Serena Velasco and her friend Melody Grimshaw are dying to get out of Colchis. They've been keeping a safe distance from the bleakness of home and the banality of high school. To make things more interesting Serena fixates on communism, eager to get a rise out of their conservative small town. Her Western Civ teacher challenges her with an independent study of class and upward mobility -- what creates the spaces between us. Melody is determined to make it onto the cheerleading squad, find a job, and escape the weight of her family's reputation. But Melody's quest for success becomes a fight for survival, and Serena's independent study gets a little too real. Now their friendship and their lives are on the line. -- adapted from jacket.