Marjorie Dean, High School Junior

The last summer ended with promises to write, to visit, to remain forever close. Now junior year begins, and Marjorie Dean must learn what every teenager discovers: some friendships survive distance, and some do not. When Mary Raymond's family moves away, Marjorie finds herself navigating unfamiliar social currents. A new student, Rowena Farnham, arrives at school, and almost immediately becomes entangled in a suspected cheating scandal that forces Marjorie to confront questions of honor and loyalty. Friendships shift like tides, and growing up means learning when to stand by someone and when to stand for something. Chase captures the particular ache of adolescent friendship with clarity and compassion. The emotional landscape is familiar across generations: the terror of being left behind, the suspicion of newcomers, the desperate need to do what's right even when no one is watching. This is a story about the year everything starts to change, and the girl caught in the middle of it.