Description
A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants his mantra, " It's gonna be better, gonna be better here. " But things don't go as Gray had hoped. He quickly learns that there are bullies in every school, and for some reason they latch on to him his very first week at Greenford High School. Their brutal words and hurtful actions escalate, and Gray feels trapped in a world where he has no control, no support systems, no way out. The teachers turn their heads--boys will be boys; the students laugh--glad they're not the ones being picked on; and even Gray's father is unsympathetic to his torture--you need to toughen up, son. One by one, Gray's escapes are taken away...first his beloved drums, then his dog, and finally his only friend...until Gray feels pushed beyond control. Until that fateful day when he decides that he will show them all that he's not a wuss and enters the school with his father's semi-automatic. In the blink of an eye, lives are shattered throughout the community of Greenford because one boy was pushed to the breaking point. With power and outrage, Nancy Garden questions where to place the blame...on the students, on the teachers and administration, on the parents...and ultimately on Gray Wilton himself.
