Crossing the Line |
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Summary:
Jack Lucas loves to play hockey. He dreams that one day he'll see his long-absent father in the stands cheering him on. However, usually it's the other parents encouraging the players to fight each other. Finally Coach Martins declares that the Bayview Sharks need to learn better skating skills and not to rely on violence to win their games. So he brings in the figure skating coach to work with the hockey players. The Sharks learn that figure skating is a difficult sport and that they have lots to learn. But they begin to win games based on skill and non-violence. At the same time, Jack Lucas deals with his shyness. More importantly, he learns the truth about his father - that he is a pathetic drunk. |
Before You Read — Pre-Reading
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Chapter One—Monday Night Fight
Summary:
Jack Lucas lies bleeding on the ice after a hit. He gets up slowly and sees other players fighting, parents shoving each other, and people yelling at the coach. Another night of fights at the Lincoln-Bayview hockey game! The figure skaters who use the ice after the game are not pleased. The coach calls the players over and tells them to focus on getting the puck in the net instead of fighting. |
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Chapter Two—Can't Get Her Out of My Head
Summary:
The players head to the dressing room. Drew makes a smart comment to Julie Maynard, a figure skater, and Jack intervenes. Julie is not impressed and tells him she can't stand hockey players because all they do is fight. Jack thinks he should just forget about her. In the dressing room, Coach Martins gives the team the bad news about the sponsors threatening to pull out. They need to clean up the team. |
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Chapter Three—Home Sweet Home
Summary:
Jack wakes up bruised and sore from the game the night before. His mom, whom he does not get along with, is already up and ready for work. She is reading for her night school classes. She dropped out of high school when she was seventeen and had Jack, but she is determined to graduate. Jack wonders about his dad because his mom left when he was so young. Jack's mom worries about him getting hurt playing hockey. Without her permission he cannot be on a team. |
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Chapter Four—I Saw Her Standing There
Summary:
Jack drops off his mom at the dentist's office. Dr. Ming asks Jack to call him Doug. Jack's mom is acting funny and is getting mail that upsets her. Jack thinks that she does not have money to pay the bills. When Jack gets to school he stops by the office to see Mrs. Finkle. He always tries to make her laugh but today something surprising is happening. Julie is transferring from Lincoln High. The principal asks Jack to show her to her locker. Jack volunteers to show her around. |
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Chapter Five—Hitting the Weights
Summary:
After school Jack heads for the weight room. The only one there is Pete Moloney from the figure skating club. He is doing leg workouts to build his quad muscles. Jack decides to increase the weights to bench press. He does not have a spotter and gets into trouble with the bar pressing on his chest. |
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Chapter Six—Are You Talking to Me?
Summary:
Jack manages to get Pete's attention. Pete rushes over and helps Jack raise the bar onto the rack. Pete knows that bench pressing 225 pounds is not easy. Jack is surprised and challenges Pete to do it. He does so for a drink of pop. Jack is amazed. He and Pete drive home together. Pete plays football and started taking skating lessons to prepare for hockey. He was such a good skater they talked him into staying with figure skating. Jack asks about Julie. Pete has dated her. Jack wonders why Julie does not like him. |
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Chapter Seven—Faceoff
Summary:
Jack gets up early for hockey practice, grabs his gear and heads for the rink. The hockey team thinks they get to practise first. The figure skaters think they get to practise first. An argument ensues. They have been double booked and have to share the ice surface. Drew is angry and rude. The coach asks him to apologize to the figure-skating coach. |
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Chapter Eight—Hooking Up
Summary:
The coach sets up a shooting drill for the team. The team is not happy. Jack stops to watch the figure skaters. Drew makes a smart comment and slaps Jack on the back. They all jump on each other and fight. Coach Martins is disgusted and orders the team off the ice. Jack waits for Julie and offers her a drive to school. She makes a comment about carrying fighting off the ice as well. |
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Chapter Nine—Ice Time
Summary:
Jack and Julie get to school early and stop by to tease Mrs. Finkle. During last period, Jack, Julie, Pete, and Mai Ling meet up and decide to go to the arena. Julie has a key. They have the rink to themselves and skate around and play hockey until Coach Martins comes by and sends them off the ice. Jack drives Julie home then goes home, puts on supper, and waits for his mom to come home. At six-thirty he checks for phone messages. His mom says she has a meeting. The call display indicates that she is at a lawyer's office. |
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Chapter Ten—Heads Are Gonna Roll
Summary:
Brownville and Bayview play their usual violent game. It is so bad that there are police officers in the stands. At the end of the third period a brawl breaks out. One player is taken out on a stretcher. The parents are fighting in the stands too. The referee ends the game. Mr. Johnson, a parent, is rude to Coach Martins. Mike steps forward and tells his dad off. In the dressing room, he is ready to quit when he realizes he has sent a player to the hospital. At the team meeting they decide to ban the parents and change their style of play. The Coach promises them a surprise at the next practice. |
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Chapter Eleven—Family Jewels
Summary:
The team leaves the dressing room excited about the surprise. On the way out of the arena, Jack notices that his silver chain is missing. Mike calls some other guys to check the dressing room and the ice. They search everywhere. As they are about to leave for the bus, Jorge hollers from centre ice. The chain is frozen to the ice so he has to breathe on it to melt the ice. Just then the zamboni comes on the ice. The driver can't hear the team yelling and he can't see Jorge lying on the ice. Jorge doesn't move and no one can get his attention. Just as the zamboni is about to drive over him, Jorge rolls out of the way. He has the chain! |
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Chapter Twelve—Where Have You Been?
