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Marcus is a high-school student whose parents recently divorced, and Marcus has just moved to a new state with his mom to get away from his overbearing father. Marcus’s father gifted him a Vespa scooter as an incentive to stay with him, and though Marcus dislikes the man, he keeps the Vespa because he loves the speed it offers. In preparation for the upcoming football tryouts at his new school, Marcus has spent most of his time at the local Three Alarm Park, practicing. On the fourth day, a middle-aged man named Charlie joins him, calls him “Mac,” and easily catches one of Marcus’s throws. Despite his age, Charlie is the most amazing athlete Marcus has ever seen. The two play a fast and furious game of tossing and catching until Marcus misses a throw and the football breaks the window of a car in the parking lot. Seeing the damage, Charlie takes off, leaving Marcus to marvel that an adult is “fleeing the scene like an irresponsible kid” (9).