Last Man Out

The night before the game against the Chestnut Hill Chiefs, Emily refuses her mother’s suggestion to watch her old soccer team, the Bolts. Tommy notices that the Bolts are in second place in their league, just like his Bears. Emily starts attending Tommy’s games every week, and on a cold Saturday, the family travels to Chestnut Hill for a defensive matchup.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the Bears leading 7–6, the Chiefs complete a long pass into the red zone. On the third down, Tommy anticipates a pick play and intercepts a pass from the Chiefs’ quarterback, Matt Foley, in the end zone. He returns it a long way before being forced out of bounds, where Matt hits him late. Flags fly, and both teams argue. Tommy remains calm and out of the fray, but Emily vaults the fence and sprints toward Matt.

Tommy and his mother rush to intercept Emily, but Coach Fisher reaches her first and easily lifts her off the ground “like a bag of groceries” (196). Emily and Matt trade insults before Coach Fisher calms the situation. In the car afterward, their mother tells Emily that she is proud she defended Tommy but forbids her from ever running onto the field again.