Books, Boys, and BFF's: Sophomore Year

Coward

My heart is beating like a drum inside my head, I'm exhausted, and these girls from Monterey are like walking skyscrapers. I have yet to get one rebound and they have reduced my game to stealing balls to turn them into points. I have two fouls against me, and the coach is threatening to bench me if I get a third.

Drew's watching from the sideline, but every time I look over there, he has a girl in his face. Dating one of the hottest guys in school has its cons, and girls who can't keep their hands to themselves are one of them.

Focus Sid, focus... point guard at one o'clock!

I snap back into reality just in time to steal the ball as Monterey's point guard goes up for a shot. Running for the ball, one of my teammate's flanks to my left. I pretend to go up for a layup with one skyscraper from Monterey hot on my trail. Instead, I toss the ball behind my back and Dominique puts it in the basket.

YES!

Two points and counting...

We have to keep our lead. I don't know how we did it, but we're up by seven. "You got this Sidney!" Drew shouts from the sidelines.

I'm back at the other end of the court, and Monterey's point guard heads in my direction.

Don't get cocky Sid, just focus...

She's righthanded with the ability to use her left about twenty percent of the time. She favors her right side though, and ninety-nine percent of the time she fakes left and goes right. I'm ready to steal the ball only she fakes right and goes left. Crap! She goes up for a jump shot and I may as well be a toddler tugging on her jersey. There's no way I'm getting near the ball. Now they trail by five.

We rush down to the other end of the court and I wait for my teammates to set up their picks. Paula is the first to break free and I pass the ball to her faster than the girls from Monterey can intercept. She makes an easy layup and its back to the other end of the court. They trail by seven again.

We continue this song and dance until the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. I go to block a shot, hands straight up, and the ref blows his whistle, "FOUL!" he calls against me.

WTF!

"What are you talking about? My hands were up!" I shout at the ref.

"Sid! Come out!" Couch calls out to me.

Noooooo! Crap!

I reluctantly head over to the sidelines with the rest of my team while Danielle takes my place. I'm so on edge I'm literally biting my nails off. I glance over at Drew and there are even more girls around him now. He's surrounded by groupies on all sides. I want nothing more than to beat the crap out of all of them, but they'll have to wait. We're back to a five-point lead and Monterey just made a three-point shot.

As Danielle gets the ball, she dribbles back down the court, but she's doing too much and playing around with the girls from Monterey instead of passing. She goes to dribble between her legs and the ball gets stolen.

No. No. No! Now we're tied up...

"Sid, go in for Danielle." Coach calls a timeout so I can sub in.

Danielle's irritated and so am I. Thanks to her one-woman show, I now have to pull a miracle out of nowhere and help my team win the game. I check the ball in and dribble down the court. Two girls from Monterey set a pick for me leaving Leslie wide open. Seizing the opportunity, I pass the ball behind my back so fast the two girls who ran up to set the pick don't realize it until it's too late. Leslie goes up for the shot, but she misses, and Monterey now has the ball. I have less than sixty seconds. They must be stopped, and we have to score.