- Everything's working out pretty well in Sam's life. His mom dumped her loser boyfriend, his art teacher asked him about going to college someday, and he even learned a few new skateboarding tricks. Things are looking up.
- He fills us in on the fact that he's eighteen now, but the book takes place when he was fifteen and sixteen. He was a normal kid, aside from the fact that he's friends with Tony Hawk.
- Say what? Okay, so they aren't actually buddies, but Sam has a poster of Tony Hawk (a.k.a. the best skateboarder in the world) in his room and he talks to it sometimes.
- It's no big deal. Sam imagines what Tony might say back if he could talk, or what sort of advice he'd give for a situation. It's his way of talking through stuff and figuring it out. (Want to learn more? Head on over to "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory" to hear our thoughts.)
- When Sam gets home from a movie, his mom asks him how it was, but he shrugs it off and heads to his room.
- We get our first glimpse of him talking to Tony Hawk (or TH, as Sam calls him), when he goes into his room.
- After Sam says that his life is pretty good, TH replies that his life is great—they just moved into a larger house, close to the beach.
- Sam realizes that sometimes TH doesn't make much sense because he only quotes his book. Since the book isn't a thousand pages or anything, there aren't exactly quotes in it for every situation Sam wants to talk about.
- Nevertheless, Sam likes talking to TH and getting his advice. You do you, Sam.