Frankie, the neighborhood bully and his gang, are out to get Martin Luna and he doesn't know where to turn or who he can trust, so he makes a desperate decision that may destroy him.
Lonely without her grandmother and ex-boyfriend, sad about the troubles in her parents' marriage, and struggling with anxiety after nearly being raped, Darcy Willis learns that one of her friends is hiding a difficult secret.
Bluford freshman Tyray Hobbs, the class bully and tormentor of Darrell Mercer, is determined to get revenge on Darrell, the only boy who ever stood up to Tyray.
Hakeem Randall, already upset by his father's illness, and his family's move to Detroit, finds his anger reaching a boiling point when he is forced to share a bedroom with his moody and secretive cousin Savon, a childhood friend who soon becomes an enemy.
Lionel Shephard dreams of joining the NBA, but while his father disapproves of his plans, his teachers are threatening to fail him--unaware of his poor reading abilities--and Lionel needs to decide how far he is willing to go for his dreams.
Darcy's plans for a great summer seem to be evaporating when she finds herself traumatized over an earlier incident with Brian, and with her boyfriend in Detroit, her grandmother recently deceased, and her parents and friends all hiding secrets of their own, she does not know where to turn for help.
When his eight-year-old brother is killed in a drive-by shooting, Hispanic teenager Martin Luna is torn between his thirst for revenge and the pleas of his mother, teacher, and girlfriend for him to resist becoming a gangbanger.
Darrell Mercer, a new student at Bluford High, decides it is time to take a stand after he tires of being harassed and threatened by bully Tyray Hobbs.
Tyray Hobbs, once among the most feared students at Bluford High, loses his reputation after being humiliated by Darrell Mercer, and with a broken hand, troubled family, and no friends, decides to use a gun to get revenge.
