Chapters 1 through 4 Summary

This novel for young people is the story of Theodore Johnson, a teenager struggling to rebuild his life after a brief spell in a youth correctional facility. As the novel portrays his Theodore's struggles to sort through the conflicting influences of his two best friends and his unexpected involvement with a famous pop star, narration also explores themes relating to trust, the corrupting allure of money, and the need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future.

In Chapter 1, African-American teen Theodore Johnson has been given the nickname Armpit because venom from a scorpion bite infected his armpit. As he digs in the lawn of Austin mayor Cherry Lane, narration describes how Armpit got used to digging holes during his time at a juvenile detention center, how he ended up at the center (following an altercation with...