The Striker

“It was easy to figure out why Frank Armstrong was singling out my brother and Asher. Their animosity had led to plenty of issues and resulted in Blackcastle losing this year’s league championship. Things between them were bitter on a good day, and Frank obviously wanted them to patch things up by forcing them to train together. That was all well and good, but unfortunately, that meant I was now caught in the middle.”

Scarlett DuBois’s summer training assignment with Asher and her brother Vincent DuBois acts as the novel’s inciting event. The assignment also inspires her and Asher’s unlikely connection and propels them into their forbidden romance. Even before they fall for each other, Scarlett anticipates how their dynamic might contribute to The Tension Between Personal Desires and Communal Expectations. Her and Asher’s relationship coincides with Asher and Vincent’s rivalry and heightens the narrative tension.

“The girl from the pub. She had the same midnight hair, the same red lips, the same piercing gray eyes that were currently boring a hole through my face. If it weren’t for the tangible heat of her stare, I would’ve thought I’d conjured her through the mere force of my thoughts.”

Asher experiences an emotional and physiological response when he discovers that the mystery girl from the pub is Scarlett—his summer trainer at RAB. He uses vivid details and descriptive language to depict how she looks and how he feels seeing her again. Asher uses a detailed visual imagery and metaphor, saying that her eyes are “boring a hole through [his] face” to convey the intensity of his emotions, foreshadowing how the protagonists’ physical attraction will blossom into romance.

“Scarlett was nothing like how I’d imagined Vincent’s sister would be. She was quieter, wittier, and pricklier in the most charming way. I’d shown up at RAB on Monday, prepared to tolerate her at best, and now I found out the girl I couldn’t stop thinking about was related to my biggest rival. The universe had a sick sense of humor.”

The novel uses contemporary romance tropes to inspire its primary conflicts. This passage establishes the forbidden romance trope that backgrounds Asher and Scarlett’s dynamic. Asher is identifying his feelings for Scarlett in this passage while simultaneously acknowledging the impossibility of acting on them. This conflict augments the narrative tension and the tension between Asher and Scarlett.

“The piercing pain had dulled into a general tenderness, but my recounting of that night caused a different kind of ache to blossom. I hadn’t told anyone about the accident since Carina. It’d made waves when it happened, but that was long enough ago that no one outside the ballet world would remember. Car accidents happened every day; they weren’t memorable unless you knew someone personally involved.”

When Scarlett tells Asher about her accident, she begins to recognize the value of Emotional Intimacy as a Means of Overcoming Trauma. Her physical and emotional discomfort eases as soon as she starts sharing her pain with Asher. Her narrative assumes a reflective, contemplative tone that reflects her work to reconcile with her past. The passage also foreshadows how Scarlett and Asher will learn to rely on each other to heal.

“And when I found out I’d never dance professionally again, I hadn’t shed a single tear. Devastation was a private thing, to be confined within the walls of my mind and soul. So no, I wasn’t prone to emotion-led decisions. I kept my thoughts as rational as possible. But sometimes, when I was around Asher, I found it hard to think much at all.”

Scarlett and Asher’s relationship is a narrative device used to propel the protagonists toward emotional growth and personal change. Scarlett’s internal monologue captures the way she’s tried dealing with hardship in the past. However, the passage’s tone shifts in the final sentences as she acknowledges Asher’s positive impact on her self-expression and emotional healing.

“Besides football, driving was the only thing that truly made me feel alive. In the dead of night, when the streets were quieter and the music was blasting, I could clear my head and think. For the next two hours, that was exactly what I did as I pulled out of the garage and took my new car out for a spin. However, instead of vibing to the music and brainstorming strategies for the next season, my mind kept conjuring images of dark hair and gray eyes.”

Asher’s night drive inspires his reflections on his personal pastimes. The passage thus underscores the symbolism of Asher’s racing habit. He loves driving fast cars because it gives him the illusion of escape. In this scene, however, the pastime doesn’t have its usual effect, as even driving can’t dispel his thoughts of Scarlett. Her constant presence in his mind—even when he’s behind the wheel—captures the meaningful nature of their connection.

