Part 1: Chapters 1-5 Summary

Jennifer Brown is an award-winning columnist. This is her debut novel.

Valerie Leftman struggles to get out of bed on the first day of school, reluctant to face her classmates for the first time since her boyfriend, Nick, shot up the Commons five months ago. Valerie, her parents, and her brother decided that it would be best not to uproot the family and move. Valerie also decided it would be best to return to school, the same school that hailed her a hero after the police cleared her in the investigation, rather than to hide at home and be tutored. However, it was much easier when it was all a plan, not a reality. Valerie calls her psychiatrist, Dr. Heiler, as her mother continues to push her to get ready for school. Dr. Heiler reassures Valerie and promises she...