Paula Chase

Thirteen-year-old Black best friends Simp and Rollie find their friendship threatened by the pressures of basketball, upcoming auditions, middle school, and their growing involvement in the local drug ring.

When Monique gets into a prestigious ballet training program and Rasheeda is left behind to help her deeply religious and strict aunt at their close-knit church, the thirteen-year-old best friends spend the summer without each other to lean on for support.