Slacker

Slacker Plot Summary

Introduction

The basement was Cameron Boxer's kingdom—dim, perfect, and molded to his thirteen-year-old frame after thousands of hours on the same couch. Aliens poured from burning wreckage on his screen while his mother's voice drifted down about ziti and ten minutes. But Cameron heard only "blah, blah, blah." Nothing on Earth could interrupt his battle with Evil McKillPeople, the mysterious gamer who stalked him across every virtual battlefield. Until the fire department axed down their front door. The burnt casserole had filled the house with smoke, neighbors called for help, and Cameron's lifestyle—his carefully crafted bubble of video games and strategic laziness—suddenly faced its greatest threat. His parents demanded change. They wanted involvement, participation, real human contact. So Cameron created the Positive Action Group, a fake club designed to fool them into thinking he'd transformed into a do-gooder. It seemed like the perfect solution. After all, what could possibly go wrong with a club that didn't actually exist?

Chapter 1: The Genesis of Deception: Creating a Fake Club

Cameron stared at the plywood nailed across their front entrance, listening to his father rage about custom door orders and insurance premiums. The lecture came as expected—pale as a ghost, grades barely passing, no sports, no clubs, no proof he even existed beyond his birth certificate. His only interest was video games, and that wasn't enough anymore. "Find something else to be interested in," his father declared. "Something involving real human beings. You have until we get a real door back, or you lose that game system." The threat hit like a plasma blast to the chest. Rule the World—the East Coast gaming championship—was only months away. Cameron had been training with his teammates Pavel and Chuck, the Awesome Threesome, for their shot at ten thousand dollars. Now his parents wanted to destroy everything he'd worked for. That's when Cameron spotted the solution during a visit to Sweetness and Light candy store. Through the window, high school kids from the Friends of Fuzzy were washing cars, their banner proclaiming fundraising for spleen research. Mrs. Bachman, the store owner who spoke everything backwards, grumbled about traffic blockages and ruined livelihoods. "Don't get involved," she advised. The word "involved" sparked Cameron's inspiration. Why join an existing club when he could create his own—one that existed only on paper? He convinced Pavel to hack into the school website and create a page for the Positive Action Group, complete with mission statements about helping the community and making Sycamore a better place. Cameron listed himself as president, Pavel crafted a contact form that redirected visitors to a Honduran rainforest preservation site, and within hours they had created the perfect scam. His parents were ecstatic. The guidance counselor would never suspect. And Cameron could return to his basement kingdom, his lifestyle intact.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Success: When the Lie Takes on a Life of Its Own

Daphne Leibowitz discovered the P.A.G. website while browsing club listings, frustrated by organizations that only celebrated individual talents rather than helping others. The name caught her attention—exactly what Sycamore Middle School needed. But when she read that Cameron Boxer was president, doubt crept in. Cameron was the laziest kid in school, someone who'd once hidden in a bathroom playing handheld games during a field trip. Still, people could change. She found his house—the one with plywood instead of a door—and pounded on his basement window until he finally emerged. Cameron looked horrified when she mentioned joining the P.A.G., mumbling about membership freezes and mysterious policies. But Daphne knew school regulations. Every club had to accept new members. She threatened to report him to every authority figure in town, from the principal to the police chief. Cornered, Cameron reluctantly accepted her membership. Daphne immediately launched into her passion project—Elvis, an elderly beaver whose colony had been displaced by mall construction. The poor creature was too old to relocate with his family and now wandered Sycamore alone, chewing cable wires and fence posts, getting blamed for power outages and property damage. The P.A.G. needed to build him a proper habitat before winter arrived. Cameron agreed to bring up the beaver project at their next meeting, then promised to text her with details. The paper with her phone number hit his trash can before she'd even left his yard. But Daphne wasn't the only one who'd noticed the P.A.G. website. Mr. Fanshaw, the overworked guidance counselor struggling to sell Fall Charity Raffle tickets, stumbled across the Positive Action Group page and felt his faith in youth restored. How had such a wonderful organization sprung up without his knowledge? Every school club needed faculty approval and a teacher adviser. He would be Cameron's mentor, helping this community-minded student leader achieve his noble goals. When Mr. Fanshaw finally cornered Cameron in the upstairs bathroom—where the boy spent suspicious amounts of time during class—Cameron seemed shocked by his enthusiasm. The guidance counselor explained the approval process, suggested recruiting more members, and even offered project ideas like the senior citizens' garden cleanup. Cameron appeared overwhelmed by the attention, but Mr. Fanshaw attributed this to modesty. Such a humble young leader, always stepping back from the spotlight.

