Summary

In the opening line of the novel high school senior Jesse Alderman paraphrases a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, stating that nothing is either good or bad but only thinking makes it so. Jesse claims this quote is the only useful thing he’s ever learned at high school. He compares being at school to being at prison and shares his theory that real power doesn’t come from telling people what to do, but being able to give people something they want but can’t get. Doing this, Jesse says, is his talent.

In the next section of the Prologue, Jesse recounts the story of being attacked in the school parking lot by another student named Ken. Ken attacked Jesse and accused him of trying to steal his girlfriend Bridget. After Ken left, Jesse got into his car and drove to a...