Theories of Relativity

The book opens with first-person, present-tense narration from protagonist Dylan, a homeless teenager who has taken up residence outside an office building. He explains his theory that every fourth person will give him money. It’s November, and the weather is getting colder.

Dylan tests his theory during the lunch rush, asking passersby for change. The first three people ignore him, but the fourth stops and lectures him, saying he should be in school. Dylan notes that these kinds of people usually want confrontation, so he stays silent until the man leaves.

Across the street, Jenna, a homeless teen girl around Dylan’s age, arrives outside the church. While the office building is Dylan’s territory, the church is Jenna’s. Jenna is new to street life. She works for a man named Brendon, whom Dylan calls Vulture. Dylan watches as Vulture aggressively pulls Jenna’s warm clothes off, takes her hair down, and poses her to look more like the Virgin Mary to garner sympathy from the crowd leaving the church. Dylan hates Vulture but admits that he knows how to make money on the streets.

The fourth person returns to Dylan with a sausage roll from a nearby street vendor.