Jericho sits in his math class and finds himself unable to concentrate. Waiting impatiently for the bell to ring, he asks to be excused. Once he is out of class, he walks down the silent and empty school hall and feels himself relax.

Shortly, he notices Luis Morales, a school track and football star and one of those who pledged the Warriors of Distinction with him. The two boys start talking, and Luis urges Jericho to join the football team. Jericho is hesitant but admits he’s been thinking about it. Jericho played football in middle school and as a freshman in high school, though only for a short period before switching to playing the trumpet. 

When Luis asks Jericho about Josh’s parents, Jericho realizes he has not talked to them for a couple of weeks: he only knows that Josh’s mother is “seriously depressed—won’t get out of bed at all some days” (60), and that Josh’s father has started doing karate and spends all his time on this new hobby. Jericho admits that he does not want to talk to Josh’s parents because he does not know what to say; he is convinced that they blame him for what happened.