Last Man Out

When the Titans get the ball again, Tommy reads their formation, ignores a blitz signal, and drops into coverage. He intercepts Corwin’s pass. Coach Fisher tells him that he made the right read but asks him to follow his instructions for the rest of the game. The Bears’ offense capitalizes on the interception with a touchdown pass to Mike Fallon, cutting the deficit to 13–7.

The game remains tight into the fourth quarter. Tommy glances at the empty spot in the stands where his father used to stand and feels his anger rise. On a critical third down, he hesitates on a blitz, arrives late, and draws another penalty. The first down allows the Titans to run out the clock and win 13–7. Tommy leaves the field believing that he cost his team the game.

After the loss, Greck and Nick try to console Tommy, but he blames himself. Coach Fisher tells him that the penalty wasn’t Tommy’s real mistake; doubting himself was. He urges Tommy to trust his instincts. Tommy rides home in silence with his mother.

At home, he showers and sits alone with his negative thoughts about the game with the Titans. His mother tells him that it’s time for Emily’s soccer game and explains that his sister needs his support. Downstairs, Emily waits for her game without enthusiasm. Tommy looks at his withdrawn sister and wonders if their family will ever feel happy again.

At the soccer field, Tommy watches admiringly as Emily dominates the game. He recalls a family dinner when Patrick encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a professional soccer player. The boy recognizes that his love for playing defense parallels his father’s firefighting, as both focus on protection. Emily scores two goals and assists on a third but shows no emotion.

After the assist, Emily walks to the sideline, speaks with her coach, removes her cleats, and packs her bag. She meets Tommy and their mother at the gate, announces that she has quit the team, and asks to go home.

During the drive home, Emily refuses to discuss her decision to quit the team. Back at the house, she shuts her bedroom door. Their mother asks Tommy to talk to her. He reluctantly tries to reason with her, but when he asks her what their father would think, Emily tells him not to talk about their father and looks as if she might cry.

Tommy tells his mother that he couldn’t change Emily’s mind and is done trying, but she reminds him that their family doesn’t give up on each other. Overwhelmed, Tommy goes for a walk.

In a flashback, Tommy and his father sit on the back porch. Tommy asks how Patrick can enjoy Emily’s soccer as much as his football games. Patrick explains that he loves what his children love and would learn about any interest they had to support them.

Patrick says that watching Tommy play feels like seeing “a better version of [him]self, making plays [he] never could” (97), but he adds that he gets just as much joy from Emily’s games. Before they go inside, he tells Tommy to keep an eye on his sister, noting that she is tough like the children’s mother.

On Sunday, Tommy’s mother urges him to get out of the house. He calls his teammate Mike, who invites him to skate at Wirth Park. They bike to an old, empty skateboard bowl that Patrick used during his brief skateboarding phase in his youth. Mike rides first, showing off sharp turns and jumps.

Tommy has no interest in trying to skateboard, but Mike challenges him by asking if he is afraid. Tommy retorts, “I’m not afraid of anything” (102).

At Wirth Park, Mike teaches Tommy how to balance and turn. Tommy finds skateboarding both scary and fun. He falls often but keeps trying, and his balance improves until he lands a small jump.

Looking for a bigger challenge, they head to a steep paved hill. Mike rides down first, demonstrating how to control his speed. Feeling confident, Tommy goes next. He picks up speed quickly, misjudges a curve, clips a rock, and crashes, hitting his head on the pavement.

Tommy returns home with a bruised face and a sore wrist. His mother sees his injuries, learns that he skateboarded without a helmet, and makes him promise to wear one from then on. He researches skateboards and decides that he wants a Warrior model like Mike’s. His mother agrees to buy it if they also get a helmet and pads.

Over the next week, Tommy practices with the Bears, focusing on disciplined, intelligent play rather than risky hits. He also begins to help around the house and starts learning to use the grill, which was one of his father’s jobs.

The next Saturday, the Bears play the Newton Chargers. Tommy starts tentatively, afraid to repeat his mistakes, and the Chargers’ quarterback, Kyle Barnum, runs for an early touchdown. After the Bears’ offense stalls, Greck intercepts a pass to set up a tying score. On the sideline, Mike and Coach Fisher tell Tommy that he’s playing scared and needs to stop overthinking.

Later, on a key third down, Tommy trusts his instincts, reads the play, and tackles the runner behind the line to force a punt. He points to his head in a gesture that his father used to make when Tommy accurately predicted an opponent’s movements. He wonders “if his dad [i]s still watching him” (125).

With four minutes left, the Bears lead 13–7. On the third down, Tommy blitzes and accidentally grabs the quarterback’s face mask, drawing a 15-yard penalty that keeps the Chargers’ drive alive. The error rattles him, and he plays cautiously as the Chargers move to the goal line with seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Tommy anticipates a quarterback sneak. He takes a risk, times the snap, and dives low. As the quarterback leaps, Tommy drives his shoulder pad into the ball, jarring it loose. Greck recovers the fumble, and the Bears run out the clock to win.