“By the time she finished, her words were nearly inaudible. A raw, unfamiliar ache settled in my chest. I hated how despondent she looked, but I understood how she felt. Ballet, football. Both careers that came with preset expiration dates. We weren’t like writers or lawyers who could theoretically keep their job until they died. We entered our fields knowing that one day, no matter how hard we tried, our bodies would simply be incapable of performing at the level necessary to sustain our dreams.”

The novel uses Asher’s and Scarlett’s sports careers to create parallels between their characters. When Asher notices similarities between their experiences, he’s also noticing similarities in their sensibilities. In turn, he feels closer to Scarlett because their aspirations, dreams, desires, and disappointments align.

“The world burst into a kaleidoscope of sensation. I gasped, shocked by the sudden onslaught. Asher used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue inside and exploring my mouth with such lazy sensuality that any resistance I might’ve had simply floated away. Some men were gentle; others were aggressive. Everyone had their own technique, and Asher kissed the way he played—skilled, dominant, and so thorough in his approach that it left me dizzy.”

Scarlett uses sensory detail and figurative language to capture the intensity of her first kiss with Asher. The metaphor of “a kaleidoscope of sensation” conveys the physical intensity of Scarlett’s experience. She compares Asher’s style of kissing to his style on the soccer field, suggesting that his combination of dominance and gentleness allows her to escape herself.

“She was the only thing I could think about before sleeping, after waking up, while showering, and basically during any activity I used to try and forget her. It drove me up the wall. And yet, I didn’t regret what happened. That alone terrified me more than any consequences. My career had always been my number one. It anchored my world, and the fact that I was willing to risk it, no matter how indirectly, for a woman…”

Asher’s reflective tone captures his desire to resolve The Tension Between Personal Desires and Communal Expectations. Kissing Scarlett has marked a turning point in their relationship and solidified Asher’s feelings for her. This passage captures his desire to pursue their relationship despite the associated risks. His willingness to potentially compromise his football career to be with Scarlett illustrates his willingness to make sacrifices for her.

“Please don’t be asleep yet. If she wasn’t up and I waited to say what I had to say, I might lose my nerve and we would end up right back in limbo. That couldn’t happen. I knocked on her door. Once. Twice. My pulse was a relentless anvil against my veins, and the hammering worsened when Scarlett answered the door. She was still wearing her dress from dinner, but she was barefoot and makeup free. Her eyes widened.”

Asher’s declarative tone conveys his determination to be with Scarlett. His simple sentence structures and use of fragmentation and one-word sentences evokes his simultaneous urgency and desperation. He’s trying to act according to his feelings by returning to Scarlett’s house to kiss her again. Furthermore, Asher’s attention to his physical experience—which he describes with a metaphor comparing his pulse to an anvil—heightens the scene’s passionate atmosphere.

“The whole country, maybe even the whole world, has certain expectations of Asher Donovan—how I should play, who I should date, where I should fucking holiday. I can deal with that. It’s what I signed up for. But I’d like a place, just one, where I don’t have to be on guard. I thought family would be that place. But it isn’t.”

This scene of dialogue between Asher and Scarlett captures how their relationship gives them the space to be vulnerable. Asher is speaking in an honest, open manner. He uses colloquialisms and expletives—speech mannerisms that convey his comfort with Scarlett and his desire to express his true feelings without disguising the messier parts of The Tension Between Personal Desires and Communal Expectations.

“What, exactly, was our relationship? Were we dating now, or had Friday night been a one-time thing? Both options twisted me with unease. I didn’t want a one-night stand, but an official relationship sounded so, well, official. I liked Asher more than I’d ever liked anyone, but my last relationship had ended in disaster, and I wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.”

