Eighth-grader Travis is opening his locker on his first morning at his new school when a shoe lands on the floor near him. He sees a smaller kid walking with only one shoe on, so he returns the shoe without a word and then goes to first-period Social Studies with Ms. Gordon. There’s an interesting girl named Velveeta in the class. Travis dislikes school and dreads his classes, especially fourth-period Reading. Upon seeing the claustrophobic Reading classroom, Travis leaves and wanders down the road towards the old house 20 miles away where he used to live before he and Grandpa moved this past summer.

Travis skipped school a few times in kindergarten, but Grandpa told him if he ever did it again, his dog, Rosco, would have to sleep outside. This threat convinced Travis to stop skipping, until now—Rosco is gone, so Grandpa can no longer threaten the same punishment.

After a while, Grandpa appears in his truck, apparently having been notified of Travis’s absence and figured out where Travis would go. Grandpa tells Travis that Rosco isn’t going to be at the old house, so there’s no use going there. He orders Travis to get in the truck, and he does.