In 8th grade, Jake Sterling had always been alone and bullied by Mark and his gang. But one day, the dromies - Drew, Henry, and Liam - stood up for him (mostly Drew did), and they became friends with Jake. They'd been almost friends for five months now. Jake often bullied the music club to boost his reputation in front of Drew, as he deeply cared about what Drew thought of him. One day, as the dromies were near the locker, a girl named Zoey approached Drew and seemed to know him pretty well. Zoey's flirtatious behavior didn't go unnoticed by Jake, who sensed that Drew was developing romantic feelings for her. As Jake watched, he felt a pang of discomfort and jealousy creeping up his spine, making him wonder why he wasn't good enough for Drew's attention. But Jake couldn't quite put his finger on why this feeling was so unsettling. Zoey's sugary sweet smile and her constant need for attention from Drew made Jake's skin crawl. He could tell she was only interested in Drew's wealth and social status, not his personality or interests. Still, Jake couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched Zoey bat her eyelashes at Drew and playfully tug on his arm. As the music club walked by, Jake noticed Zander, Luke, Hailey, Milly, and Sean passing by. He felt a pang of recognition, remembering when he used to be like them - struggling to fit in and find his place.

Drew's face contorted in a snarl, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger, contempt, and disgust as he spoke, his voice dripping with venomous disdain. "You're a bunch of pathetic, wannabe musicians who can't even get a real job!" he spat the words out like they were poison, his tone laced with bitter resentment and frustration. Zoey's eyes sparkled with amusement. Her tone dripped with mocking sarcasm "Oh, yeah, they're so pathetic. They're a bunch of chickenshits" Her voice dripped with disdain and ridicule. Liam and Henry snickered at this, but Jake's fake smile faltered as he felt an unusual pang of guilt and pity this time.