All at once she was crying. Even from so far away, he could hear quiet, shaking sobs over the phone. Something tore at his heart. “Are you OK?”
“Why did you call me?” she said, her voice shaky and pleading. “Bucky . . . leave me alone. Why did you have to call me?”
More sobs. He waited for her to say something else, but Lisa couldn’t speak.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Are you OK? I’m sorry.”
“Please . . .” She was still crying. “No. Please. I don’t want you to . . .”
Suddenly, almost softly, the line went dead. She wasn’t there.
Numbly Bucky slowly closed his phone and stepped back, almost stumbling over the curb. What was it that had just happened? He felt goosebumps and a sense, almost, of sickness. How had things come to this? Why the phone call? Why had he suddenly, abruptly, made such an abysmally dumb decision? Lisa had told him two months ago that things were over.
Not seeing the moonlight or the tumbling surf any longer, he plodded his way back to the aging hotel. The beach was quieter now and the streets nearly empty.
Dan was reclining on the second bed watching TV as he entered the room. “How is it out there?”
Bucky forced a shrug which he hoped looked casual. “It’s OK. Anything good on TV?”
“Naaah. I don’t know what this is. Some movie, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”
It took a long time to get to sleep that night. Bucky tried to pray, but it didn’t seem like he could string together even two sentences in a row without lapsing into a despairing mutter. Finally he gave up and turned over in the bed, trying not to make any noise that might awaken Dan. It seemed like something big was slipping away from him, something much more than just this one girl. Never had he felt so alone.
• • • • •
The athletic pavilion was about three - quarters full the next morning as all sixteen teams gathered for tournament instructions. Several games would be going on at the same time so that every squad would play the first day. A large official wearing a navy - blue blazer with the corporate logo on it welcomed them to Honolulu and then described the tournament rules.
“Man, it’s a bunch of big guys here,” Dan whispered to Bucky.
“Yeah.” Some of the centers from the other schools were easily as tall as Jonesy Wilson, and a few looked even bigger than that. “We might be out of here real quick.”
The ache from last evening had subsided a little bit, especially now that they were on the hardwood and ready to play. Still, even with the exciting thump of bouncing basketballs and referees’ whistles, Bucky couldn’t shake the twinge of lostness that he felt.
Game One pitted the Panthers with another California high school varsity team from Modesto. “‘The Crash.’ What a dumb name!” Bill Volker sniffed. “Let’s beat these guys!”
It took several minutes before the Hampton Beach team really began to “run - and - gun” in sync, but they quickly erased an early six - point deficit and began to build up a lead. Bucky felt a new life beginning to build inside as he sparked play after play. The 150 spectators who had picked out the Panther - Crash game as the one to watch soon keyed on the tall forward as their favorite. Four times in a row he managed lightning - quick passes to Volker, who scored on each possession.
“Man, that guy’s good,” he heard one of the opposing players complain under their basket. “Somebody get on him!”
In the second half Modesto’s defense did indeed tighten up on Bucky, but that simply left Jonesy Wilson playing a single man - to - man. The center poured in fourteen points, including a beautiful alley - oop slam dunk courtesy of Bill Volker.
“Beautiful playing, men!” Coach Brayshaw clapped his players on the back after the easy sixteen-point win. “That’s the biggest win margin any team’s had yet. It’ll strike some fear into a few hearts around here.”
“When are we on again, Coach?” Jonesy Wilson wanted to know.
“Let’s play another one right now!” Dan grinned. “We’re hot, you guys.”
“Tomorrow night. Six o’clock,” the athletic director announced, consulting the computer printout in his hand. “I still don’t know the team, since all the games today haven’t been played yet.”
All the athletes were treated to a massive buffet lunch courtesy of the sponsors. Feeling much better, Bucky went back for seconds on almost everything. “This is good stuff, Litton,” he announced, downing a second piece of tropical pie.
Dan pushed at the food on his plate. “Yeah, I guess.”
“What’s the matter with you?”
The stocky athlete shrugged. “I don’t know. Just feeling a little creepy for some reason.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Dan repeated. “My stomach’s kind of weird.”
“Maybe he drank the water,” Bill put in, grinning.
“Oh, the water’s OK here. This ain’t Mexico.” Bucky began to stack up his empty dishes. “You want to crash for a while. We don’t have practice until 5:00.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Dan really did look listless, Bucky decided. “Yeah, just take a break for an hour or two, man.”
The bus took the Panthers back to their hotel, and the two immediately went up to their room. Grunting in frustration, Dan stretched himself out on his bed and sighed. “I guess I don’t do so good out of the Pacific time zone.”
“You want anything?” Bucky rubbed at a sore spot on his wrist where he’d gotten bumped during the game. “I can go look for some Pepto - Bismol or something. You know, that pink stuff.”
“I don’t know.” Dan shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that.”
“Well, if I see any, I’ll grab some.”
“Whatever. You gonna go down to the beach?”
A nod. “Yeah. I guess. Nothing else to do. There’s not much on TV at 1:30 in the afternoon. I’ll come back in a couple hours and see if you’re better.” Bucky felt a bit strange leaving his friend, but a nap was probably the best thing for Dan right now. He went over and tugged at the flimsy curtain. “Here, that makes it a little bit darker, anyway.”
“Thanks, man.”
It was warmer than last night, Bucky noticed, as he traced his way back to Waikiki. The sagging hotel was a good five blocks away from the “high - rent district” the team should have been staying at. Every few moments a limousine would come wheeling into the courtyard of one of the nice hotels right on the beach.
Looking for a new view, he turned left this time and slowly walked along the beach. The surf was almost flat this afternoon, and only a few surfers were out in the water. But it was a glorious day to lie out on the sand and soak up some sun. Maybe seventy-five degrees, he guessed, with just enough breeze to keep things cool.