Scarlett’s reflections on her relationship with Asher convey her reluctance to repeat the past. After the trauma of her accident and subsequent break-up with Rafael, she feels unready to embrace another messy relationship dynamic with Asher. Her use of colloquial diction and syntax enacts her active attempts to process who she is, how she feels, and what she wants.

“I hated crying in public, but my threads of control had frayed with each minute of rehearsal. I’d reached the end of my restraint, and all it took was finding one safe shelter before I broke down. Asher was by my side in an instant, his arms encircling me as I pressed my tear-dampened face into his chest. He didn’t say a word. He just held me, his embrace so strong and steady, I was sure it could withstand even the most devastating of storms.”

The RAB showcase rehearsals push Scarlett to the edge of her emotions because she sees the performance as a representation of her dreams and an extension of her identity. She therefore goes to Asher when she fails to do well in practice, because he’s the only character she feels comfortable being real with. The image of her pressing her “tear-dampened face into his chest” shows the characters’ burgeoning intimacy and illustrates how physically and emotionally safe Scarlett feels with Asher, despite her professional frustrations.

“Remember when you broke up with me after my first surgery because you said I ‘needed space’ to heal on my own, then ran off to fuck the first girl you saw at the club? You framed it like you were doing me a favor when in reality, you were too much of a little shit to handle the fact that you were no longer the center of my world. You hated that I didn’t make you the center of attention anymore and that you didn’t have a shiny trophy to show off in public.”

Scarlett uses a raw and direct tone to convey her feelings to Rafael Pessoa in this scene of dialogue. She uses questions and anaphora—repeating the same opening phrase in successive sentences or clauses—to impress her feelings upon Rafael and thus to make him see how he hurt her. This dialogue also marks a turning point in Scarlett’s journey toward self-discovery, in that this is the first time she’s confronted Rafael for how he abandoned and betrayed her. She’s claiming her voice and owning her own experience.

“We had to tell Vincent about us soon, but I allowed myself to enjoy the night for what it was: a celebration with friends (and a new frenemy) after a hard-earned win. The day had been a mess almost from the start, but I couldn’t deny that this was one of the best nights I’d had in a while. It was normal, Scarlett was with me, and that was all I needed.”

The unresolved conflict between Asher, Scarlett, and Vincent DuBois sustains the narrative tension throughout the novel’s latter chapters. Asher feels as if things are going better for him, but he also acknowledges that Vincent still poses a threat to his and Scarlett’s future. Their relationship is still forbidden and still secret at this point in the novel. The passage thus foreshadows the climactic moment when Vincent discovers the truth and Asher and Scarlett must own their dishonesty.

“In theory, a footballer should be safe, but there was nothing safe about my feelings for Asher. Maybe I was selfish for asking him to give up something he loved. If that was the case, then so be it. I would rather be selfish with him alive and healthy than selfless with him buried beneath the ground. Asher tightened his hold on me. ‘I won’t race anymore,’ he repeated. ‘I promise.’”

Scarlett asks Asher to stop racing because she cares about him. She’s conflicted about her request, but her internal monologue shows that she’s looking out for Asher in a way he hasn’t been looking out for himself; diction including “safe,” “selfish,” “loved,” “healthy,” and “selfless” conveys this heartfelt tone. Furthermore, Asher’s promise in the passage’s final lines foreshadows coming conflicts in the couple’s relationship and Asher’s personal life as he continues his journey toward self-discovery.

“What if Vincent found out about the private ballet studio or our trip to Japan? I managed to keep the Asia trip a secret from my brother because it was so short, and I’d blamed my delayed replies to his texts on my busy schedule. But all it took was one slip-up or errant picture on the internet to blow our cover. Part of me wished Asher and I had been honest from the start, but it was too late. We were stuck in a web of our design.”

Scarlett’s harried narrative tone illustrates the negative effects of her and Asher’s secrecy on her psyche. She’s asking these questions and posing these hypotheticals because she’s afraid of what will happen as a result of her and Asher’s dishonesty. The moment both conveys Scarlett’s self-reflective nature and foreshadows another conflict between her, Asher, and Vincent. Furthermore, Scarlett’s stream of consciousness illustrates The Tension Between Personal Desires and Communal Expectations.

