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On his first day of school, Junior gets upset that his geometry textbooks are so outdated and throws the book at his teacher's face, resulting in a suspension.
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Junior decides to transfer to Rearden high school, but Rowdy, feeling betrayed and hurt, decides to fight Junior.
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Junior and Penelope both decide to dress as homeless people for Halloween, asking for spare change instead of candy, to raise awareness for the homeless.
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Junior's sister, Mary, runs away and gets married, shocking the rest of the family.
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After he defends Junior in their geology class, Gordy and Junior become friends.
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Right around Thanksgiving, Mary emails Junior and assures him that she's doing well and loves her new life.
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Junior and Penelope begin to develop romantic interest toward one another, but Junior acknowledges that they're both kind of just using one another.
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Junior ends up making Reardan's varsity basketball team, but in his first game, he gets knocked unconscious and is diagnosed with a concussion.
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Junior, Penelope, and Roger are at a diner when the truth comes out that Junior is poor. The other two promise not to tell anyone.
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Junior meets Penelope and Roger, two kids from his new school. Roger seems to take enough of a liking to Junior, but he has some work to do with Penelope.
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Junior's dog, Oscar, is shot by Junior's father after Oscar gets sick and the family cannot afford to take him to the vet. Junior is devastated.
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Junior goes to the 127th Annual Spokane Reservation Powwow with Rowdy, reluctantly, and ends up getting involved in some violence/fighting with Rowdy himself, and a few of their other peers.
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Junior's grandmother, who he loves dearly, is struck and killed in a car crash on her way home from a powwow.
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Junior's dad's best friend, Eugene, who occasionally gives Junior rides to/from school, is shot outside 7/11 by his friend. A little while later, while in prison, the friend hangs himself.
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Reardan plays Junior's old high school's basketball team. Junior has to guard Rowdy, and ends up holding him to just four points all night. At one point, Junior drains a three-pointer.
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Mary dies in a fire after her and her husband get drunk and fall asleep, and their trailer goes up in flames.
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Junior goes to the cemetery with his parents to clean off the gravestones of his grandmother, Eugene, and Mary and thinks about the highs and lows of his freshman year.