Spectacular Things

Frustrated and overwhelmed, one day Mia decides she’s done with dialysis. A compassionate nurse almost talks her into sticking with it by acknowledging how much the situation sucks, rather than telling Mia to be positive, but not quite. Mia leaves the clinic without getting the treatment.

Cricket tries to be a good role model and a gracious public figure, but fame takes a toll. She participates in a Media Day event hosted by the Red Stars in which all the “journalists” are children. Cricket gives inspiring, age-appropriate answers to their questions. Afterward, she’s saddened by thoughts about how her family won’t speak to her. She distracts herself from these feelings with her TV and phone.

Mia is nauseated after skipping dialysis. She didn’t tell Oliver about skipping treatment, but the nurse called and informed him. He suggests they go see Cricket play in the Rose Bowl next month. At first, Mia is too angry with Cricket. However, when Oliver observes that not speaking to her sister is killing Mia, she acknowledges this as true and agrees to attend the game.

Cricket gets a surprise visit from Sloane after ten months of them not speaking. Sloane apologizes, saying therapy has helped her see the ways in which she hadn’t been a good friend. Cricket tells Sloane about her falling out with Mia and wonders if achieving her career dreams is worth anything if Mia isn’t by her side. Sloane helps Cricket realize dreams can change and that she’s more than just a goalkeeper. She urges Cricket to reach out to Mia.

Mia and Oliver fly to California for the Rose Bowl. Mia’s nephrologist advised against the flight, but she chose to go anyway. They’ve decided not to tell Cricket they’re attending until after the game. Betty, now ten months old, has a red ribbon in her hair for the game, and all three of them have red lipstick hearts on their cheeks.

Sloane visits the locker room before the game and the team is thrilled to see her. Her imminent return prompts Cricket to realize that her time on this team can’t last forever. She needs to find a new dream to keep feeling the elation that this one currently provides.

Attending the Rose Bowl is helping Mia understand Cricket’s reluctance to give up soccer, especially when the career of a professional athlete is so brief. She realizes she’ll forgive Cricket and feels hopeful that she’ll get a donor kidney and everything will be okay. Just before the game starts, however, the plane ride’s stress on her body takes effect and she collapses in the stands.

Sloane overhears the security team talking about Mia’s collapse. She runs to inform Cricket, who rushes to the hospital in an Uber. She feels like she’s 14 again, reliving the moment she learned of her mother’s death.

The nurse in the Critical Care Unit tells Cricket that Mia is going to be all right. Cricket apologizes to Mia and says she finally understands that Mia needs her now. Mia says she’s always needed Cricket because they’re sisters. Sloane joins them in the hospital room. Her presence and touch scare Cricket because they’re electrifying, a response that tells Cricket she’s in love with Sloane.

Cricket begins the process of donating her kidney to Mia. She informs her agent, team captain Gogo, and Coach Teague of her decision. That night, Sloane tells Cricket she’s kidnapping her and takes her, blindfolded, to the Rose Bowl stadium. There, they revel in playing the game they love, alone under the bright lights of the stadium. When they finally return to the hotel at nearly 3:00 am, Cricket takes a huge risk and kisses Sloane.

The kidney transplant surgery is scheduled for November 10. The night before, Mia and Cricket go for their traditional polar plunge in honor of Liz and the 10-year anniversary of her passing. The following day’s surgery will be a reset, allowing them to move forward. Sloane and Oliver are present for the plunge, after which Mia and Cricket both see their mother’s spirit on the beach.

The surgery goes well. Mia comes home from the hospital five days later. She’s tired of being sedentary and eager to use her muscles, so she and Cricket go to the beach.

The novel flashes forward to 2031. The National Team is playing in the Women’s World Cup Final with Sloane as the starting keeper. Cricket is now Anders’s assistant and will eventually take over as head goalkeeping coach. She was hired 13 months after the kidney surgery. Less than a year later, she and Sloane got married on the beach in Victory. The two star athletes have become a power couple. They’ve founded a nonprofit, called New Years, to help single mothers restart their lives. With Mia as the executive director, they plan to launch the nonprofit on Liz’s birthday. Now, at the World Cup Final, Betty holds Sloane’s hand as the team emerges from the tunnel and yells her mother’s favorite words: “What a gift!” (349).