Chapter 3: Rising Conflicts: High School Rivals and Internal Struggles

The Friends of Fuzzy weren't pleased with competition. Jennifer Del Rio, Sycamore High's head cheerleader and reigning homecoming queen, had built her college application around community service leadership. Harvard expected perfection, and the Positive Action Group threatened to steal her thunder. She and her boyfriend Tony cornered Cameron after school, their red Dodge Charger cutting him off mid-sidewalk. Jennifer's cat-green eyes blazed with fury as she explained the rules: good deeds in Sycamore belonged to the Friends of Fuzzy. Period. The P.A.G. was muscling onto her territory, potentially ruining her chances at her dream school. "I hate the Positive Action Group as much as you do," Cameron protested. "I only started it to get my parents off my back, and now I can't stop it." Jennifer didn't believe his excuses. If Cameron thought he could bamboozle her with fake regret, he'd picked the wrong cheerleader. The red Charger began stalking Cameron through town, sometimes creeping slowly to match his walking pace, other times accelerating past with pom-poms hanging from windows. When they couldn't find him on the streets, they spray-painted "FUZZY IS EVERYWHERE" on his plywood door in bright red lipstick. The pressure was mounting from every direction. Daphne kept demanding meetings about Elvis the beaver. Mr. Fanshaw scheduled the P.A.G.'s first official gathering in the music room, complete with bulletin board sign-ups and poster announcements. Cameron tried sabotaging his own club by tearing down all the promotional materials, but the guidance counselor simply created new ones. More students were expressing interest, drawn by the promise of meaningful community service. Freeland "String" McBean, the school's star athlete, faced academic suspension from the football team unless he found impressive extra credit opportunities. His guidance counselor recommended the Positive Action Group as the perfect solution. String approached Cameron with the desperation of someone whose entire identity depended on staying eligible for sports. But Cameron kept dodging responsibility, disappearing into bathroom stalls whenever authority figures approached. His carefully constructed bubble was collapsing, and he had no idea how to stop it.

Chapter 4: Identity Crisis: Gaming Dreams vs. Community Responsibilities

The first P.A.G. meeting was a nightmare Cameron couldn't wake up from. The music room overflowed with students—genuine do-gooders, grade-grubbers seeking resume padding, String and his athletic friends, even Cameron's sister Melody with her friend Katrina, both grinning wickedly from the back row. They'd come to watch him crash and burn. Mr. Fanshaw introduced Cameron as the visionary behind this incredible organization, but when the "president" reached the microphone, he had nothing to say. "It's about helping, mostly," he stammered, his desperate gaze finding no rescue among the expectant faces. "Assisting... aiding... pitching in." Daphne leaped to her feet when Cameron mentioned the beaver, launching into her passionate Elvis campaign. Half the room supported helping displaced wildlife while others argued for focusing on human needs. The debate grew heated until Mr. Fanshaw intervened with news of their first official project: fall cleanup at the senior citizens' garden on Seventh Street. It was real work helping elderly residents who couldn't manage the physical labor alone. Cameron watched his fake club transform into something horrifyingly authentic. These kids actually wanted to spend their Saturday mornings pulling weeds and trimming hedges. They signed up eagerly, even Xavier Meggett, the intimidating older student fulfilling court-ordered community service hours. Saturday arrived with cruel October chill. Cameron dragged himself to the garden project, watching his lifestyle crumble with every shovel of dirt. String treated the work like athletic competition, showboating his superior earth-moving skills. Xavier was paired with a cranky senior who criticized every effort, creating dangerous tension that worried Mr. Fanshaw. Most volunteers worked conscientiously, though Cameron noticed Chuck seemed genuinely enthusiastic about helping the elderly residents. Then Elvis appeared, the beaver drawn by fresh vegetables in the garden plots. One senior citizen chased the hungry animal with a rake, screaming about stolen tomatoes. Daphne threw herself at the man's legs, tackling him to protect Elvis while String cheered her "highlight-film tackle." The incident nearly ruined everything, especially with reporter Audra Klincker taking notes for her weekly newspaper column. But fate intervened when Cameron noticed water trickling from a nearby apartment building. Following the stream upstairs, he discovered an elderly woman unconscious on her kitchen floor, the sink overflowing after she'd slipped and hit her head. His quick thinking led to a dramatic rescue involving the entire P.A.G. membership, paramedics, and front-page newspaper coverage hailing their heroism. Cameron had stumbled into becoming a genuine hero, and he hated every minute of it.

