The Crossover

Josh watches the game from the bleachers with his parents in “The Nosebleed Section.” His mom does her best to keep his dad calm. As they watch JB play, Josh tells his dad that he can’t get JB to forgive him. His dad tells him to give it time, things will work out, but in the meantime, Josh could write JB a letter.

“Fast Break” shows the dynamics of JB on the court until he receives a foul that sends him to the floor. Josh compares his dad to a tornado in “Storm” as he rises from his seat and challenges the ref about the flagrant foul against his son. Josh’s mom tries to get his dad to calm down before he hurts himself, but his nose starts to bleed before she can get to him.

In “The next morning,” Josh’s mom insists that his dad go see the doctor. Josh tries to get JB’s attention by suggesting they go to the mall after practice to check out a new game. When JB ignores him, their mom points out that Josh “[…] has apologized / profusely for his mistake”(153), but JB says it was no mistake. In “pro⋅fuse⋅ly [PRUH-FYOOS-LEE] adjective,” Josh defines “profusely” as “Pouring forth / in great quantity” (154) and offers examples of other things that occur profusely: JB’s sweat when he’s around Alexis; the thanks JB gets from the team for helping them make it to the playoffs; and the blood gushing from dad’s nose after JB received that flagrant foul.

In “Article #1 in the Daily News (December 14),” the paper covers the Wildcats’ journey to the playoffs with the notable absence of Josh Bell who will also not be playing in the game next week. Even with his absence, the paper names Josh the Most Valuable Player.

In “Mostly everyone,” people clap for Josh’s MVP award, but Alexis yells at him instead, telling him he’s mean for what he did to JB. Josh is more devastated by the fact that his brother does not come to his defense. The family finishes their dessert as they listen to “Final Jeopardy,” and Josh tries to convince his dad that the team needs him. Since his grades were good, maybe they’ll consider lifting his suspension. Josh’s mom says that it’s not about his grades, it’s about his behavior moving forward. Their parents change the subject and invite Alexis to dinner, to which JB says he’ll think about it. When he leaves the room, JB does not even look at Josh.

“Dear Jordan” is Josh’s letter to his brother genuinely apologizing and telling him that he misses him. “I don’t know” shows a possible shift in Josh and JB’s relationship. Even though Josh is unsure whether or not JB has read his letter, when Josh makes a joke at Vondie’s expense, JB laughs.

In “No Pizza and Fries,” Josh’s mom continues to alter the family’s eating habits as evidenced by Josh’s lunch of spinach and tofu salad instead of pizza and fries. He feels this lunch is mean-spirited, but not as mean as the look he gets from Alexis in the cafeteria.

In “Even Vondie,” Josh describes Vondie’s new girlfriend as very talkative with purple hair, which, he points out, is still better than no girlfriend at all. Later, while Josh and Vondie chat on the phone, Josh hears panting coming from his parents’ room in “Uh-oh.”

In “I run into Dad’s room,” Josh enters to find his dad on the floor cleaning up his own vomit. Josh asks if his dad is okay. Josh’s dad tells him that he’s been offered a coaching position at a nearby college. Josh is concerned about who will take care of him and JB or train them or take care of their mom and the house. His dad wonders why Josh had previously pushed him to get a job and now he doesn’t want him to work at all.

Josh confesses that since his mom doesn’t want his dad working for health reasons, neither does he. His dad explains how much he misses being on the court, and Josh agrees to talk to his mom about the job if his dad will talk to her about Josh playing in the playoffs. Josh’s mom overhears and tells Josh to set the table for dinner, “watching Dad with eyes // full of panic” (167).

“Behind Closed Doors” is a conversation between Josh’s parents. His mom argues that his dad doesn’t need the stress of a job and that she is scheduling a doctor’s appointment for him. His dad says he sees a doctor every week by visiting WebMD, which Josh’s mom says doesn’t count. Josh’s dad changes the subject by flirting with his mom, so Josh stops listening.

