The Beginning of Everything

Ezra spends the weekend in his room and drives to school alone on Monday, deeply depressed. He flunks a test in calculus class and learns that he won the homecoming king crown. Anamica, whom he was supposed to have escorted to the stage, coldly tells him as she hands back his paper. To avoid the blur of people congratulating him, Ezra hides in the library until lunch. He spots Phoebe in the quad at lunch, and she waves at him. However, Evan shouts for Ezra to get his “royal ass” over to his old table (250). Ezra nods and walks over to his old group, with the whole school watching. The king has chosen. Ezra fields questions about why he missed the dance, explaining that he and Cassidy broke up. Charlotte, reveling in this information, welcomes Ezra back. When Ezra glances back at Toby’s table, it feels as though “the past six weeks had never happened” (252). Jimmy gets Ezra’s attention and asks if he is coming to tennis practice—he can keep Trevor, who has a sprained ankle, company on the bench. Horrified at the prospect of sitting on the bench, but having no better alternative, Ezra accepts. Trevor and Ezra watch the practice, along with some of the tennis team girlfriends who joke around and flirt with Ezra.