This is a story of a 15-year-old teenage boy named Corey that feels isolated and misunderstood. He thinks that he is an outsider with misfits as friends. He falls in love for the first time and discovers a new and wonderful world. As he is captivated by this girl, he finds himself bullied by a black teen in the hallway of the school. He stands up for himself but feels regret for getting into drama. Later that day one of his friends gets into a fight with another black teen while hanging out in the school commons. Shortly after that, Corey is confronted by the same kid he had issues with that morning in gym class. This is the time that Corey starts to feel depression and likens it to what he calls 'The Darkness.' Corey's friends begin to make an issue out of the racial tension of the school and begin to encourage biases of their own. Violence continues to build, and this pushes Corey and his girlfriend apart. Corey loses his girlfriend after getting suspended for fighting and his parents confront him with strict discipline. Acting out Corey runs away from home, but is soon found by his parents and is sent to live in a very rural area of East Texas. As Corey is separated from everyone and everything he knows he becomes more depressed and seeks isolation. After being gone for a couple of months, Corey goes back to the city to see his old friends during the Christmas Break. What he finds is things have changed and are crazier then he remembers. Feeling overwhelmed Corey goes back to the country to be alone. In his darkest moments, he takes his life. He is allowed to see things for a while, in death, but the loneliness is stronger than ever. Corey feels nothing but regret and sadness until he fades into the darkness that he refers to throughout the story.
