Hate List

Chapter 3 begins with a news article describing the death of Jeff Hicks, a 15-year-old freshman, struck and killed by a stray bullet. Unlike Christy Bruter, Jeff Hicks’s name doesn’t appear on the hate list; he appears to be a random victim, late for class that day and taking a shortcut he otherwise would not have taken.

As the chapter switches to present time, Valerie narrates her harrowing first day of class with Mrs. Tennille, a stern teacher who can’t look Valerie in the eye and had an adversarial relationship with Nick. Sources state, and Valerie confirms this, that Mr. Kline, the chemistry teacher killed in the shooting, was protecting the whereabouts of Mrs. Tennille, one of Nick’s intended targets. As Valerie notices Mrs. Tennille can’t quite meet her eye, she wonders if it is because “pretty much everyone in the world knew that Mr. Kline had died because he wouldn’t tell Nick where Mrs. Tennille was” (67). Reflecting on Mr. Kline’s wonderful character, Valerie offers that he saved the lives of several other students that day, as well (67).

Facing classmates, many of whom openly act hostile toward her, Valerie feels weak, targeted as she makes her way to her seat: “My leg throbbed and I felt myself limping and silently cursed myself for doing it” (67).