Million Dollar Throw

Abby is Nate’s best friend and neighbor. She is best described as determined and optimistic. Even though she’s going blind due to a degenerative eye disease, she maintains an upbeat outlook on everything. She continues to encourage Nate’s football aspirations, and she is hopeful that Perkins can give her the skills she needs to live a successful blind life.

Abby comes from a wealthy family, but she is always humble. That is, she never makes Nate feel less than when his family is in financial trouble. She has a good sense of humor, always making jokes with Nate and his guy friends. Abby is never seen having any friends that are girls, so it can be assumed that she mostly only hangs out with Nate and his football friends. While her and Nate's friendship is depicted as strictly platonic, the teens do express a genuine love for one another.

Nate’s mom is an essential character in the novel in that she and Nate’s dad provide his main support system. Nate is close with his mom, and besides Abby, she is the only other female in his life that he confides in. His mom used to be a stay-at-home mom, but after his dad loses his lucrative career, his mom is forced to take on two jobs to help support the family. She always encourages Nate and never has a negative thing to say. The only time she ever seems upset throughout the entire novel is when Nate’s dad loses his second job because she’s worried that they might lose the house. Nate's mom also tries to protect him from the realities of the family's financial circumstances, in contrast to Nate's dad, who openly expresses his concerns.

While this novel can be read as a football story, or a book about friendship, it’s also very much about the father/son relationship between Nate and his dad. In the beginning of the novel, Nate and his dad are exceptionally close and have always bonded over football—whether it’s watching the Patriots on TV or playing catch in Coppo field. However, once Nate’s dad loses his job and is forced to take whatever work he can get, the effects of stress on Nate’s dad begins to drive a wedge in between them. In particular, Nate’s dad begins having angry outbursts that Nate can’t understand, and Nate ends up feeling like he doesn’t know his dad anymore. Around this time, Nate has trouble throwing the football, and it’s clear that his strained relationship with his dad is affecting his game. By the end, once he and his dad have mended their rift, Nate once again finds joy in the football.