The protagonist in the story is Jerry Renault, the person The Vigils are after to get in order to ensure their dominant reputation in the school. Jerry Renault is a typical teen, however, his childhood has been shook up by some big hardships many children don't have to experience. Jerry becomes very isolated due to his mother's recent death. Every emotion runs through his mind as he is deeply impacted by the tragedy. Although Jerry doesn't include much narration about his relationship with his mom, it's clear to the reader that he loved her deeply. Watching her life waste away from pain and the therapies she went to, and then having to say the last goodbye to her forever from his life was a heart-wrenching experience. As Jerry begins his school year, he tries out for the football team at school, playing the position of quarterback. Jerry also tries to be a supportive son to his father, because he had never really developed a strong connection with him either. Jerry starts to panic when he starts to think about his future, his father's routine lifestyle isn't worth living up to for him. Stuck between escaping the repetitive daily routine he does, Jerry searches for a new approach and turns to football to be his savior. However, throughout the story, Jerry's actions speak louder than his words. Even though he is the protagonist, Jerry remains a very buttoned-up character throughout the whole story. What he does within his time at the school, brings out quite the heavy talking.