Summary
Quinn, Guzzo, and Dwyer decide to go to the party Friday night even after all that’s happened. The party is at the house of Guzzo’s cousin Jill, whom Quinn has a crush on. The three friends are shaken up by what happened with Paul, although they try to deny it and tell each other they’ve seen fights plenty of times. The next morning, through habit, Quinn wakes up early and begins to work out. His mom comes in, exhausted from work, but the two share a tender moment. Quinn’s busy thinking about how hard he needs to work at basketball this season to get a scout's attention and, hopefully, a university scholarship. His mother finds an empty flask in his jeans from the previous night. Furious, she interrupts him and lectures him about how drinking and partying are an embarrassment to himself and their whole family. She reminds him that everyone is watching him to see the type of man he’ll become, and that his actions could change how people look at him. She orders him to spend some time with his brother Willy, who has a soccer game that day.
Quinn goes to Willy’s soccer game, and notes that his brother plays better when Quinn’s there to cheer him on. At the game, he texts Guzzo, who invites Quinn to a family barbecue the next day. Since Guzzo’s family never has people over, Quinn finds it odd and wonders if it has to do with Paul. After the game, Quinn and Willy head over to Mother’s Pizza, the local hangout. Ordering pizza, Quinn tries to avoid looking at the photo of his father on the wall; the photo is from a time when his father convinced the pizzeria to cook for a soup kitchen. Quinn runs into Jill while waiting in line and orders her a slice too; with the food, they head back to the table where Willy’s waiting. The three joke around while they eat; the whole time Quinn tries to read Jill. Is she flirting with him or does she just see him as a friend? A fight breaks out at Mother's between two neighborhood rivals. When the police show up, Quinn is reminded of the previous night and suggests they leave.
On Sunday, Rashad wakes up in the hospital, grateful to be alone and have some peace and quiet. He thinks of what his Friday night could have been at Jill’s party: showing off how well he dances. His nurse, Clarissa, walks in and shows him how to use a spirometer, a device meant to help clear his lungs. Going to the bathroom, Rashad tries to avoid looking at his bruised and broken face, finding he can only stomach it a few seconds at a time. His parents come in, dressed for church and with their pastor Jerome Johnson in tow. The pastor tries to offer comfort, saying that God is with Rashad, which does little to make him feel better. After praying with the family, the pastor leaves.
Spoony arrives, intent on watching TV. The moment Spoony turns on the news, Rashad understands why: the news is covering his story. Spoony’s girlfriend, Berry, found footage someone posted online of Rashad getting beaten up and Spoony sent it to the news station with information about Rashad. Predictably, Spoony and their father fight over the decision. Their father says Rashad doesn’t need this type of attention. Spoony retorts that what happened to Rashad was crazy and his father, of all people, should know that. Their father storms out. Rashad is uncomfortable seeing himself portrayed all over the news as a victim. They even have a photo that Spoony sent in of Rashad in his ROTC uniform. Unable to take anymore, Rashad turns off the news. He checks his phone, which is full of messages from the last three days when his friends were trying to find out what happened to him. To ease the tension with his family, Rashad puts on a football game and is grateful to have the distraction until they leave. After the game, the news comes on again, repeating the details of his story and revealing that the police officer who attacked him is named Paul Galluzzo.
On Sunday, Quinn and his family head over to the Galluzzos’ barbecue. Although Quinn normally feels at home at the Galluzzos’ house, this time Quinn feels tense, and his stomach clenches when he sees Paul outside grilling. Unsure whether Paul knows that Quinn witnessed him that Friday, Quinn decides to stand by Jill. They talk about basketball, the team's chances of winning the state finals this year, and the pressure Quinn feels to succeed. Jill shares with Quinn that something felt “off” on Friday night when the police broke up the party at her house. Instead of calling her cousin Paul, as they’d done in the past, they told her to send everyone away and call her parents. One of the police officers looked at Jill with disgust and told her not to “mess everything up” for her family. Quinn confides to Jill that he knows why they couldn’t call Paul that night, and tells her what he witnessed.
Jill has already heard about what happened on the news and informs Quinn that the boy Paul arrested was Rashad, who goes to their school. Although they are not friends, Quinn knows Rashad: he is easy to spot at school due to his ROTC uniform and because he’s close friends with English, who is on the basketball team with Quinn. Jill and Quinn huddle together to make sure no one overhears them and continue to talk, until Paul calls Quinn over. Reluctantly, Quinn heads over to Paul and Guzzo, who are at the grill. With a shock, he realizes that Paul is icing his right hand, and that his knuckles are covered in scabs. Paul gives Quinn a hard time for not coming over to say hello. Quinn, who is still unsure whether Guzzo has told Paul anything, is defensive and notices that Guzzo won’t meet his eyes. Paul tells Quinn he’s going to be off of work for a few days and can help Quinn work on his basketball skills.