“Her silence said more than words could. Jagged shards raked through my insides. My heart felt like cracked glass, its pieces held together only by the sound of Scarlett’s breaths. I hated this. I hated the asshole whose car rammed into hers, I hated that medical technology wasn’t advanced enough to take away her pain, and most of all, I hated how helpless I was. Despite all my money and all my fame, I couldn’t do a thing.”

Asher’s use of figurative and descriptive language in this passage conveys his emotional experience. He likens his feelings to shards of glass being “raked through [his] insides” and filling up his heart. This imagery evokes notions of physical pain. He then uses anaphora—repeating the clause “I hated”—to enact his anger and powerlessness. These intense emotions affect a desperate narrative tone, which in turn conveys Asher’s attachment to Scarlett.

“We were so caught up in our pride and our need to win this stupid argument that we hadn’t considered how our actions would affect Scarlett. A fresh wave of guilt doused the testosterone in the hall, leaving me cold and shame faced. Across from me, Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets, his face red.”

Asher’s reflections on his behavior at the hospital prove his progress in his journey toward self-discovery. Asher is growing as a person in this moment, because he’s owning his mistakes and processing how his actions affect others. This scene is a crossroads in Asher’s personal growth quest.

“I hadn’t made it this far in my career by being passive and waiting for things to happen to me. This was my life and my reputation. It was time I retook control of them. ‘I’m not scared of anything or anyone, Bocci, much less you,’ I drawled, my smile a blade of white in the dark. ‘You want to race? Fine. Let’s race right now.’”

Asher uses the same declarative, determined tone in his narration as he does in his dialogue with Bocci. This tone enacts Asher’s desperation to prove himself the only way he knows how—by taking risks and engaging in impulsive, dangerous activities. He accepts Bocci’s racing challenge because he thinks doing so will prove his self-worth.

“This was about more than the race or even a broken promise. It was about who Asher was at his core. He was a good person, and I loved who he was, but he also possessed a streak of impulsive recklessness that verged on self-destructive. If he destroyed himself, he destroyed me, and once upon a time, I’d vowed never to put myself in a position where a man would have that type of power over me ever again.”

Scarlett’s determined narrative voice conveys the work she has done to recover from the trauma of her accident and break-up with Rafael. Her language doesn’t falter as she processes her emotions over Asher’s race, crash, and subsequent hospitalization. The passage also uses repetition, assonance, and consonance to enact Scarlett’s resolved state of mind.

“‘You blamed yourself for what happened to him. The night after his funeral, you took my car and stayed out all night. Your mother and I were frantic with worry. But you finally came home at four in the morning, smelling like ale and cigarettes. You couldn’t imagine…’ His voice trailed off. ‘It was like you had a death wish and you were punishing yourself for surviving when he didn’t.’”

Asher’s conversation with his father Ron Donovan helps him overcome his past trauma and ushers him along his journey toward self-discovery. Ron uses a clear, direct tone when addressing his son because he wants Asher to understand the significance of his risky behaviors. In turn, he’s compelling Asher to examine his behaviors and consider their negative effect on his life, loved ones, and relationships.

“‘I can’t fully reconcile the impact Teddy’s death had on me overnight, but I think acknowledging it is a good first step. I don’t want to be the guy who lets his past and his pride drive him to reckless decisions anymore,’ Asher said. ‘I don’t want to hurt myself or the people I care about for some short-lived high. Most of all, I don’t want to ruin my chances of spending as many days with you as possible because I love you. More than football, more than racing, more than anything else in this universe—Pluto included.’”

Asher’s apology and profession of love shows his ability to change. This scene has an emotional, romantic mood that inspires Asher and Scarlett to make amends and pursue a future together. Asher uses a heartfelt tone as he owns his mistakes and vocalizes his commitment to being a better person and to loving Scarlett.