Here's to You, Zeb Pike

The last thing fourteen year old Dusty Dusty Porter learns in his Colorado history class before appendicitis ruins his life is that when Zebulon Pike attempted to climb what is now known as Pikes Peak, he got stuck in waist deep snow and had to turn back. Shortly after that social services figures out that Dusty's parents are more myth than reality, and he and his younger siblings are shipped off to live in Vermont with an uncle and aunt they've never met. Dusty's new life is a struggle. His brother and sister don't seem to need him anymore, and he can't stand his aunt and uncle. At school, one hockey player develops a personal vendetta against him, while Emmitt, another hockey player, is making it hard for Dusty to keep pretending he's straight. Problem is, he's pretty sure Emmitt's not gay. Then, just when Dusty thinks things can't get any worse, his mother reappears, looking for a second chance to be a part of his life.