Summary
Tom is on the floor of his bedroom, working on his present for Daniel. Seeing his grandmother’s scrapbooks has given him the idea to make Daniel a scrapbook for his birthday. He’s making sure to hurry up since he’s running out of time—their first rugby match is coming up tomorrow, which leaves only Friday to finish before they head to visit Daniel on Saturday morning. Carefully, he begins to select memories of them from their grandmother’s scrapbooks. Later, he has a conversation with Gran as she posts a picture of Saint Vitus above his parents’ bed to try and motivate Tess to get up more often. They have a lighthearted conversation, during which Gran lets Tom know that she knows he doesn’t like her cooking and that she doesn’t mind too much. Friday morning, the team is recapping the game from the previous night, where they won easily against another team. Tom reflects that although they play pretty decently, they lack the same “killer instinct” that his old team had. During this conversation, it comes up that the team will be taking a week to head to a rugby training camp, which the boys look forward to because of the nearby nursing college that supposedly has a lot of girls. Chrissy passes by them with Davin as they chat, and takes the time to say hello to Tom while passing by. Tom is speechless, but the subject is changed once they see Brianna and Kylie walk by.
Rory asks Tom if he knows what Kylie keeps doing to her hair, and even though it’s a throwaway comment, it makes him nervous for some reason. He continues on, but when he gets to the canteen line, he notices that something’s off. Someone asks him if he’s Kylie’s brother, which lets him know that he isn’t just being paranoid. Rory and Jimmy meet up with him after school to walk to Burger King, and on the way, they reveal that Kylie shared what happened with their family being harassed in her public speaking class. Tom is furious and walks all the way home, thinking about all the different memories that he’s been repressing over the past year. When he arrives, everyone is sitting around the kitchen table while Kylie cries. Tom calls Kylie a stupid cow and then storms out, heading for Brendan’s cabin.
Brendan is there waiting for him and mentions that Chrissy was also looking for him. Tom initially shows little sympathy when Brendan reveals that Kylie’s been crying for hours, but they talk it through. Brendan convinces Tom that Coghill is a different town and that while he couldn’t have survived in a small town like Mumbilli, nothing is going to happen to him here. He also reminds Tom that the truth would have come out eventually. Brendan turns out to be right, and as Tom and his dad head to visit Daniel, things seem to be looking up. Visiting the Crisis Centre is different from their usual visits, a little friendlier. Daniel is extremely happy with the gift that Tom gets him and starts recollecting all the times they had together that are captured in the photographs. He shares that he’s also begun his mentorship program. On the way back, Tom’s dad shares that they have gotten an offer on their old house in Mumbilli and are probably going to sell it to pay for legal fees. Tom asks after his mom, and his dad says she’s doing her best even though it’s going slowly. He’s impatient but thinks that his lack of patience might be a good sign that he’s ready to move on.
When Tom heads back into school on Monday, nobody is making a big deal out of things. Chrissy finally catches up with Tom, but he doesn’t really have much to say to her and she ends up walking away. It’s at Burger King that Tom realizes that a huge weight has actually been lifted from his shoulders since he doesn’t have to keep things secret anymore. However, he and Kylie still aren't speaking to each other, and Tom is still hurt by her decision. In turn, Kylie keeps avoiding the house while Tom’s parents spend their time in their bedroom during the evenings. With Brendan usually at his own place or out, that leaves Tom and Gran, who begin to build more of a relationship. That evening, Tom asks about the chickens (chooks) that Gran used to have. She tells him that she accidentally ended up with two hens that she named Cain and Abel since they used to fight so much (even though they were sisters as opposed to brothers). Gran still loves chickens, but after Pa bulldozed over the chicken pen to build the sheds, she hasn’t had time to rebuild. Meanwhile, the family is preparing for Fin’s birthday, which will be celebrated with a party at the rehab center. Tom is again nervous to speak with Fin but knows he has to attend.
The night before the party, Tom goes out with his friends to see the new Vin Diesel movie when they see Chrissy with her boyfriend, Chris Davin, at the cinema. The other guys start talking about Davin and mention that he’s lucky to have snagged a girl like Chrissy. When Tom gets home, he discovers that Kylie is on his bed waiting for him. She tells him she’s sorry and at first, Tom is dismissive of her apology. Kylie insists on explaining herself and elaborates that she feels bad about it affecting Tom but that she is still mad at Daniel. Tom protests, but eventually gives in. He admits that people would have found out anyway and that it was pretty brave of her to do something like that in the first place. Tom forgives her and they laugh a little bit before admitting that they’re nervous about tomorrow. Kylie also shares that she overheard Brendan talking on the phone and found out that Chrissy thinks that Tom is cute.