In “The girl who stole my brother,” Josh now refers to Alexis as “the girl who stole my brother” as she eats dinner with the family and asks for seconds, impressing Josh’s mom. When they ask how the two of them met, JB is ready with every detail and even uses Josh’s word, “pulchritudinous,” then looks at Josh for a “split second” (171) for the first time in over two weeks.

In “Things I Learn at Dinner,” Josh lists the details he discovers about Alexis, including the fact that she is good at basketball, lives with her dad, “smells like sugarplum,” and “HER SISTER GOES TO DUKE,” Josh’s all-time favorite college (172).

In “Dishes,” Josh helps his mother clean up dinner and asks if he can go with them when his dad goes to the doctor. He then hugs his mom and thanks her for taking such good care of their family. She responds by saying that if he continues like this, he’ll “[…] be back on the court / in no time” (174). Josh asks if he can play in tomorrow’s playoff game, but she tells him to dry the dishes instead.

“Coach’s Talk Before the Game” tells the team that “[t]he difference between / a winning streak / and a losing streak / is one game” (175). Josh sits on the bench rather than in the bleachers with his parents. He watches JB and his teammates play, and when he looks back for his parents, they are gone. Josh offers his play-by-play for the first half, stating that the team is “[…] playing / like kittens, not Wildcats” (177). Down by three, Vondie sets up JB for a three-pointer, but it bounces off the rim, so the Wildcats lose the first half.

In “Text Messages from Mom, Part One,” Josh receives a series of updates about why his parents left the game. His dad wasn’t feeling well, so they stepped out for some air and then decided to go home. She texts a message from their dad: not to come home if they lose. In “The Second Half,” the Wildcats come back strong, especially JB who scores point after point, securing the team’s chance at a championship game.

“Tomorrow Is the Last Day of School Before Christmas Vacation” covers the last day of school before the holiday break. Josh prepares for his vocabulary standards test and worries JB has not studied for it since they usually study together. Josh leaves a study list of words on JB’s pillow while he’s brushing his teeth and before Josh falls asleep, he hears JB say thanks.

In “Coach comes over,” Josh’s coach tells him that he needs to fix things between him and JB so that their team has a shot at winning the championship. The coach confides that he and his brother got into a fight in high school and have been estranged ever since. He emphasizes that he doesn’t want that for Josh and JB. Coach also says that Josh’s mom will agree to let him back on the team if they make it to the championship game.

“Es⋅tranged [IH-STREYNJD] adjective” defines the term as “[t]he interruptions of a bond, / when one person becomes / a stranger / to someone / who was close: / a relative, friend, / or a loved one” (187). Even though Josh and JB are estranged at the moment, their dad puts them in a three-on-three tournament at the rec center.

In “School’s Out,” JB and Josh’s dad picks them up and tells them that because they’ve both done well in school, they can pick out one more gift this Christmas in addition to their usual gift of books. JB still isn’t talking to Josh, but Josh knows what JB wants, so he asks if they can go to the sneaker store at the mall. JB quickly agrees.

In “The Phone Rings,” Josh answers a call from Alexis who asks to speak to JB. Josh tells her he’s in the shower, and she asks him to tell JB she’ll see him at the rec center later. This explains to Josh why JB is taking his second shower of the day.

“Basketball Rule #8” states: “Sometimes / you have to / lean back / a little / and / fade away / to get / the best / shot” (191)—advice for a good basketball tactic and also for Josh’s approach to winning back his brother’s friendship. In “When we get to the court,” JB and Alexis hang out at the swings while Josh challenges his dad to a game of one-on-one to warm up. People start to gather, watching their game, and soon JB and Alexis are watching, too.

In “At Noon, in the Gym, with Dad,” Josh uses two-word lines to narrate the one-on-one game with his father: “Crowd growing / We balling / Me pumping / Dad jumping” (194). What begins as a fun crowd-pleasing game with his dad becomes a life-or-death situation when Josh’s dad grabs his chest and falls to the floor. Alexis calls an ambulance, JB grabs some water, and Josh tries to revive his dad with the resuscitation skills he practiced in gym class. His dad shuts his eyes and loses his pulse as they hear sirens nearing the rec center.