A picture of the accident flashed across the screen. It made Tim feel sick. The car was what remained of a red Porsche ... He felt overwhelmed by guilt. I wished for this, he thought. I must really hate that kid and that's not fair. I would never have wished this on him. HIGH SCHOOL STORIES deals with a number of issues that young people face. Situations like early pregnancy, drug abuse, loss of family, isolation, identity issues, and lack of self-confidence result in new understanding and growth that these experiences bring. As a parent and teacher, the author is concerned about how young people cope with problems and resolve them, in addition to how they grow emotionally and intellectually. Their welfare has always been a priority for her. Although a work of fiction, HIGH SCHOOL STORIES concerns issues the author encountered while teaching teens for twenty-one years. Her first book, When the Leaves Fall, involves a drug situation and how a high school junior overcomes his abuse. In HIGH SCHOOL STORIES, two of these characters reappear. "Mary Nyman has produced a collection of poetic tales that kept me reading late into the night. I highly recommend her latest work." -Steven Manchester, author of The Unexpected Storm