Suspended

Dessa's life is changing...mostly because the life of her best friend, Kat, is changing. Kat has started dating a girl, Arwen, and she's trying to keep it on the down-low. Dessa is happy to keep the secret, but she starts hanging out with Kat's theater friends, hoping to learn more about Kat's new relationship. Everything's going great until Dessa accidentally lets Kat's secret slip. Some other students quickly make Kat a target-and Dessa takes steps to defend her friend that leave her suspended. Suddenly Dessa has to find ways to support her friend-and rebuild Kat's trust-while keeping off of school grounds.

I may be in trouble...but there's more to my story. When Kai Tamura sneaks into Ms. Opal's classroom for a look at an upcoming exam, he discovers that he's not the only one breaking rules. Ms. Opal is changing answers on her students' standardized tests-and Kai snaps some photos to prove it. Kai doesn't decide to bust Ms. Opal right away. He was trying to cheat too, after all. But a classroom conflict forces Kai to put Ms. Opal's actions out in the open. Soon Kai has a new problem: people don't believe him. Forget about a lousy exam score-Kai's suspension from school will really hurt his record, unless he can prove his photos are legit.

I may be in trouble...but there's more to my story.School has never been fun for Chace. Because of his huge jaw and crooked teeth, he rarely gets through a day of classes without bullies like Ivan taunting him. Things worsen when Chace's mom starts dating an Iranian man and Ivan's harassment takes a racist turn. Chace has had enough and decides to retaliate. But when Chace's Internet threats backfire, the result is a suspension from school. Now Chace will have to explain to his mom how his attempt to defend her made him look like the bad guy. And he'll have to figure out how to deal with a struggle that he can't seem to win.

For most of Lucy's life, it's just been her and her mom, and Lucy's been okay with that. But when a serious illness strikes Lucy's mother, Lucy has to grow up faster than she expected. As the illness gets worse and money gets tighter, even a school trip-which Lucy hoped would give her a break from home-seems out of reach. Out of frustration and desperation, Lucy starts selling her mom's medical marijuana. But she's not exactly an experienced dealer. And when Lucy gets busted, she has some serious explaining to do-to school authorities, to the police, and to her mom.

I may be in trouble...but there's more to my story. All Jenny Vang wants to do is fit in. Not be popular. Not be cool. Just fit in. After changing schools more than once, she's an expert at it. The way to fit in at Monona High is to talk trash or make boasts on The Confessional, the school's unofficial gossip site. So of course Jenny joins in. But when Jenny lies about hooking up with a teacher, she's slammed with a two-month suspension. She's guilty. She's embarrassed. But is she also the victim of a double standard? Jenny learns her punishment is way harsher than normal. Now she'll have to own her mistake while standing up for herself too.