The scene is set in the summer. One boy is 16, he has a pretty strong idea of right and wrong, but things happens and he feels abandoned and slighted. He is talented in music and art and generally well spoken.
The other boy is 17, at the start acting quite dumb, and it comes out he doesn't really have many talents or a good head for studying. What he does have is a way of understanding what people think and a way to keep them close. He is for some mysterious way pleasant to be around.
Boy A is drawn to him, not really understanding why. As he tries to distance himself from boy B, B reacts in strange and maybe scary ways. How?
A is dragged further into the madness. How? What kind of things does B say? What kinds of things do they do together, knowing they are fairly young? A is more a thinker, but is dragged into B's thrill seeking because B "wants to feel alive".
There will be no murder, although maybe talk of it. Physical harm might happen. Explicit sexual things does not happen. (This is a young adult novel.)
Any input is appreciated because I am a little low on ideas for the mischief, I'm too brainfoggy for creating good dialogue and I guess some things must be said, and also I need stronger dynamics between the boys.
The story ends in fall.