#2 Who is the first game against? How is he treated by the crowd at the first game? How does the team (and coach) react / support him? How does this impact him? (Xavier I)
The first game is against Wellpinit, his old school, now his rival. Consequently, the crowd treats him poorly, intimidating him by chanting, "Arnold Sucks!" (Alexie 143) and throwing things at him. Seeing the look on Arnold's face, Coach tells him he doesn't have to play this game. But, Arnold knew he had to play. He needed to prove something to his fellow tribal members, especially Rowdy. When he looked at Rowdy, it looked like he was just about to kill Junior. "He didn't want to turn his back on me. He wanted to kill me, face-to face." (Alexie 144) Thinking and looking at Rowdy, he starts to laugh, the only sound in the entire gym. But then coach joins him, as well as his teammates. They laugh all the way to the locker room, which makes him feel better. But then he starts to cry, overwhelmed with what just happened. But coach tries to support him. "If you care about something enough, its going to make you cry. But you have to get used to it. Use your tears..." (Alexie 144) Coach tells him to get mad, and to use his tears. But all this makes him want to play even more. Even when he gets hit in the head with a quarter, he tells Eugene that he can still play. Overall, Arnold is overwhelmed and surprised at how much of a traitor his tribe thinks he is, but with his perseverance and support from his team, he is able to get through it.
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