In Bleachers by John Grisham, this fictional story takes us through a small town in Messina, Mississippi. Everyone attends their local high school football games. Thousands of locals come to Friday night football games to watch the Messina Spartans play each week. Bleachers takes place in a present-day setting in which former players talk about past games. The legendary coach of the Messina Spartans nears the end while former players await his death. Former players from different years sit on the stands at Rake Field and talk about past games and memories. Because this is a fictional story, none of the characters or events are real. There are characters in this book that could represent real people, because the things these characters are going through are common in today's world. Characters like Neely Crenshaw, an All-American whose career ends with a career-ending injury. Then there's Coach Eddie Rake, a coach who leaves a legacy in a small town by putting together an incredible winning streak during his glory years. Almost everyone who played for Coach Rake hated his guts. The fictional characters in this book are believable. Even events like a coach hitting his athlete and starting a fight seem believable. Although this book is fiction, the majority of events and characters could exist and are believable. Neely Crenshaw was one of the best quarterbacks in Messina High School history. He led a memorable comeback in the 1987 state championship game with former teammates Paul Curry and Silo Mooney. People loved Crenshaw in Messina. Playing with the number nineteen jersey, he was unstoppable. All the boys wanted to be like him, and all the girls wanted to be his girlfriend... middle of paper ... about himself she says: “I'm sorry. I stopped thinking about you a long time ago. I can't lie, Neely. You’re just not a factor anymore” (p. 190). They were a couple when they were in high school, and it's believable that she forgets him more than fifteen years later. This event is believable because it is possible for someone to forget a relationship that happened more than fifteen years ago. Bleachers is a fictional story that features many characters and events that could exist. Events like the 1987 incident and the twenty-one mile marathon seem improbable. Characters like Neely Crenshaw, the typical American, to the world's baddest coach, Coach Eddie Rake, are characters that represent the characteristics of real people. This story is full of events and characters that seem believable, as well as the town they live in and the crowds that cheer for them every Friday night..