Read this excerpt from "collision course." i said a sad, scared good-bye to my friend in the mission and a reluctant hello to modesto. the action, the noise, the closeness of my neighborhood was gone, and i found myself in a quiet, neatly trimmed, well-behaved suburb. on that first day at modesto high school, i looked around at my new classmates, huddled in groups, some laughing, some in more serious conversations. some were reading class notes and mumbling answers to practice tests under their breath. this was a serious change, and i could not see how it benefited me. my expectation was that i would be miserable. i began mumbling my own proclamations, but mine were addressed to the judge who had said i would be better off here. i considered writing to her, but then i came up with a more effective plan. the author's feelings at this point in the story advance the plot by suggesting that he will