Taking Sides

Lincoln nails the front door shut after the intruder flees the scene. As Lincoln walks to school, he can’t help but wonder who the thief is. Everyone looks suspect. At school, Monica can tell something is wrong, but Lincoln won’t talk about it, finally snapping, “I said I don’t want to talk about it” (99). Monica rebuffs his attempt to hold hands, and he reflects on all that seems wrong with his life: “His knee [is] busted, his house nearly ripped off, and Tony [is] no longer his carnal” (99). He later ignores Monica again in the hallway despite her calling out to him.

At practice, Yesutis has no sympathy for Lincoln’s hurt knee: He makes Lincoln practice but tells him afterward that he won’t play in the Franklin game. Lincoln, angry, confronts him about the 1970 game and stares Yesutis down in front of his teammates. Everyone is silent afterward, and Lincoln even waves James off. He limps home alone.

Lincoln arrives home, where his mother and Roy press him for further details about the robbery. He also tells them that Yesutis has pulled him from the starting lineup. Lincoln’s mother tells him that he has mail, and he finds that the envelope contains $4 from Tony, but no letter.