Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life

Content Warning: This section contains one incidence of physical violence between two students.

Rafe does his best to fit in as a normal kid. He participates in class and tells his Zoom customers he is out of business. Jeanne smiles at him when he behaves himself.

Rafe describes an English assignment in which students break into groups. Rafe becomes the artist for his group, arranging illustrations on a poster board. Mrs. Donatello praises the work of his group, which Rafe recognizes is a compliment meant for him.

Miller the Killer catches Rafe at his locker and throws him to the ground. This time he complains that Rafe is behaving himself. When his Operation R.A.F.E. notebook falls on the floor, Miller snatches it. He tells Rafe he can only get the notebook back if he pays one dollar per page until he buys the whole thing back.

Rafe goes through four elaborate fantasies (illustrated on 137-39) about how he can destroy Miller and regain his property. Ultimately, he decides to pay Miller off.

He says, “I had to face the facts: Miller had me, and I was going to spend the rest of sixth grade buying back that stupid notebook, one page at a time” (140).