Football Genius

Troy and his mom drive home from the game in silence. Troy’s mom is obviously upset.

Tate accompanies Troy down to the river. On the way, the two stop at the railway tracks. Troy thinks about the train to Chicago, thinking about his mysterious father who left the family. Troy criticizes himself and the dream of jumping on a train to go and find his dad, wondering what kind of person would run off on their family.

The two walk along the tracks until they reach the Chattahoochee River. As he steps to the edge of a trestle, Troy thinks about his dad and how he might feel if anything happened to Troy. Tate screams as Troy jumps from the bridge.

Troy lands in the water and swims to the surface. Tate has jumped in with him. When they make it to the shore, Tate asks him what he was doing. Troy tells her the story of what happened at the game.

They climb up the riverbank and swing from a tree until evening time. Troy tells Tate that if he was ever going to have a girlfriend, that it would be her. She says she would do the same. Troy says he wishes she were his sister, and Tate comments that she kind of is already.