The very first game for Junior's team is against the Wellpinit High School. When he and his team mates were walking in he heard a chant but the words weren't quite clear to him, but as he got closer and closer to the court, the words got clearer. All the kids sitting on the bench that were from the reservation were chanting "Ar-nold sucks! Ar-nold sucks!". The thing that bothered him most wasn't that they were saying he sucked, but that they were calling him Arnold, which was his Rearden name. All the kids from the reservation used to call him Junior but now that he changed schools, they feel betrayed and think that although he might be "red" outside, that he is "white" inside. They feel that Junior doesn't care about where he comes from and that all he cares about is becoming an American but this was not Junior's intention, all he wanted was to not lose hope like all the other kids in the reservation. The coach is a great help to Junior and helps him get back on his feet. The coach says "It's ok, if you care about something enough, it's going to make you cry. but you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad, Arnold get mad." This impacts Arnold a lot, it helps him get through the pain and the sadness and with the help of his coach's wise words, he turns these sad tears into mad tears so he can take all the madness he has stored in his heart on the ball and the game.
This response explained how Junior was HATED by his own tribe and how his new friends helped him cope with it. I completely agree with you when you explained how Junior's intentions were totally different from what the tribe had thought. "Of course, it was not just a game. Every game is important. Every game is serious" (Alexie 148). This game against Wellpinit High School didn't only represent the skills of the players, but also the fight between Junior and his own tribe. His former school mates were furious at him for leaving, and this was their way of getting him back.
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