Chapter 5: Unexpected Allies: Finding Support in Unlikely Places

Audra Klincker's glowing article transformed the P.A.G. from school club to town phenomenon. "Positive Action Turns to Heroism for Middle Schoolers" painted Cameron as a modest leader who'd begged her not to write about their good deed. Suddenly everyone knew his name—students, teachers, administrators, even the lunch ladies loaded extra food onto his tray. The attention horrified Cameron. His carefully maintained invisibility was destroyed. Membership applications flooded in, forcing another meeting in the large gymnasium to accommodate hundreds of eager volunteers. Cameron's sister Melody joined, along with her friend Katrina, who developed an obvious crush on the reluctant hero. More projects followed in rapid succession: toy drives for the children's hospital, Village Green cleanup, Meals on Wheels kitchen duty. The P.A.G. had become a force of nature, mobilizing massive volunteer armies for every good cause in Sycamore. Cameron watched helplessly as his fake creation took on unstoppable momentum. But someone was sabotaging their efforts. Freshly cleaned areas would be mysteriously trashed overnight. Garden beds they'd weeded would be trampled and destroyed. Spray paint would appear on buildings they'd just power-washed. The red Charger was spotted near several incidents, but Cameron couldn't prove the Friends of Fuzzy were responsible. Student government candidates Jordan Toleffsen and Kelly Hannity both joined the P.A.G., recognizing its political value. Even their rivalry dissolved as they learned cooperation from Cameron's example, eventually deciding to share the presidency rather than compete destructively. The P.A.G.'s crown achievement was building Elvis a proper beaver habitat in Ravine Park. Daphne wept with joy as dozens of volunteers created a perfect woodland home complete with stream access and natural materials. But Elvis remained missing, last spotted swimming in storm drains during heavy rain. Without the beaver to occupy it, critics called the habitat a waste of resources. Chuck and Pavel began changing too, finding deeper satisfaction in helping others than in gaming achievements. When they tried sharing these feelings with Cameron, he accused them of betraying their friendship for meaningless do-gooder nonsense. The Awesome Threesome started fracturing just when Cameron needed his allies most. Dr. LaPierre, the school principal, grew suspicious as complaints mounted about P.A.G.-related vandalism and property damage. Someone was posting rebellious messages on the club's website faster than administrators could remove them. The mysterious webmaster seemed determined to stir up trouble, and all evidence pointed to Cameron as the source.

Chapter 6: The Ultimate Challenge: Saving the Town's Lifeline

Everything collapsed at the YMCA. The P.A.G. had volunteered to repaint the pool complex, their chance to prove themselves after weeks of bad publicity. Cameron hoped completing one major project without incident might restore their reputation and get everyone off his back. Instead, they walked into an ambush. High school students led by Jennifer Del Rio were already there, dumping dish soap into pools and wrecking the P.A.G.'s careful paint work. When Cameron's team tried to stop them, a massive brawl erupted in the sudsy, chemical-stained water. Xavier used a water slide as a weapon, sweeping the intruders into the main pool while paint and foam created absolute chaos. In the middle of the melee, Daphne spotted Elvis paddling frantically among the struggling teenagers. The beaver had been hiding at the Y all along, living in the pools and filtration systems. But the fight terrified him, and he escaped through an emergency exit before anyone could catch him. Dr. LaPierre shut down the Positive Action Group permanently. Despite Mr. Fanshaw's desperate protests about the good the club had accomplished, the principal declared them a liability the school couldn't afford. Cameron felt only relief—finally, his nightmare was over. But his troubles had just begun. Someone kept resurrecting the P.A.G. website with inflammatory messages challenging the school's decision. "Are we going to take this lying down?" and "Paggers fight back!" appeared faster than administrators could delete them. Cameron denied involvement, but who else had the technical knowledge and motivation? The mysterious webmaster turned out to be his own sister. Melody had discovered Cameron's passwords and initially posted extra events just to torment her brother. But she'd genuinely grown to love what the P.A.G. accomplished and refused to let it die quietly. Her final post announced an emergency meeting at "where it all began"—the senior citizens' garden where their first good deed had taken place. Two hundred former members showed up, clustering around Cameron as he stood on Xavier's shoulders to address the crowd. He spoke about helping others and helping themselves, about their town losing its freeway exit ramp to state budget cuts. The highway department planned demolition Saturday morning, but what if hundreds of people simply stood on the ramp and refused to move? Bulldozers couldn't plow through human beings. The crowd erupted with excitement. This was their chance to save Sycamore itself.

