By the time Jeff Ransford hits middle school, he already has definitive views about how the world should be, and about following one's dreams. Though he has good values, he knows he is not living up to his potential. He feels justified in his lackadaisical attitude because of his infatuation with comic books, and his resentment towards a father who never made time for a funeral for his deceased mother, whom he sorely misses. During a heated argument...