Summary:
When Jack gets home from hockey his mom is not there. He finds a note saying she'll be back by eleven. He is worried that she is working as a barmaid again to pay the bills. The Coach calls to tell his mom about the hockey decision. Mike calls too. The parents are not happy but they agree to let their sons play. Jack falls asleep on the couch worried about how his mom will get home. She comes home at one o'clock. She is all dressed up but will not tell him where she has been. When he tells her about the hockey decision she is thrilled. Jack goes to bed but looks at a class picture of himself when he is four. He notices a bruise on his face and wonders if has always been a fighter. |
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Chapter Thirteen—She's Got Game
Summary:
The hockey team sits on the bench waiting for the surprise. There are no scouts in the stands and no team jackets. The figure skating club is sitting watching. The only thing different is Ms. Jenkins in the middle of the ice. They all realize they are getting skating lessons and complain. Ms. Jenkins challenges Drew to a one-on-one with sticks and a puck. She skates circles around him. She tells the team she works on skating skills with NHL players. She shows them how to use their edges, how to skate backward, and how to weave in and out of players. She also suggests a punching bag in the dressing room and gives them tips on how to handle their anger. After the drills, Julie asks Jack for a ride home. |
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Chapter Fourteen—The Big Fight
Summary:
The Bayview Sharks practise hard and the guys start to have fun as a team. They go out for pizza but Jack is tense about the next game and snaps at Julie. She will not talk to him and Jack feels terrible. He tries to apologize but she worries about what he might do the next time he is upset. Mrs. Finkle advises Jack to earn Julie's trust. The night of the game Jack is worried that they will be beaten badly. But the team is able to control the puck, skate well, and score goals. Then the other team puts their heavy hitters onto the ice. |
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Chapter Fifteen—Switching Gears
Summary:
The Lasers try to put Bayview off their game but Bayview is able to outskate them. The coach tells his team not to showboat. They win the game and the crowd goes wild. It is one of the best games the Sharks have ever played. Jack's mom and Dr. Ming are at the game even though they are not supposed to be there. Jack sees Julie and decides to ask her out but the coach calls him into the dressing room. After showering and packing up his stuff, Jack rushes out to see Julie. She runs away from him. Martina says she is shy and does not like violence. She says Jack looks like he could be a “beater.” |
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Chapter Sixteen—More than One Way to Skate a Rink
Summary:
At the team meeting, the coach and players talk about raising money to pay for the tournament. The local newspaper is impressed with the no-violence approach and decides to sponsor the team. They practise every day with Ms. Jenkins to prepare. Jack tracks down Julie and blocks her way to the change room. He wants to talk to her so she will not be afraid of him. |
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Chapter Seventeen—Bad Dad
Summary:
Jack's mom is acting strange. She is not sleeping well and checks the mailbox often. Jack spends lots of time with Julie and is determined to have her go out with him. When Jack gets home his mom is going out. She is upset and holding an envelope which she tries to hide from Jack. When she leaves Jack goes into her room to look for the envelope. He finds a box with photos of himself bruised and beaten and police reports with his dad's name written up for domestic violence. |
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Chapter Eighteen—You Want a Piece o' Me
Summary:
Jack drives all night to get to John Lucas's house. He wakes him up at four o'clock in the morning. Jack is surprised by the sickly looking man who opens the door and who then cries when he recognizes Jack. His father asks him in and pours him a coffee. He tries to apologize and explain what happened. He accuses Jack's mom of taking him away and almost sending him to jail. Jack is furious. |
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Chapter Nineteen—The Hard Way
Summary:
Jack leaves Heller and gets home on Thursday afternoon. He is tired and his hand is wrapped in a bandage stained with blood. He knows his mom and the school will be worried about him. When his mom gets home she knows Jack has read the files. Jack explains that he was worried that they were losing the house, but when he saw the files he went to Heller. He tells his mom that he punched a wall but did not hurt his dad. He tells his mom he is sorry he blamed her for taking him away from his dad but now understands that she was protecting him. He knows why she can't stand to see him hurt playing hockey. She then tells him her news that Dr. Ming has asked her to marry him. She wants to check it out with Jack before she gives her answer. Jack is happy for his mom and is glad that he is not like his dad. |
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Chapter Twenty—Put to the Test
Summary:
Jack is emotionally exhausted and miserable. He sees Mrs. Finkle and she asks him about his chain. She tells him it is a symbol of hope for his future. He gets his chain out of the trash before he leaves for his hockey game. The arena is full of cheering fans including his mom and Dr. Ming. Jack sees Julie on the way to the dressing room and finally asks her out. In the dressing room, the coach tells them to do their best. Three college scouts and one NHL scout are at the game. He notices Jack's hand, but Jack does not let that get in the way of his dream of playing professional hockey. When the puck drops Jack knows that he will never resort to violence again. |
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After Reading — Post-Reading Reflection
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