Summary

In Chapter 1, Shane and his best friend, Josh, discuss an upcoming baseball game between the Cardinals and the Cougars as they walk to McClane Junior High School. The qualifying game conflicts with an important trip Shane must take to San Francisco, and Josh fears that the team will lose their opportunity to compete at regionals without Shane’s all-star pitching. Though Shane claims that rescheduling the trip would devastate his father, Adam, Shane repeatedly implies that the primary purpose of his trip is an exciting but complicated secret unrelated to visiting his father. He ultimately determines that lying is easier than telling Josh the truth about his journey.

In Chapter 2, Shane returns home from school to find his mother, Rebecca, finishing her work day with a client from her private midwifery practice. While eating a snack, he and Rebecca share an awkward conversation about...