Wearing torn dungarees, eyeliner, and earrings, 14-year-old Andre won a tournament. When Nick publicly shamed him for disgracing the academy, Andre packed and tried to hitch a ride to the airport, but a member of Nick’s staff picked him up. Andre told his father he wanted to leave, but Mike insisted he stay, instructing Nick to confiscate his credit card. Andre performed punishment chores by day. At night, he and other boys committed minor acts of vandalism around the academy. The ringleader, Roddy Parks, was caught and expelled. Nick organized a tournament to attract new pupils, and Andre recommended Perry. Perry was sent a plane ticket and arrived at the academy.

On a trip to Busch Gardens, Perry and Andre cheated at a fairground game, winning a giant stuffed panda. On the bus back to the academy, Nick’s young daughter admired the panda, and the next day Nick announced that he wanted to buy it for his daughter. At Perry’s suggestion, Andre used Nick’s request to negotiate wild cards for tournaments and immunity from attending school. Nick agreed to these demands, and Andre left the panda in Nick’s chair, bottom-up.