Making his way into the house with the burgers, Quinn wonders what everyone else makes of the sudden party at the Galluzzos. He tries to eat and watch the football game with everyone else, but he cannot relax. In the kitchen, Jill is arguing with her mom about the party. Her mother says Paul cannot always bail her out, especially when he has other things to worry about. Under her breath, Jill mutters, “You’re right—he does.” Mrs. Galluzzo, Paul’s mom, overhears them and interrupts to defend her son Paul. Paul walks in, just as a teaser for the evening news promises updates on Paul’s arrest of Rashad. Someone mutes the television and everyone goes quiet. Finally, Paul says that there’s going to be more press coverage of him. He assures everyone it’s part of the job and everything will be fine as long as his family sticks by his side. Paul, Guzzo, Dwyer, and Quinn go outside to play basketball, but the game is rougher than usual. Eventually, Quinn has had enough and walks away, to the disbelief of the others. Paul shouts after him, “I’m just trying to help you, Quinn. Like I always have. You remember that.”
Analysis
Quinn struggles to make sense of the brutality that he saw in Paul, because it feels completely at odds with his perception of Paul. Quinn was 10 when his father died, and since then Paul has made time for Quinn: teaching him basketball and playing the role of older brother. Yet, now there is this other Paul, whom Quinn describes as, “some hulking animal stalking the shadows of my mind all night.” The next day, Quinn is back to his usual self, striving and motivated. The theme of father-son relationships is explored in Quinn's relationship with his father’s legacy. Quinn measures himself against the larger-than-life reputation of his father, whom he sarcastically calls, “Saint Springfield.” His mother’s admonishment of Quinn for drinking at the party is just another reminder that the community is watching him and has high expectations. Willy also looks up to his older brother. With their father gone, Quinn is now—whether he likes it or not—the older male role model in his brother’s life. Going to Mother’s Pizza after Willy’s soccer game, Quinn feels the eyes of his father staring down at him from the photo on the wall. Constantly comparing himself to someone people see as “a saint,” Quinn feels guilty that he can’t measure up.
Rashad wakes up on Sunday in his hospital room reflecting that instead of attending Jill’s party on Friday he was sprawled facedown on the sidewalk while his life was being threatened. In the tone of his internal dialogue, Rashad downplays the seriousness of what he went through as a coping mechanism, thinking, “No biggie…I have no rights. Just got body slammed for no reason.” Rashad feels violated by how Paul treated him, but doesn’t have the words to express himself. The pastor prays with Rashad and his family, which seems to comfort Rashad’s parents, but has the opposite effect on Rashad. If God was truly with him, Rashad questions, how could he have stood by while Rashad was beaten up by a police officer.
Rashad is suffering not just from the physical effects of police brutality but also the emotional damage. In his interaction with Paul, Rashad was powerless to defend himself against an older, larger white man who wields the power and authority of his position as a police officer. Seeing himself in the role of a victim, repeated over and over on the news, is too much for him. Adding to his stress is the tension within his family. Spoony recognizes the systemic injustice and racism that Rashad endured and is determined to fight it; he wants to make sure that the police do not get away with another act of brutality against the black community. Spoony is trying to control public perception by sending the media a photo of Rashad in his ROTC uniform so that he is not easily dismissed as just another criminal. Rashad’s father disagrees with Spoony’s decision to publicize what happened, thinking it will only bring negative attention to the family.
There’s palpable tension brewing under the surface at the Galluzzos’ party. Quinn senses that the party was thrown to support Paul, but no one seems to be acknowledging that. Meanwhile, Paul looks the picture of relaxation as he drinks beer and grills his famous burgers. Quinn is nervous and still unsure whether Paul knows he was there on Friday; with a knot in his stomach, Quinn avoids facing him. Over the past few days, Quinn has been haunted by images of Paul. Throughout the chapter, Quinn repeatedly comments about how huge Paul is. It is as if, having seen the harm Paul can inflict, Quinn begins to look at Paul with fresh eyes. Jill reveals to Quinn that the boy Paul attacked was Rashad, who they both know from school. Up until this point, Quinn had convinced himself he did not know who Paul arrested that night. Perhaps his effort to create more distance between himself and the aggression he witnessed is no longer working.
Quinn feels divided loyalties, a theme explored throughout the chapter. Quinn is uneasy with what he saw but feels like he is betraying Paul by talking about it to Jill. Yet, when he approaches Paul at the party, Quinn is dismayed that Paul is so casual about nursing his wounds in front of everyone. Paul notices that Quinn seems tense, but Quinn brushes it off. Later in the kitchen, Mrs. Galluzzo defends her son when she perceives that Jill is judging him for what happened. Mrs. Galluzzo’s defense, that Paul has a hard job and has to make tough decisions, is an attempt to rationalize his violence; it echoes Guzzo’s comments on Friday night. Paul finally addresses the family after they all hear the news story about him. He pretends to be calm, but admits that he needs his family to stick with him. He singles out Quinn when he says this. The overly aggressive basketball game they play afterward reinforces Quinn’s and the reader’s doubts: is Paul just releasing generalized tension over the situation or does he know that Quinn was a witness to the beating? Quinn decides he’s had enough and walks away, while Paul shouts after him, “I’m just trying to help you, Quinn. Like I always have. You remember that.” His words seem to threaten Quinn, reminding him to stay loyal.
