Adolescent Zoe and her father move in with his new wife and her two teenage sons. The wife believes her precious sons regardless, and Zoe's father is too wimpy to challenge his wife and protect Zoe. After several assaults, where the parents and the law disbelieve her, Zoe takes revenge.
It's Rebecca's first day in the eighth grade and the fourteen year old girl is excited. Her whole life she has been dreaming of this moment, the day when she will finally be queen of the school. For the eighth grade is the highest grade at Robert E. Lee Middle School. She had heard the big brouhaha about the changing of the school district, the redrawing of its boundaries and the busing in of kids from some of the housing projects in West End but she hadn't paid it any mind.