Summary

In Chapter 1, as Avery Grambs played chess in the park with Harry, a homeless man, she thought about how her mother turned everything in their lives into a game. One of her favorite games involved Avery and her mother guessing each other’s secrets. Avery’s mother died when Avery was 15. In the present, Avery won the chess game, meaning she had to buy breakfast for Harry.

In school, Avery got good grades, though she did not put forth much effort. It was more important to work extra shifts than raise her grade by a few points. When Avery was called to the office, she thought the principal had learned she was running weekly poker games in the parking lot to pay for Harry’s breakfasts.

Instead, the principal told Avery that she had made a perfect score on her physics test. Since...