I peeled my sweat-soaked BETHUNE jersey over my head and untied my sneakers I was wiped out Guarding Robertson had drained every ounce of energy A poke to the arm made me look up Marcus was next to me on the bench He leaned in Ouch Marcus said softly You got schooled out there Torry I tried to scowl at him but I couldn’t keep from breaking into a smile instead Marcus always finds a way to make me laugh even when I’m down Robertson is good Marcus said He made all the difference tonight Just what I wanted to hear I covered Robertson the whole game I was responsible for all of his points those assists those steals And that last minute block That was all on me Marcus took off his orange jersey with the blue number 5 and folded it neatly Clean and dry he said with a smirk All set for the next game 6
You’ve still got your goggles on I said You didn’t even play I look like I played Marcus replied He took off the sports goggles and put on his regular glasses then changed out of his huge sneakers Marcus has big feet even though he’s my height When he grows into those feet he’ll tower over me Just four of us seventh graders made the Bethune Middle School Badgers I’m the only starter and the only one who played tonight After a five-win start to the season we’d expected to keep the momentum going before a packed house at home But Central had clearly been the better team Did you see the stat sheet Marcus asked Robertson had twenty-one points I kicked off my sneakers I didn’t need to see the statistics I knew how many points I’d scored Same number as my jersey 3 All on free throws Worst game of my life 7
One of the eighth graders put on music I liked the steady beat but I was in no mood to enjoy it Marcus shifted his shoulders up and down and smiled Then he lifted his arms and went doot doot-doot to the rhythm Hey I said putting on a dry T-shirt We lost You forgetting that already One game Marcus replied Like we’ve never lost a game before You’ve got a short memory if you think that Marcus and I have been teammates on and off since first-grade soccer We played Little League baseball together YMCA floor hockey Jaycees basketball you name it But this was big-time compared to all of that Middle school basketball in the best league in the county I had made the starting lineup right off the bat displacing an eighth-grade point guard I’d never felt pressure like this before But I’d handled it well Until tonight 8
Coach will probably bench me I had no business being out there I’m more skilled than any guard on the team But if I can’t handle the pressure in a big game like this one what good am I Marcus zipped his gym bag You going to sit there all night I’ll be right out I said Tell my dad I’m hungry You Hungry He’ll be shocked Marcus said Our fathers own an accounting business together and our families live across the street from each other So I’ve known Marcus my whole life Marcus left the locker room Somebody turned off the music and I hurried to get dressed Then I heard Coach Good effort tonight Torry he said You played him tough I felt like a little kid out there I said 9
