The novel begins with the ringing of the phone in Jason Taylor’s father’s office—a world Jason is forbidden to enter. When Jason answers the phone, he hears breathing on the other end, as well as a baby crying, before the caller hangs up.

Jason’s friend Dean Moran, nicknamed Moron, comes over and invites Jason to play on the frozen lake. Other boys are out there already, popular boys whom Jason idolizes. Though Jason longs to befriend these boys, they ostracize him because of his stammering problem, which Jason has named “Hangman.” It’s Hangman who stops Jason from saying words like “nothing” and “sure.” What’s more, Jason has secretly been publishing poems in the parish magazine under the name Eliot Bolivar. Admitting this would surely get him pegged as “gay,” which would be certain social suicide.

A large group of boys and Dawn Madden (who Jason says might as well be a boy) gather on the ice. Teams are chosen for a game of British Bulldogs. Jason is relieved not to be chosen dead last and plays strategically, making it home. In the second round he’s brought down when three boys from the opposite team tackle him.

Some older boys, including

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