Jerry Renault is a freshman who has just coped with the death of his mother. New to the high school Jerry has no idea what antics are occurring due to the “gang” that runs the school called, The Vigils. This group of people gives students “assignments” that they must follow. The first assignment you see in the book is when Goober is assigned to remove all the screws from the chairs of room 19, which will cause all of the students to fall once they got to their seats. After the event occurred in Room 19 Jerry is summoned to receive an assignment from The Vigils after football practice. The Vigils are so powerful over the school that Brother Leon asked them to help with the school chocolate sales, so for Jerry’s assignment he is not to participate in the selling of chocolate for 10 days, and then to start. So the next day, Brother Leon calls roll and each student agrees to sale the chocolate, except Jerry. Ten days later, Jerry is supposed to accept the chocolates, but Jerry refuses. This refusal continues and soon many students begin to refuse to sell chocolates and they all congratulate Jerry on being the first to stand up to brother Leon, when word gets around to Archie, leader of the Vigils, Archie sees this as a form of disrespect. Soon the Vigils summon Jerry and give him the assignment of saying yes to selling the chocolate. Jerry refuses. The Vigils take matters into their own hands and begin tormenting him using prank phone calls, vandalism, and random attacks. Jerry is soon like an outcast, due to the vigils and he receives a brutal beating from the football team and the school bully, Emilie Janza. Due, to Jerry’s refusal to sell chocolate the vigils call for a “school assembly” where Jerry and Janza are to fight in a boxing match that is instituted by random papers directing them to hit each
