All American Boys

On Friday nights all Quinn cares about is partying, but before he can go out tonight he needs to take his younger brother, Willy, over to the house of their neighbors, the Cambis. Quinn’s father was a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, and ever since his death Quinn feels under pressure to live up to his father’s legacy. While Willy is packing his overnight bag, Quinn takes a flaskful of his mother’s bourbon. Quinn’s mother, who he calls Ma, works 12-hour night shifts at a warehouse. As Quinn and Willy walk over to the Cambis’ house, Quinn puts his arm around Willy, thinking that he loves being a big brother.

People say that Quinn’s neighborhood, the West Side, is “going to shit.” Everyone in the West Side lives in multifamily apartment buildings, and the police patrol the area more often than they used to. Quinn loves the West Side and rejects the belief that the neighborhood is “on the decline.” When Quinn drops Willy at the Cambis’, he notices Mrs. Cambi giving him a kind, pitiful look, which Quinn is used to getting as the son of “Saint Springfield.” Quinn’s father was a “model man” who volunteered at the soup kitchen when he was off-duty and died fighting for his country. However, Quinn finds his father’s story more “shitty” than inspirational.

Quinn’s friends Dwyer and Guzzo are waiting for him in the alley by Jerry’s. When Quinn meets them, Guzzo points out that it is their last night out before basketball season begins again, meaning they will have practice every Friday and Saturday night. Quinn insists that they will make tonight “worth it,” and Guzzo announces that he plans to shotgun ten beers. Quinn has a crush on Jill, who is Guzzo’s cousin, and who is known for throwing “mad parties.” Guzzo has an “army of cousins” who live all over the city, and anyone who is friends with Guzzo is automatically looked out for by the rest of Guzzo’s family.  

Quinn and his friends always buy beer from Jerry’s. They used to shoplift from there, but don’t anymore. Instead, they pay nearby adults a little extra to buy beer for them. Quinn works during the summers, which gives him enough money to last through the year; he mostly spends it on beer and slices at Mother’s Pizza. Quinn approaches a guy who’s bought them beer before, but then he suddenly sees the door of Jerry’s fly open, and a cop push a young black man onto the ground. 

Quinn sees that the guy on the ground is only a teenager and that he looks familiar; he wonders if he also attends Springfield Central High. Quinn then notices that the cop is Guzzo’s older brother, Paul. Quinn stares, frozen in shock. He hears sirens approaching and runs back to Guzzo and Dwyer, telling them they need to get out of there. He explains that Paul just “beat the piss out of some kid.” Dwyer suggests that they all go and calm down over a slice of Mother’s pizza. However, once they are there, Quinn is unable to stop thinking about what happened. Ever since Quinn’s father’s death, Paul has been a father figure to Quinn, and he is haunted by the look he saw on Paul’s face.