Eddie Proffit must cope with the unexpected deaths of his father and his best friend, while having to face the possibility of one of his favorite books being removed from his school. But Billy Bartholomew, his friend, doesn't disappear completely. He comes back to speak with Eddie and to help him find his way again.

Following angry outbursts at school, Bo Brewster is sent to Mr. Nak's Anger Management Group, where he meets a hard-edged pack of survivors whose own defenses are rigged as high as his. It is here he meets and falls in love with Shelly, a future American Gladiator, whose passion for physical challenge more than matches his.

Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her scars made them outcasts. And later, after swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend. But now Sarah --- the toughest person Eric has ever known --- sits silent in a hospital. And Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under.