Rex's death stole so much of your attention that focusing on school became a joke. In class the teacher's words would go through one ear and come out the other, and you found yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again without comprehending it.
Though it's steadily getting better, the ordeal has scarred you. In a small town like this, there's no escaping it. The tragedy hit all of Arbor Isle hard. Rex was not only popular in school, he was well-liked by the lobstermen whom he helped out from time to time, and he had helped build the community garden. It didn't matter to people that he was a jerk to a handful of nobodies.