doesn't apply himself in school. Additionally, the students that attend STEP are released for the day a 1 pm, so they typically taunt the regular high school students after their release.

Note

Stella finds a note in her locker that...