Slam

Sam’s dad reacts well to the news and is already looking forward to being able to play sports with his grandson. At school, word spreads fast, and the staff state their support for Sam and Alicia, knowing that school may become more challenging. Sam and Alicia go to their first ultrasound and find out they’re having a boy; on the way home, they kiss, which Sam calls “headline news.” Alicia and Sam realize they are going to be in each other’s lives forever and decide to give their relationship another chance. Sam has started to see Alicia in a more positive light, and he also feels obligated to care for her. Sam is comforted by the idea of always having Alicia around, because it makes something about his future clear, and because it means he won’t be alone while learning to be a father. Sam and Alicia attend a class to learn about pregnancy and childbirth but are mortified to find that everyone else there is more than twice their age, and one of the attendees is even a teacher from their school. They vow to find a more suitable way to learn what they need to know, hopefully around other teenagers in their situation. When Sam gets home, his mum has news, and he assumes it must be that she’s pregnant. Instead, she asks if Sam would be okay with Mark moving in, and Sam realizes that he doesn’t know much about Mark but doesn’t expect to be living there for too much longer anyway.

Alicia’s parents are trying to be more understanding, which Sam sarcastically refers to as “Making An Effort” (191). Prior to this, they spent several weeks pressuring Alicia into having an abortion to no avail. When Sam and Alicia announce that they plan to live together when the baby is born, Alicia’s parents insist they can live with them, but imply they would also need to get married. Alicia argues with her parents as they try to make the idea of living together sound horrible, but they eventually give in. When Sam gets home, he grabs his skateboard and stares at his Tony Hawk poster, sensing disappointment. He goes to the Bowl and finds Rubbish, who can’t stop telling Sam how “screwed” he is. Sam realizes that Rubbish’s biggest concern is figuring out how to do his next trick; Sam used to have that life but didn’t appreciate what he had. He voices this to Rubbish, who gets distracted and falls off his board, scraping both his knees. Sam makes a similar mistake (“slams”) and wrecks his board, noting: “I’d slammed too […] And there wasn’t even a mark on me” (197). When Sam gets home, his mum reveals she heard about his plans to move in with Alicia from her mother and warns Sam against it. She thinks he would be better off being the child’s father but still continuing with his own life. Sam attempts to talk to his poster that night, but Tony Hawk is of no help, and Sam goes to bed feeling more confused than ever.

Sam wakes up in the future again, but this time, he’s living at home with his mum, Mark, and his baby sister. When he meets her, he instantly adores her, which is a stark contrast from his initial reaction to meeting his own son. He notes the difference in obligation and the fact that he already foresaw his mother’s pregnancy. Sam hates the discomfort of being in a world where he isn’t sure of anything, and when Alicia calls, he doesn’t recognize her voice at first. She is sick and asks Sam to take Roof for his immunization. Sam figures out that Roof is about two, which means Sam is 18. When he gets to Alicia’s place, Roof runs up to him with delight, and Sam feels different this time—overjoyed and proud, and relieved to know he must not be a terrible father. When he takes Roof to the clinic, he realizes he doesn’t know his son’s full name, and leaves embarrassed. Sam realizes he can just ask Roof himself, and Roof reveals that his full name is Rufus. Sam takes Roof to a nearby playground, then they get ice cream and see a movie, which Roof hates. He drops Roof off with Alicia and heads home, where he asks his mum what she thinks of his current life and how he’s managing. Sam’s mum gives him a seven out of 10, and Sam is again relieved to know he can’t have messed things up too badly.

Sam has a terrible slam in the Bowl, crashing into Rabbit and hurting his wrist. Sam’s mum tells him he should hold off on skating for a few years, but Sam refuses, and he doesn’t fall again. Sam grows to accept Mark, who is a good fit for his mother, and Sam’s mum spends several weeks trying to hide her pregnancy from him before finally telling him. Sam feels like they are equals for the first time. The period that follows is one filled with peace and acceptance of the uncertainty of his future. He decides to enroll in college while Alicia decides to take time off from school to raise the baby.