Laurie Sanders is the editor-in-chief of The Grapevine, the school newspaper at Gordon High School. She has been with the paper for three years and is often frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm from the rest of the paper’s writers. She leaves the paper’s office and sees her best friend, Amy, through the window of another class. She makes faces at Amy through the glass, and Amy laughs. The bell rings before they get in trouble.

Ben Ross, the school’s history teacher, is awkwardly trying to thread the projector in his class. His wife, Christy, is a music teacher at the school, and they’ve both been there for two years. Ben’s students find him intense and charismatic, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Other faculty like him less, particularly because he uses unconventional teaching methods, such as having his students role play (for example, as political parties or juries).

Ben dislikes the students’ dismissiveness about punctuality or homework. David Collins, Laurie’s boyfriend, enters, and fixes the projector as Robert Billings arrives. Robert is a heavyset, quiet boy who is usually alone and is a frequent target for bullies.