The next morning, Tom gets choked up as he sees Fin navigate around his nineteenth birthday party in his wheelchair. He wishes Fin a happy birthday but feels like he isn’t the Fin he remembers. The tension between Tom’s mother and Aunty Kath continues, while Brendan attempts to mediate. Despite Tom’s efforts to avoid Fin, Fin tracks him down and asks about how rugby is going. All the while, Tom is struggling to deal with all of the unspoken things between him and Fin, which makes the conversation stilted. Tom is relieved to return to Coghill, but things become complicated again when they receive a call that Daniel has hit another wall. His parents pack up to go to Westleigh to stay and support Daniel for as long as he needs.
Everyone continues to live their lives, but Daniel is still definitely on their minds during the weeks that Tom’s parents stay with him. Every morning, Tom forces himself to get out of bed and go running with Brendan. As the week of the football camp draws near, Tom worries about his dad making it back in time but Brendan reassures him that things will be alright. Tom asks how Daniel is doing and when Brendan comments that his dad hasn’t said much, he gets frustrated about the fact that no one seems to ever be talking about Daniel. Jonny is filling in for Tom’s dad in the meantime, and one day when Harvey’s gone, asks him to help lead practice. Tom comes back newly cynical about his teammates’ lack of skill, but Brendan reminds him that they really love the game.
They head over to Jonny’s house to have dinner and Tom is nervous since he hasn’t seen Chrissy since Kylie told him that Chrissy thought he was cute. As Jonny explains how to work the shower so that Tom can clean up before they eat, Tom freaks out. This proves to be a mistake since he ends up accidentally making the water boiling hot and trapping himself in the shower. He tries to escape but only manages to yell and bring everyone—including Chrissy—running as he sprays hot water everywhere. Chrissy asks if he’s okay while Brendan and Jonny burst out laughing. Eventually, Chrissy can’t help laughing too, and that breaks the ice, making dinner fun. Tom actually charms Chrissy but feels down upon hearing that she still has a boyfriend, who he now sees as an obstacle.
Daniel is making progress, so Tom’s dad is able to make it to the camp, after which they’re both going to go see Daniel. Nowadays, Tom is much more tuned in to the family’s movements. As the boys start their stay at camp, Tom begins to get nervous about the Bennie's boys’ lack of technique and closes in on himself, especially after someone mentions that they’ll be playing Tom’s previous team in July. Over the course of the week, Tom becomes more and more confused about the point of the camp, since they seem to be doing less training and more bonding. On Wednesday, Tom’s dad figures out how Tom is feeling and takes him aside to ask what the problem is. When Tom confesses his issues, his dad admits that he thinks that Tom is an incredible player—better than his brother—but that he is wasting an opportunity to teach the others and shouldn’t walk around like he’s better than them because he’s more skilled. Tom is humbled and decides to train hard. As he does, he thinks about how the Bennie’s boys know how to have fun playing and realizes that just training hard might not be enough.
The morning after the camp, Tom goes to visit Daniel by himself. Tom is shocked when he sees Daniel. He looks awful: he’s thin and his head is shaved. But he still has a smile for Tom when he arrives. The first few minutes are a bit difficult, but they get into the groove of talking about camp soon enough. This time when Daniel mentions the team not being that good, Tom gets somewhat defensive. He reflects that he no longer feels that playing rugby is all about winning: it’s worth it to build relationships with other people. Daniel doesn’t really get it, and Tom comments that winning is all they cared about at St. John’s. He thinks that thinking only about winning might have taken something away from their experience, when in fact the best part of playing was getting to play with Daniel. Daniel reflects that he’s taken away that opportunity and that the hardest part of his position is knowing how he’s hurt all of those people. Although Tom isn’t sure how to take that news, Daniel promises him that he’ll work hard to get to a place where he can start repairing the relationships he has with Fin and Aunty Kath.
