Narrated from the first-person perspective by Bunny, the novel begins at the vigil for a teenager named Gabe, who was shot and killed in a public square. Bunny struggles with finding the right words to commemorate Gabe’s life, noting that while he and Gabe weren’t “tight,” Gabe was one of the few students at Whitman who remained friendly with Bunny after he transferred to St. Sebastian’s, unlike Nasir, who stopped talking to him.

A local politician gives a speech at the vigil regarding the need to stop gun violence. Bunny notes how empty it sounds because nothing ever changes.

Nasir and Wallace are also at the vigil. He and Bunny make eye contact, but Nasir turns his back on him and walks away with Wallace.

Like Bunny, Nasir narrates in the first-person perspective. He is riding a bus home with his basketball team after they lost soundly to St. Sebastian’s. Nasir attributes the reason for their loss to Bunny leaving Whitman High and playing for the private school. During the ride, he looks out the window and notes the fancy suburbs surrounding St. Sebastian’s.

Even though basketball is not as important to Nasir as it is to Bunny, he broods about how his exit has negatively impacted the team.