The Crossover

Since their mom does not attend the game, Josh and JB’s dad is free to yell at the ref as much as he pleases in “Out of Control.”

In “Mom calls me into the kitchen,” Josh’s mom discusses the family’s medical history and explains that is why they will all be eating better from now on. Instead of mac and cheese for his victory dinner, Josh receives hummus with pita bread, and his mother implores him not to let their father take them to Pollard’s or Krispy Kreme after the rec center anymore.

In “35-18,” which is the final score of their sixth game, Josh and JB’s dad suggests stopping at Pollard’s on their way home. Josh says he’s not hungry and he needs to get home to start on homework, even though he “skipped lunch today / and finished [his] homework / during halftime” (99).

“Too Good” reveals that even though everything seems to be going well for Josh, he’s uneasy. His coach tells them that if they get used to things going their way, they won’t be prepared when something goes wrong.

Josh and JB practice their free throws in “I’m on Free Throw Number Twenty-Seven” when their dad clutches his chest and struggles to breathe. JB runs to check on him, and Josh freezes, suggesting that maybe their dad is overheating. JB finds the water hose and sprays their dad to cool him down. Instead of coughing, Chuck starts to laugh as he straightens up and takes the hose, turning it on his boys. JB starts to laugh as does Josh, “but only / on the outside” (102).

In “He probably,” JB thinks that maybe their dad was just choking on something stuck in his throat, but Josh thinks maybe their dad is sick and they should tell their mom what happened. When their conversation is interrupted by a phone call, JB answers it but quickly tosses the phone to Josh, who thinks it’s ironic since now JB appears to have something stuck in his throat.

In “i⋅ron⋅ic [AY-RON-IK] adjective,” Josh defines ironic as “Having a curious or humorous / unexpected sequence of events / marked by coincidence” (104). Some examples of irony according to Josh are his friend Vondie’s distaste of astronomy even though Vondie’s mom works at NASA, and JB’s previous swagger at the game compared to his overwhelming shyness now at the prospect of talking with Miss Sweet Tea on the phone. One thing that is not ironic, Josh points out, is that his grandfather died in a hospital and his father does not like doctors.

In “This is Alexis-May I Please Speak to Jordan?” Josh states that identical twins are just like everyone else, except they often look and sound exactly alike, making him capable of having a phone conversation with Alexis as JB. Throughout their conversation, Alexis wants to know if their family is rich, if their dad is cool, when JB will introduce her to his parents, and if she is JB’s girlfriend. Josh, as JB, tells her he doesn’t know if they’re rich, but he knows they’re not “opulent” (107); he confirms that their dad is indeed very cool; he’s not sure when he’ll introduce her to his parents; and when JB leaves the room to go to the restroom, Josh asks her if she wants to be his girlfriend.

When JB returns, he asks Josh what she said, and Josh says that Alexis likes him a lot. JB clarifies that she likes him, not Josh, which Josh agrees is what he meant. In “JB and I,” Josh states that he and JB eat lunch every day, but this particular day, he waits alone for 25 minutes when JB finally enters the lunchroom with Alexis, hand-in-hand.

In “Boy walks into a room,” JB calls Josh by his nickname, “Filthy McNasty,” which he’s always done. But today, next to Alexis, they both giggle and suddenly Josh feels he might be the butt of some joke.

In “At practice,” their coach has them meditate to strengthen their mental game against their next opponent. As Josh meditates, an image of JB in a hospital jolts him awake. He turns to find JB staring straight at him as startled as he is.

In “Second-Person,” Josh walks home alone wondering what JB and Alexis are doing and thinking about how he’s always had a second person around him, and now he doesn’t. He decides to go to the library to finish a book report even though he doesn’t want to. He realizes that JB won’t be eating lunch with him any time soon and that he’ll be walking home alone for the foreseeable future.

In “Third Wheel,” Josh enters the library to look for his book, and the librarian mistakes him for JB, asking if he’s found his friend. As Josh looks for his book, he stumbles upon JB and Alexis kissing. “Tip⋅ping point [TIH-PINH POYNT] noun” defines the term as “The point / when an object shifts / from one position / into a new, / entirely different one” (118). Josh claims he has found his tipping point in the library seeing his brother kiss Alexis.

In “The main reason I can’t sleep,” Josh explains that his sleeplessness is not about the upcoming game or his shorn locs or even his dad’s health, but rather it’s because of his brother talking on the phone to Alexis, whispering and giggling into the phone.

Josh plans to talk with JB about his spending too much time with Alexis on their walk to the game the next evening, but in “Surprised,” Josh learns that JB will get a ride to the game with his girlfriend and her dad, leaving Josh to fend for himself.

In “Conversation,” Josh’s dad drives him to the game. Josh takes the opportunity to ask his dad if going to the doctor will kill him. His dad confesses that he doesn’t trust doctors because of what happened to his dad. When Josh’s dad shuts down the conversation, Josh uses a basketball analogy to stress that he thinks his dad should seek medical attention. It makes his dad laugh so hard that they almost do not hear the sirens of the cop car that is pulling them over.

In “Game Time: 6:00 p.m.,” Josh gives a minute-to-minute description of the events that make him one minute late to the game. They were pulled over because of a broken taillight, but when the officer asks for Chuck’s identification, he’s unable to present it because he left his wallet in his jacket at home. Once the officer realizes who Josh’s dad is, he lets him off with a warning. As they pull up to the game at 6:01, Josh slips and falls in the mud in his mad dash to the gym.

In “This is my second year,” the coach tells Josh “to go get cleaned up / then find a seat / on the bench” (128). In two years of playing for the Wildcats, this will be the first game in which Josh does not start. He tries to explain to the coach what happened, but the coach will make no allowance for any excuse.

“Basketball Rule #6” talks about a good scorer needing a selfless teammate who is ready to assist. “Josh’s Play-by-Play” puts him in the game during the second half. Josh calls for the ball and JB passes it to him. Josh gets double-teamed, and even though JB is wide open, Josh refuses to pass to him. The coach and their dad are both yelling at him to pass the ball with five seconds left on the shot clock. With one second left, Josh launches the ball at his brother.

In “Before,” Josh rewinds to show the build-up of his frustration with the evening. When he walked in one minute late covered in mud, JB taunted him, and the whole team laughed, even the coach. Then, he was benched for the first half, forced to listen to the crowd cheer for his brother. Josh finally gets into the game and watches JB wave for him to pass the ball. He hears his coach and his dad scream at him to pass the ball. Then he hears his brother call him “Filthy,” demanding to get the ball. Josh dribbles over to his brother and passes the ball so hard that it hits his brother, and blood comes pouring out of JB’s nose.