Mad Dog Madson

One month after seeing his best friend’s little brother die from being pinned under a car and dragged across railroad tracks is Charlie’s first day of high school. 

That morning, eating breakfast, Charlie reads yet another story about the accident in the local paper – this one featuring Pete’s white face in his 4th grade Catholic school picture next to a mug shot of Elijah Baldwin, the driver of the car — a black man.

On the way to school, crossing the same tracks, Charlie relives the whole scene and swears he can hear Pete’s voice.  From that point forward, no matter what Charlie does as he crosses the tracks:  running as fast as he can or cranking music on his new earbuds, Pete still finds a way to make Charlie hear him.

“Hey, Mad Dog, what the F?”

At home Charlie rarely sleeps and forces himself to eat so his mom won’t worry.  At school he walks around in a fog of guilt while everyone keeps talking about the accident.  Except Dom Patroklus, who won’t leave Charlie alone about his grown-out Afro, sagging jeans, and new black step-dad. 

Then, right before Halloween, Charlie’s guidance counselor, perky Miss Riley, makes him eat lunch with Pearl, the new girl.  And, God, she’s weird with her cat-ear headbands, purple-streaked hair, and recent heart transplant.