The text is an excerpt from a personal memoir, reflecting on the author's first year at a new high school in Boston in 1973. The author recounts their initial experiences navigating the school, including an unexpected encounter with a fellow student who casually offered them marijuana. The author's initial refusal highlights the commonality of drug use among students at the time, and their apprehension towards the drug "dope" further emphasizes the cultural context surrounding drug use in the 1970s.