Playing with Matches

Written by an already existing author named Brian Katcher.
SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD LEON SANDERS has a mug that looks like it should be hanging in a post office with the caption WANTED FOR SHOPLIFTING AND CREDIT CARD FRAUD.His new locker neighbor is Melody Hennon--class outcast and certified freak.Everyone at school keeps their distance from Melody because she was burned in a childhood accident.Leon has avoided her too, until the day he takes a chance, tells a bad joke, and makes her laugh. No one, least of all Leon, could have predicted that Melody would turn out to be a funny, smart, and interesting person, or that he and Melody would become good friends...and later, more than friends.
But when junior class hottie, Amy Green, asks Leon out after he saves her from getting detention, his devotion to Melody hangs in balance. Leon tries to find a way out of this nasty dilemma without hurting anyone, but soon he realizes--a little too late-- that playing with someone's heart is as dangerous as playing with matches.
This honest and oh-so-bittersweet novel is Brian Katcher's unforgettable debut.