Fast Company Author:D. James Smith Jason is a Rollerblader -- of champion caliber, as he makes clear to his girl, Cat, during a contest on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Jason is also only 15 and living not with his distracted parents, but with Cast and her mother. He, on his skates, has accidentally killed a boy while escaping the scene of a petty robbery. The others of his gang, the... more » Ravens, have scattered to safety. Cat doesn't know, can't guess why Jason is fleeing his life; he won't talk about it, nor will he echo what she feels for him and moist longs to hear: "I love you." Cat has a secret, too, and when she finally reveals it, Jason runs for real. These are young people seeking redemption for their mistakes, and the mistakes of others in their pasts. Their memorable stories, interwoven like the figure-eights they all trace on the town's asphalt surfaces, point poignantly to their futures.« less