On the drive home, Tom’s mom asks him to sit with her in the back and wraps her arm around him. She apologizes for not being there for him and promises that things will get better. Later, during their morning run, Brendan invites Tom to go to Nepal with him for Christmas to visit the base of Mount Everest. Tom says he doesn’t have any money, but Brendan says that they can work something out so Tom should give it a little bit of thought. He goes into the house and greets his grandmother, who he kisses on the cheek, to which she replies that he stinks. When he enters the bathroom, he sees that Kylie is staring in the mirror, and she admits that she hates her hair. He shoos her out and looks at the changes his own body has undergone over the past several months.
Today, the team has a lunchtime match against a rival school, St. Xavier’s. Bennie’s has lost the last two years, but from the beginning of this match, they’re on fire. They win 22-5, and Tom is elated. Afterward, Jonny, Brendan, Tom, and Chrissy head to dinner at the club. Brendan mentions having invited Tom to go to Nepal, and Tom agrees to go when Chrissy says it’s a great idea. Tom realizes he has it really bad on his way home and sees that Kylie’s light is still on when he arrives. He knocks on the door, opening it to see Kylie crying on the floor, staring in the mirror, and holding some scissors and a handful of hair in her lap.
Analysis
Tom’s considerateness is in further evidence as he makes his birthday present for Daniel, while it doesn’t seem like anyone else gets him. Aside from Daniel’s birthday, Tom has their first rugby match to think of, something which is difficult considering that footy has such a strong association with their relationship. We also get to see some of Gran’s softer side. Although at first, she was harsh, she uses religion to try and help her daughter. She also has a great sense of humor and is willing to work to improve her cooking to make Tom feel more at home.
The dissatisfaction that Tom feels with his team is more than just a problem of them not being good enough; it also has to do with the fact that he feels they don’t commit enough. Ironically, he describes his former team is as having a “killer instinct,”—despite the fact that the turmoil between the members of the team played a large part in the accident, which involved three boys from the team. In contrast, the Bennie’s boys’ biggest concern is whether or not they can manage to hit on the girls from the nursing college. Throughout the book, the narrative uses having a romantic moment to represent living a more normal life, something that’s confirmed when Chrissy passes by during this conversation.
Chrissy is Tom’s crush, but she is also one of the first people that Tom really connects with within Coghill. Those connections prove to be stronger than Tom’s past. Even though Tom is furious with Kylie for speaking about the harassment of their family, those actions reveal some big differences between Coghill and Mumbilli. Chrissy cares about Tom enough to reach out to him, and no one feels the need to distance themselves from him. For the first time, Tom can see that while the accident is really serious, it doesn’t need to define his life. His anger is less about Kylie’s decision and more about the fact that he can no longer hide from what happened. It’s his first step to peace.
Daniel is also moving forward, and his gratitude for Tom’s gift as well as his excitement about his mentorship shows Daniel’s determination to grow. Even as Tom’s old life is fading away with things like the house being sold, Tom is looking towards the future. The budding relationship between Gran and Tom represents this future. While Kylie and Daniel both had relatives to whom they were fairly close, Tom hasn’t had that kind of relationship for just himself before. Against all odds, Gran becomes that person for Tom. Tom isn’t the only one growing, and Kylie’s choice to apologize to him is a big change from her rudeness at the beginning of the book. Tom shows how much he’s learned by opening up and praising her for being brave as well as admitting to his nerves about Fin’s birthday party. His relationship with Fin is one area where Tom still struggles to reconcile the present with the past, and it’s a struggle Daniel also shares since he relapses on Fin’s birthday.
However, this relapse doesn’t send Tom back to the beginning of his journey. It’s difficult, but he continues his life and his work with the rugby team. His coaches insist that he start to take a leadership role and they try to teach him that loving the game is more important than skill, although he’s not quite ready to learn that yet. The scene with the shower at the Tulanes’ house is funny and light, showing the reader how Tom has built a community that has joy even though it’s not what he thought it would be. That joy is the biggest lesson he learns from his teammates. Tom’s dad’s speech about how he should step up and help the others not only hones his leadership skills, it also allows him to see what’s special about the teammates he has now. Now, he understands that having fun is as important as playing well.
That realization is what helps him understand that he loved playing with Daniel and that footy was an important part of their relationship. Meanwhile, both Daniel and their mother are taking responsibility for the ways they’ve hurt others, even though it’s difficult. Tom is beginning to rebuild the relationships that were broken by Daniel’s actions as well as making new ones with Brendan, Gran, and his friends from Coghill. These relationships push him to explore new things, like going to Nepal.
