Who is Jimmy Little from Somewhere in the Darkness and what is their importance?

Jimmy Little is a fourteen year old boy who is very intelligent, but he has trouble concentrating in school. Jimmy often does not go to school, but instead he spends time with friends or watches television all day. However, Jimmy's guardian, Mama Jean, wants him to graduate from school so she pushes him to go. As the novel begins, Jimmy finds himself wrestling with the guilt of hurting Mama Jean by not going to school.