Runner

Melissa stays away from Chance and the rocks, but the red packages keep coming. Chance doesn’t like them, but he likes the money. He compares his situation to a rollercoaster. Once a person gets off the rollercoaster, the excitement ends, and their life returns to normal. With Chance, nothing is normal. The suspense stays, and he thinks every police car is coming after him.

Chance thinks about what would have happened if he hadn’t taken the smuggling job. People would have hired his dad, and Chance could have kept washing pots. They’d make enough money to get by, and then Chance could hang out with Melissa. Then again, without the smuggling job, Chance wouldn’t have extra money to do anything with her.

Brent Miller died in Iraq. He was patrolling near a bridge when a bomb exploded, killing him and another soldier. Chance didn’t like Miller, but he didn’t want him to die––neither did Melissa. Brian Mitchell thinks Melissa wanted Miller dead and suggests she join al-Qaida and pray to Allah. Chance defends her, and he and Brian fight before Arnold breaks them up and sends them to Dugan. As Chance doesn’t have a phone, she can’t call his dad. Brian suggests they shake hands.