Vincenzo Lupo is growing up in a strange country, facing down an abusive family, and a culture he can't comprehend. His only goal is silent survival. But when his new friend Veronica confides that she's facing the same issues, they decide to do what any pair of hyper-intelligent, profoundly depressed, formerly hopeless teens do... they fight back. "The squad car door creaks open. One of the grand defenders of the Boro descends. It’s that fish-lipped F-head that’s my mother’s “friend.” She’s two-streets over, unaware, I’d assume (though it’s not at all outside of the realm of possibility that she’s in on this blitzkrieg as well) of the freak show unfolding one-floor below. Fish-F says something. The father nods, pointing up to my window. I hit the deck like the Iranians are raining down dirty bombs from the heavens. Crouching and crawling to the closet, dumping out the box that once housed a basketball rim that has long laid in the local landfill. Seven-Hustlers, two-Penthouses, three VHS cassettes, a stack of burned CDs and DVDs - copyright be damned - four half-filled boxes of Mars bars, a pocket knife, assorted household goods, five silent bottles of rainbow mystery pills, a satchel of green hybrid, an unopened box of thirty-six ChapSticks, three jumbo jars of creatine, and a manilla folder full’a the other green. Too much to hide with no notice. Won't make it to the attic. Candy and Chapstick have the least value. Easily explained. Ditch em. Open the box, give them the scatter treatment. Magazines are expensive. Nine times six-bucks plus three, forty-dollar cassettes, DVDs will fetch a solid twenty-bucks a piece, creatine’ll go for at least a hundred’a’tub, plus a few hundy a piece for the rainbow selection… Eff-it, math makes my head hurt."