What Happened to David (ePub)

What Happened to David provides a new twist on what it's like to be bullied. It tells the story of what it's like to stand up for yourself and then get sent to an alternative school because of it. In What Happened to David, 15-year-old Mary is victimized by an obsessive, love-struck teen gangster and then sent from a magnet school to a tough alternative school where she meets David, another victim of an unfair system.

Although both are honor students, a couple of unwise choices involving self defense with a weapon and an illegal drug bust get them branded as criminals by the school district and law enforcement. While reflecting on stupid car thieves, bad tattoos, and other foolishness, as well as the hard luck stories of the students around them, David helps Mary to view herself and her new school as an opportunity rather than just a punishment or an embarrassment. Their love grows as they adapt to their new school. Mary starts to feel like she finally belongs somewhere.

Ironically, just as she starts to feel safe, an after-school shooting shows her that her safety is an illusion when she learns she was sitting next to the armed shooter in class. As David tries to calm her fears, the obsessive gangster from Mary's past returns to stake his claim on Mary. David and Mary enlist the aid of their parents, teachers and friends to protect them only to learn that there is no real protection to be had. This is a story about young love, obsession, belonging, violence, survival at school and coping with tragic loss.