This short Prologue, which comes before the introduction of the book’s first of four parts, is preceded by the Latin epigraph, “Credo quod habes, et habes,” which means roughly, “Believe that you have, and you have.” The section depicts the book’s protagonist, Ryan Dean West, thinking about this phrase as he’s being dangled upside down with his head in a toilet by two older boys, Casey and Nick.

Ryan Dean is a 14-year-old junior at a boarding high school called Pine Mountain Academy who just returned to campus for the school year. Casey and Nick are “punishing” Ryan Dean for accidentally walking into their dormitory room and catching them rolling a joint. The dorm’s supervisor, Mr. Farrow, catches the two bullies before they can dunk Ryan Dean’s head into the toilet water, leaving him relieved and grateful. Ryan Dean is determined to turn his reputation as a “weak”, “un-cool” nerd at the school around in the coming year.

This short Prologue opens the first section of the book’s body text, the title of which is “The Overlap of Everyone.” In the Prologue, Ryan Dean relates his friend Joey’s words about not being able to breathe the same air twice.