Finley and his teammates watch Erincarry her team to victory against Pennsville, while Wes and Boy21 read Harry Potter. It is hard for Finley not to be in love with Erin, but he is also sick with worry about his game. “There’s a small section of Irish who’ve come to root for Erin” (134), but they also root for Finley. Boy21 seems oddly calm, but Finley is deeply distracted by Erin’s presence.

Once they start playing, Finley becomes too nervous to take shots; even when he does take shots, he misses them. Finley calls a timeout, and Coach sees he’s rattled, so he subs Russ in for Finley. Finley feels like an embarrassment. Russ is hesitant, then asks Finley if he should use his powers to win the game. Everyone is confused, but Finley tells him it’s fine. Russ checks in with an exasperated Coach, and then turns on his game, taking a beautiful half-court jump shot. The team and crowd are both wild with excitement, and the Pennsville coach is furious. Russ leaves all other players in the dust, and by half-time, his teammates are pelting him with questions.

In the locker room, Russ explains Boy21 to his teammates, who are first stunned into