Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

There is a saying that one event can change you look on life and for Tyler Miller that event is when he spray paints the side of his high school declaring the superiority of the junior class. He forgets the red can of spray paint and his wallet. He gets arrested and gets probation along with community service, which he spends doing lawn work and putting tar on the school roof over the summer. When his dad picks him up from the school on the last friday before school starts, that is when he catches the eye of Bethany Milbury, the Alpha female of George Washington High.
Tyler's dad works for Bethany's dad, and Chip, Bethany's brother, has hated Tyler since middle school. His dad thinks that he will cause trouble so he warns Tyler to behave when they go the Milbury's. At a business party at the Milbury's Chip pushes Tyler into Bethany who then knocks into the servers carrying glasses of champagne. The glasses break and Bethany gets cuts on her feet and has to be taken to the hospital. A few weeks later around Halloween there is this big bonfire and then a party at Josh Rawson's house. By the time Tyler gets there Bethany is really drunk and they go to a room and she wants him to have sex with her, but he won't because she is totally wasted. The next day the police come knocking because someone took nude photos of Bethany and posted them on the internet. The police believe that it was Tyler because he was alone with her at the party. School becomes hard to get through and its decided that Tyler should be isolated from the rest of the students. He is brought his homework and assignments by his teachers each day. It gets to the point where Tyler thinks that it would be best for everyone if he wasn't around at all. He contemplates running away and also committing suicide, but does not go through with either. He stands up to the principal and says that he is going back to his classes and won't be isolated anymore. He also stands up to his father, who has been telling Tyler that he is nothing but trouble ever since he got arrested.
A fast paced book (took me a few hours to read), and a good and interesting way of telling how twisted someones life can get when you make one bad choice and the repercussions of that choice.
T.B. 5/1/07