The Perfect Shot

When Brian goes over to Todd’s house that weekend to finish their project, they talk about the Daine case. Todd believes the prosecution wants to put him on the witness stand and push him until he says something rude or cocky so the jury won’t like him. Brian asks him if he thinks Amanda is watching the trial and hoping they’ll find her real killer. Todd can tell that Brian is upset about the case, and eventually, Brian tells him that he feels guilty because he thinks he has information that could be important. Once Todd knows about the jogger, he insists that Brian tell someone immediately. The jury can decide whether it’s useful information or not, but they need to know.

That evening, Brian leaves a message for Mr. Rosen, Mr. Daine’s lawyer. He describes the jogger he saw in the gray sweatsuit and leaves his phone number. He’s not sure if he has done the right thing, but he does feel better after following his instincts.

Mr. Rosen doesn’t call Brian back, and Brian tries to get through the next week without any drama from Julius. He and Todd give their presentation, which goes well until Brian gives a heated speech about the same sort of miscarriages of justice still happening. A student says Alonzo Mann should have spoken out about Jim Conley and that he should have been the first suspect anyway. Julius takes offense because Conley was a Black man. He screams, “That’s right—always blame the black guy!” (251), which sets off a series of threats and accusations. Julius lunges at another student before Mr. Fortner sends him to the office, suspending him for fighting.

After class, Brian finds Julius in the gym. He believes that Todd told everyone about his arrest, but Brian tells him that he was the one who told the team. The team told the coach, and the news spread from there. Julius finally tells Brian more about what happened the night the police stopped him—the condescending way they antagonized and intimidated him, the way they dragged him through the station and conducted a strip search. He begins crying from the memory of feeling so humiliated and demeaned, and he tells Brian that no one understands how he feels except for other Black men.

Brian insists that he is there for him and that Julius should sue the cops as Warren suggested, but Julius doesn’t want to tell his parents what happened. Brian, once again, feels stuck. He does not know how to help Julius through this and repair the damage to their friendship, let alone figure out how to get him to work with the basketball team since he no longer trusts them.

When Brian leaves, he finds Keesha and his teammates looking for Julius. He tells them to leave him alone for now. They decide that they need to tell his parents what happened so they can help him sue the police. They borrow Ashley’s car and drive over to the Maliks’ house, even though school has not yet ended and they will all be late for basketball practice.

When they get there, Brian tells Mrs. Malik the whole story, from the night Julius took her and her husband to the airport to that afternoon when he got suspended. While he is talking, Mrs. Malik calls her husband, and he comes home. Todd explains that they could sue the cops for the way they treated Julius and that his brother Warren will help. They accept the offer, saying that they absolutely plan to sue.

The other team members are confused about why Julius would be treated so poorly; they see him as the same as them except better at basketball. Mr. Malik explains that being a young Black man is a different experience, and the police would not have treated the white members of the basketball team the same way they treated Julius.

Brian doesn’t see Julius for a few days and doesn’t know if he’ll return in time to play their big game against Jackson. He’s also anxious about Mr. Daine’s trial. That week, Todd comes over and tells Brian that he needs to speak out about the jogger again right away because the jury has reached a guilty verdict. Brian protests that he already told Daine’s lawyer and nothing happened. He now believes that the message from their history project is proving that the justice system doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. Todd argues that it doesn’t unless people stand up and speak out—like Alonzo Mann should have and like Brian still can.

They go to Warren’s office and tell him the whole story. Warren says it is probably too late now that the jury has reached a verdict, but Todd won’t accept that. Warren and Todd argue, and Brian feels bad for handling everything the wrong way. After he and Todd leave Warren’s office, Brian asks Todd if he wants to skip school the next day to attend Mr. Daine’s sentencing hearing. He wants to go straight to the judge and get someone to listen to him.

The courthouse is packed when Brian and Todd arrive. They listen to the sentencing hearing as the defense and prosecution try to influence the lenience or severity of Mr. Daine’s sentence. There is no opportunity for the audience members to speak, so Brian rushes off to find Mr. Rosen. He tells him that he tried to call him about the jogger, but he never called back. Mr. Rosen, the prosecutor, and the bailiff are all annoyed at Brian’s insistence and tell him to go away. Todd tells him that he can probably talk to the press, even if the lawyers won’t listen. He tells him to lay low until the hearing is over. Brian runs out of the courtroom, not knowing what to do next.

Brian finds the men’s room and shuts himself into a stall. He hears another person enter, and the person begins talking to him, saying that it is a good idea to back off and hide. He tells him that the murders were about business, not personal, and that Mr. Daine should have minded his own business. Then, he says that if Brian tries to talk to the press about what he saw, he will kill him and his entire family.

When Brian leaves the men’s room, a reporter, Natalie Hart, wants to speak to him. He is afraid to talk now, and he says that he just saw a jogger but it could have been anyone and probably wasn’t important. Todd is angry and confused about why Brian decided not to tell his story to the press. Brian worries that whoever just threatened him could kill Todd, Warren, and Elise, as well. The reporter gives Brian her card in case he wants to talk later, and Brian walks away from the courthouse, leaving Todd behind.

Todd catches up with Brian and offers him a ride to school. Brian is surprised by the offer; he thought Todd would be too angry with him to help him, but Todd reminds him that he has a basketball game that evening and needs to get back on time. Todd asks why he changed his mind about talking to the press, and Brian shrugs and says, “Because I don’t care about changing the world […] I only care about basketball” (295). Todd does not respond; he just puts on his helmet and takes Brian back to school.