Rocky has just moved into the area and made friends with Jacob, a quiet, reserved boy who was never part of the popular crowd. Rocky, on the other hand, craves to be part of the popular crowd and will do anything to prove that he is worthy. Bernard, the captain of the school football team gives Rocky all sorts of 'tests' to see if he is fit to be part of the popular crowd and eventually join the football team. One week it's a bike race around 'dead man's curve', and then things escalate when he is dared to run into Old Mr. McFee's junkyard and 'liberate' a white tire rim. Finally, things come to a head when Bernard dares Rocky to jump off a bridge and into a river. Jacob warns him that he could get hurt, and suddenly, Rocky realizes that he's been giving into peer pressure. The book explains what peer pressure is, and then shows that Rocky had all the friends he needed. In addition to that, he's able to get onto the football team later without Bernard's help. The idea is to show readers that there is always another way to accomplish your goals.