Chapter 7: Full Circle: Embracing Both Worlds

Saturday morning brought unexpected complications. Cameron and his team were cycling toward the freeway when they spotted the red Charger speeding past. Jennifer and Tony had discovered the plan and mobilized the Friends of Fuzzy to steal credit for the heroic gesture. Both groups converged on Ravine Park, where a chase through thick woods led to the ultimate confrontation. Daphne and Jennifer ended up in a tug-of-war over Elvis, each girl gripping the injured beaver while he cried in distress. The poor animal had been struck by Tony's car during their high-speed arrival, and now hundreds of teenagers surrounded the pair in a massive standoff. Jennifer demanded recognition for the Friends of Fuzzy's rescue efforts, but Daphne cared only about getting Elvis proper medical attention. The sound of heavy machinery interrupted their struggle—bulldozers approaching the freeway ramp. Everyone abandoned the beaver dispute and sprinted through the woods toward their original destination. Cameron found himself running faster than he'd ever moved, somehow keeping pace with String and the track team athletes despite his sedentary lifestyle. They burst from the trees expecting to find demolition equipment destroying their town's lifeline. Instead, they discovered every adult in Sycamore already there—parents, teachers, business owners, city officials, even Cameron's mom and dad. The grown-ups had packed onto the ramp and surrounding areas, forming an impenetrable human barrier. Word of the students' plan had leaked, and rather than stopping their children, the adults had joined them. Entire families stood together on the threatened roadway while construction crews waited for instructions from increasingly frustrated supervisors. The scene looked like a Fourth of July celebration, except everyone was united in defiant determination rather than patriotic joy. The standoff lasted all day. Workers broke for lunch, returned to idle equipment, and finally received new orders by mid-afternoon. One by one, the bulldozers and dump trucks turned around and drove away down the freeway. Sycamore had won. The celebration was epic—people screaming, embracing, throwing hats in the air while kids who normally avoided their parents didn't mind being hugged in public. Cameron's father explained how the children's example had inspired the adults to action. For too long, they'd accepted defeat instead of fighting for their community's future. Dr. LaPierre officially reinstated the Positive Action Group with 100 percent student membership—the first time in school history a club had achieved universal participation. Cameron remained president, accepting that his fake creation had become the most real thing about him. The P.A.G. wasn't going anywhere, and neither was his responsibility to lead it. Jennifer Del Rio, accepted to Harvard, made one final gesture by delivering Elvis to Dr. Casper rather than seeking publicity credit. The town veterinarian pronounced the beaver healthy despite his injuries—scared and shaken, but ready for his new habitat in Ravine Park.

Summary

Months later at the Rule the World gaming championship, Cameron sat in the convention hall surrounded by thousands of competitors from around the globe. The tournament represented everything he'd once considered important—his lifestyle, his identity, his carefully constructed bubble of virtual achievements. But something fundamental had shifted. His gaming partner wasn't Pavel or Chuck, despite their superior technical skills and longtime friendship. Instead, Cameron had chosen Melody—the sister who'd tormented him as Evil McKillPeople but had also helped save the P.A.G. when it mattered most. She was simply the better player, and at this level of competition, he needed someone who could match the intensity of professional gaming. The irony wasn't lost on him. The club he'd created to protect his gaming lifestyle had ultimately revealed talents he never knew he possessed. Leadership, public speaking, community organizing—skills that had nothing to do with controllers and screens but everything to do with connecting with real people in the real world. The P.A.G. hadn't destroyed his love of games; it had simply shown him there was more to life than high scores and virtual victories. Cameron Boxer had learned the hardest lesson of all: sometimes the best way to preserve what you love is to discover what else you're capable of loving. The basement would always be there, perfectly molded to his form after thousands of hours of dedicated gaming. But now he had somewhere else to go when the couch got uncomfortable—a whole town full of people who believed in the Positive Action Group and the unlikely president who'd stumbled into making their lives a little bit better.

About Author

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Gordon Korman

Korman explores the complexities of youth through engaging narratives that blend humor, adventure, and suspense. His career began serendipitously in seventh grade when a school project evolved into his first book, "This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall", published when he was only 14. This early success foreshadowed a prolific writing journey, during which he authored over 100 books and captivated a global audience with stories that have been translated into more than 30 languages. While initially drawing from his own school experiences for inspiration, Korman expanded his thematic repertoire to include suspense and adventure, as seen in his "Island Trilogy" and the crime-focused "Son of the Mob" series.\n\nHis writing method often involves thorough research, which ensures authenticity and depth in diverse topics such as survival challenges and complex social issues. Korman's ability to craft relatable young protagonists navigating everyday school life and extraordinary adventures has made his books especially appealing to both reluctant and avid readers. His bio reveals a talent for connecting with young audiences, making literature accessible and enjoyable while subtly weaving in themes of friendship and teamwork.\n\nReaders benefit from Korman’s vivid storytelling, which not only entertains but also encourages exploration of personal growth and moral dilemmas. Notable works like the "Swindle" series and contributions to "The 39 Clues" series further showcase his versatility and skill in keeping readers engaged. Over his career, Korman's books have consistently resonated with audiences, earning him spots on "The New York Times" bestseller list and reinforcing his impact on children's and young adult literature.

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