Breakaway

Gr 9 Up—Jaz's younger sister Sylvia was a popular cheerleader whose death leaves the entire school mourning to an extent that nauseates him. He loved his sister, but the outpouring of affection feels fake, and he becomes even more disgusted when Sylvia's friend Alexis starts hitting on him. His single mom withdraws from everything but work, and Jaz's friend Jordie begins dating a girl as rich as Jordie is, leaving Jaz to deal with their friend Mario, who begins to ditch soccer practice in favor of getting high. When Jaz is pushed into a double date with Jordie, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's friend Raine, he is surprised at his attraction to Raine. She is rich, gorgeous, and completely out of his league, or so he thinks. As Raine begins to convince him that he just might have a chance with her in spite of their differences and the craziness that his life has become, he holds back out of fear that she will leave him behind eventually, just as he was abandoned by his father and now two of his friends. Will the boy who has always felt like a mistake made by his teenage parents take a chance on a girl who is so much more than she seems?