How It All Goes Down
Bart Rangely and his mom have had a tough six months. Bart's dad left the family to go live with his mistress, Caroline, and Bart and his mom are still dealing with their sadness and anger about this betrayal when his dad is killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Bart's mom, who worked in the same office in the World Trade Center, would have died, too, if it weren't for a bit of luck: Bart was home with the flu, and she had to ditch work because she couldn't find a babysitter.
Bart's mom is understandably withdrawn and depressed, so he feels alone with his grief, anger, and anxiety about his mom's close call. Plus there's the fact that, prior to the tragedy, Bart and his mom had kept his dad's abandonment a secret from the rest of the family. And on top of all that, Bart just received a full scholarship to Baileywell (a.k.a. Bullyville), the area's most notorious private school. To say that he doesn't want to attend is an understatement.
At Baileywell, Bart's worst fears are proved almost immediately when he's mercilessly bullied by Tyro, an older student who's supposed to be his mentor. Tyro starts with light antagonism in the cafeteria, but his antics quickly escalate to death threats and physical violence. Bart feels alone with this problem, too, because he doesn't want to worry his mother. But it turns out he can only bottle his feelings for so long, and one day, after a particularly vicious prank, Bart trashes Tyro's fancy car. Oops.
Instead of getting expelled or paying for the damage, Bart is asked to volunteer as a companion for sick kids at the hospital. There, he befriends Nola, a super sick ten-year-old who helps him work through his serious issues. Turns out that Nola is Tyro's sister, though Bart doesn't find out until she's literally on her deathbed.
In the wake of Nola's death, Bart is finally able to talk about his feelings with his mom. Back at school, Bart assumes that Nola's death will help him and Tyro resolve their problems, but instead they get into a huge fistfight. Bart gets expelled, which is, weirdly enough, his idea of a happy ending given how much he hates Baileywell. Bart returns to public school and goes on to have a normal happy life.