In Chapter 3, Danny faces his crush, Tess Hewitt, before he leaves for camp. Will and Ty give the two some privacy, and Tess and Danny sit down to talk. Danny explains Tess’s appeal, stating, Tess “could walk around and be better looking than any girl in Middletown and still hang with the guys like a champ” (21). Normally good friends with an easy rapport between them, Danny feels dwarfed by his concerns about camp. Plagued by his own insecurities, Danny provokes a fight with her. Tess starts to crybut regains her composure. She leaves Danny to join Scott on the tennis courts. Danny, rejoined by Will and Ty, plays basketball. He takes a shot and Will, normally the inferior player, blocks Danny’s shot, leaving Danny with an even greater sense of dread about basketball camp.

On the way to Right Way basketball camp, Danny, Will, and Ty meet Tarik Meminger, another tall player from the Bronx. Tarik possesses a friendly, street-smart personality the boys, especially Will, immediately warm up to. By the time the four arrive at camp, they form a fast friendship. En route, the boys also meet