Anne E Schraff

Jaris Spain has a hard time believing in himself. Between his pessimistic father, his falsely optimistic mother, his failure at sports, difficulty in the classroom, and inability to be noticed by the one girl that matters to him, Jaris struggles to find his own place in the world.

"In the alley on his way home from work, Derrick Shaw witnesses a murder. To save his life, Derrick promises not to reveal the identity of the shooter, a former Tubman student. But he feels sick and guilty about his vow of silence."--Publisher's web site.

"Destini Fletcher hates Tubman High from day one. When Tyron Becker singles her out, Destini is thrilled to be a part of Tyron's crowd. But he scorns her budding friendships with Alonee, Jaris, and Sami, and mocks her attempts to earn good grades. Do her excuses for Tyron's increasingly brutal behavior and bad attitude put her at risk?"--Publisher's web site.

After a young girl is shot in what appears to gang-related violence, Jaris Spain decides to take a closer look and discovers a trail leading to another Tubman High School student, DeWayne Pike, who may be covering up something in his past.

When Kevin Walker transfers to Tubman High after the death of his mother, he decides to keep his painful past a secret and remain a loner to avoid the scrutiny of others. But his star turn on the track team brings him attention and friends who may betray his trust.

When Mr. Fruder offers Claudio a thousand dollars to take three classmates into a cave for a fear experiment, he finds out how Mr. Fruder really feels about them.

Sixteen-year-old Abel Ruiz, a junior at Cesar Chavez High School, tries to look at life in a positive manner and not define himself as a loser, despite the pessimism and lack of support he receives from his parents.

Ernesto knows he should be supporting Carmen Ibarra's father who is running for city council against the corrupt incumbent Monte Esposito, but Monte is his girlfriend Naomi's cousin and he doesn't want to upset her already volatile family.

Surely Valerie Monroe's nightmare was not real. But it felt real, and the news on the television frightened her even more. Was she a witness to a real crime? Maybe it wasn't a dream!