Restart

After the scrimmage, Chase goes to the locker room and sees another video club member, Hugo, being bullied and denied entrance by the team. Hugo says their teacher sent him in case Chase forgot to take videos of the team. Chase takes Hugo in with him and interacts with the other players, who are glad to see him but demean Hugo. Again, Chase promises to return to the team as soon as he is medically released. He feels very much at home among the players. He tells Aaron and Bear he is going with them to the retirement home, which amazes them and makes Chase wonder what is so bad about the community service site.

They go to Portland Street Assisted Living Residence, a nondescript three-story building. Their job is to deliver snacks to the residents. Bear and Aaron liberally help themselves to the food and explain to Chase that he did as well. Chase becomes disgusted with their disrespectful behavior and asks the residents about their needs. This draws scorn and amazement from his buddies.

Chase marvels at the significant bits of personal history he picks up from the residents. He briefly interacts with a grumpy Medal of Honor winner, Julius Solway, and humors a delusional woman, Mrs. Swanson, by rearranging her furniture. When Mrs. Swanson tries to tip Chase with $20, Chase refuses, but Bear grabs the money. They debate whether it is right to keep the money. As the three head to a pizza parlor to spend the money, Chase goes back to Mrs. Swanson and secretly gives her $20 of his own money. As he leaves, he stops by Mr. Solway’s room, where he is treated with scornful impatience and ushered away. 

This chapter introduces a new narrator, Kimberly Tooley. Kimberly expresses her love for watching boys play football, even though she only has a rudimentary understanding of the game. She explains the team is not as good this season because Chase is not playing. She has had a crush on Chase for two years. She cannot understand why he is hanging out with the video club, since they are a bunch of nerds. She describes attending a pep rally, which she enjoys.

As students leave the assembly, the team heads to practice, and Brendan Espinoza gets pushed in front of the football players. Chase intervenes, pushing Joey Petronus against a wall and angrily demanding that he let go of Brendan. The other players break up the struggle. Joey can’t understand why Chase saved Brendan, implying that in times past, Chase used to brutalize Brendan himself. Chase identifies himself with the video club rather than the football team, stunning everyone. Aaron warns Chase not to turn against team members.

Brendan and the video club express their thanks to Chase. Shoshanna sneers that no one should thank Chase, who has bullied everyone in the club. Kimberly, who convinces Chase to call her Kimmy, explains that Shoshanna’s brother had to leave school because he was bullied. Chase realizes he was part of it, though she does not tell him the extent of his guilt. She wants to join the video club to be near him.

Aaron Hakimian narrates this chapter, beginning with his inner conflict about whether Chase is still Chase, whom he calls “Ambrose.” He wonders if the old Ambrose will return or if the new nerd-loving Ambrose will remain. Aaron reveals that he, Bear, and Chase have something of real importance that Chase has hidden somewhere. He does not reveal what it is but says it is essential for them to find it. This makes the question of whether Chase really has amnesia all the more important. Aaron darkly implies that they will have to deal with Chase wanting to do the right thing if it becomes necessary.

Aaron describes Chase’s enthusiasm and growing popularity at the retirement home, which troubles Aaron and Bear. They do not understand why he is interested in the residents and so willing to help. He notes that Chase has formed a bond with Mr. Solway in particular. They find Chase’s unpredictability threatening. 

Chase reports that a few more of his memories have returned. He remembers dropping his brother Johnny off for his first day of college and how he disrespected his brother for being so frightened. He marvels at how harshly he judged his brother compared to how much concern Johnny expressed for him in the hospital. Chase reports that the memories seem to be lurking, just waiting to come out and be recognized.

Dr. Cooperman says the gradual return of memories is proper. Chase is concerned that the rush he got from physically grabbing Joey was gratifying, and he worries that he may become more of the thuggish, thoughtless Chase as his memories return. Dr. Cooperman pronounces Chase recovered from the concussion but does not want him to play football this season for safety’s sake. Chase is devastated; he had hoped rejoining the football team would help him recover his old life.

After the bullying incident with Brendan, Aaron and Bear are the only team members who speak to Chase. Even they are clearly troubled by his enthusiasm at the retirement home. Chase compares the residents’ lives to his own hospital stay and notes how thankful he was for visitors and attention.

Chase recounts Mr. Solway’s description of his heroism: It was a momentary, foolish action he would not have engaged in if he had been thinking. He reports that Mr. Solway has lost his Medal of Honor, which has been attributed to his diminished mental capacities. Chase compares himself to Solway; they have both lost their previous lives. Solway tells Chase he was as bad as his two friends and the concussion was the best thing that happened to him. Solway has amnesia, too, as he cannot remember the incident for which he was awarded his medal. The medics told him he could not remember because he looked inside the enemy tank after dropping a grenade in it. He says, “You block out what you can’t face” (97).

Chase’s memories are coming back in a rain of disconnected images. He dreams about the cherry bombs in the piano, though the kid in the dream is not the Joel Weber in the yearbook. He still remembers the little girl in the blue dress, though he has no idea who she is.

While he has random memories from his previous two years at middle school, none are helpful. He appreciates the video club greatly, though he has trouble interviewing kids because most are afraid of him. Their reactions help him learn about who he was. He understands why Shoshanna hates him but has a difficult time being remorseful because he has no memory of terrorizing her brother. Chase reports that Kimmy has joined the video club; she has no tech skills whatever, but Brendan has obviously fallen for her.

Chase ends the chapter by describing a video club meeting. Brendan still wants to focus on creating viral YouTube videos. Shoshanna wants him to be serious and give her a suggestion for her National Video Journalism Contest video. Chase suggests she interview Mr. Solway; Shoshanna resents the idea because it came from Chase. As the chapter ends, Chase thinks, “I hope I never hate anybody as much as that girl hates me” (101).