Sometimes you have to run for your life At Lincoln High, Nathan Stewart is practically invisible. The only time he is noticed is when his fellow students need someone to torment. Not only do they call him nerd, bookworm, or "Birdlegs," but they also threaten him with physical violence. The problem has become so serious that two of his main goals in life are to hide his skinny body from his classmates and to escape the constant persecution of the bullies, especially muscle-bound Kit Morrison.
As one of the outcasts at Fremont, Nathan has little hope that the girl of his dreams, Kathy Young, will ever notice him. So he resigns himself to adoring her in secret. The only person who really knows how Nathan feels is his friend in misery, a classmate named Benny Berger, who is hounded and teased for being fat and clumsy.
But Nathan has one remarkable ability that has the potential to change everything and win the admiration of that very special girl.