Chapters 1 through 3 Summary

As the story opens, Scott Hudson is playing basketball with his three best friends, Kyle, Patrick, and Mitch. The boys are talking about the coming day - their first day as freshmen at J.P. Zenger High School. Scott asks about classes and whether the subjects will be difficult, which prompts Mitch's comment that Scott has only to show up in order to pass. Scott returns home and finds his parents deep in conversation on the living room couch. They seem worried and when his mother mentions his first day of high school, Scott believes they must be worried about him. His brother Bobby had problems in high school and Scott reassures them that he won't go in the direction that Bobby went.

Scott heads out after a big breakfast the following morning - a first-day-of-school tradition. When he arrives at...