What is the main conflict in Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas?

Rats Saw God tells the story of Steve York, a National Merit finalist who is also a habitual dope smoker ("stoner"). He is failing senior English and has a rash of run-ins with school authorities. His guidance counselor Mr. DeMouy gives him the opportunity to avoid summer school by writing one hundred pages about any subject. After several false starts, the writing project (which consumes half of the novel) takes off as a diary. Steve writes about his early highschool years mainly spent near Houston, Texas living with his father. Steve always refers to his father as "the astronaut." Their relationship is strained, at best.