About two hundred yards up the beach he finally unrolled his towel. Pulling off his T-shirt and donning the sunglasses he’d brought along, he stretched out. This was a lot more like it, he decided. OK, so things were over with Lisa Nichols. He was a big boy – he’d make it. Panthers were already 1-0 in the tournament and he was laying on the beach in Waikiki. Things could be worse.
About an hour later he stirred. It was easy to be lulled into a quick nap here on the warm sand, he noticed. His whole body was starting to have just a bit of Hawaiian glow – not pink, but a decent - looking start toward a tan. He pulled off the sunglasses for a minute, feeling the roughness of his cheeks where he hadn’t bothered to shave since the day before they’d left California.
It was still bright out, although the sun was beginning to edge closer to the horizon. In a few minutes he’d check on Dan.
“Well, lookie who’s here.”
A shiver went through him. He knew he’d heard that voice before. Confused, he glanced behind him. Several tourists, still wearing street clothes, were just going by.
“Over here, Mr. Stone.” There was that sultry tone again. He felt a flush go all over him as he turned back to look toward the beach. There,
standing not five feet away, was Deirdre. What in the world!
Bucky gulped. “I . . . er, what are you doing here?” Was he blushing, or was it the hour of sun he’d just soaked up?
“Well, this is a Happy New Year’s surprise,” she said, approaching a bit closer. “I fly all the way to Hawaii with Mommy and Daddy for Christmas vacation, and who do I find on the beach but my long - lost love, Mr. Stone.” She came over and sat down next to him. “The Mr. Stone who just saw a ghost, looks like.” Reaching over, she pulled off his sunglasses. “Did I surprise you that much?”
Somehow he managed a laugh. “You sure did. What are you doing here anyway?”
“I just told you, Stone. Mommy and Daddy brought me here for Christmas. I got such good grades in college that this is my reward.”
“Wow. That’s great.” Bucky sat up a bit straighter and dusted off some sand. “Where are you going to college?”
“Up in Oregon. Medford area. We moved up there at the beginning of summer.”
Cocking an eyebrow, he said, “Forgive me for saying so, but you still look like a California girl.”
She laughed. “Mr. Stone, you still are a sweetie - pie. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you.” She tugged on the top half of her bikini. “What are you doing here?”
He told her about the tournament and the big win. “We’ve got a good team this year. Volker’s back, we stole the number one center in the district away from Walnut Creek, and of course Litton and Stone are still doing their thing.” The last popped out before he thought about it.
She wet her lips, then gave him a conspiratorial little look. “You mean Dan is here too?”
Bucky had forgotten about the brief romance his best friend had had with Deirdre. “Yeah, he and I are rooming together. Except he was feeling kind of cruddy, so he’s back in the room.”
“Uh huh.” She nodded, digesting the information. “Actually, just as well, my dear boy.” She glanced around the beach. “As long as you don’t mention it to anybody, I guess I can tell you that you were the man I had my heart set on all along.”
Chapter Seven: Slippery Answers
Dan looked up groggily as his friend entered the room. “You’re back.” He strained to reach for his watch. “What time is it?”
“Little after 4:00.” Bucky had spent longer at the beach than he’d intended. “The bus leaves for practice in about half an hour.” He paused. “How are you feeling?”
Dan replied with a huge yawn, followed by a vigorous head shake. “Better, I guess. Sacking out for a while helped some.”
“Can you make it to practice?”
“Oh sure.” Still rubbing his eyes Dan stumbled into the tiny bathroom. Bucky went over to the window and pulled the drapes back a bit. For just a moment he caught his reflection in the dirty mirror over the sink. His sun - bleached hair was a little messed up, and he could see the three days of growth starting to show through. He did look a bit like a rogue, as Deirdre had just teasingly mentioned.
A small wave of guilt washed over him. He wasn’t about to mention his encounter with Deirdre to Dan. And he’d already promised the ice - blond girl that he’d try to meet her for a late snack sometime after practice. How was he going to accomplish that with Dan hanging around?
A memory poked at him from last year, when Dan had very quietly had a romance with the same girl. For several weeks he hadn’t said a word to Bucky about it, and it had been awkward when the whole thing tumbled out into the open.
“But this is different,” Bucky muttered to himself. He was just going out to see an old friend again. Nothing was going to happen. It was just easier not to bring up things like this, especially with important basketball games to be played. He and Dan didn’t need any prickly feelings getting in the way between them.
With that question settled in his mind, he dug into his suitcase for some practice shorts and a clean pair of athletic socks. “Hurry up, Litton,” he called out. “I need in there too, man.”
Practice that evening went over an hour as the Panthers drilled hard for Game Two. Coach Brayshaw had spent some time watching the team they’d be playing next, and he had some pointers based on his “spy time,” as he called it. “These guys have a pretty effective give - and - go play, almost as good as you two run,” he said, glancing over at Bucky and Dan. “They must have hit it at least five times this afternoon, so I want you to watch out for that. When Number Thirteen makes his little flip toss to the center, he gets by his man quick. So Wilson, you’ve got to do a jump switch if you think it’s coming and block his road to the basket.”
“But if they don’t do it, then that leaves their center open,” the tall player protested.
“Yeah, but he’s really not that great close in,” the athletic director explained. “I’m not saying to just hand him a freeway to the basket, but you ought to key on that give - and - go whenever Thirteen feeds him from right about here.” He pointed to a spot on the floor. “That seems to be how they do it.”
During the practice itself Dan was still a little bit sluggish, but Bill Volker was almost unstoppable, dropping in long air bombs from as far away as twenty-five feet. “Man, your radar gun is dead on target,” Bucky said.
“Thanks.” Bill flashed him a big grin. “Too bad we can’t play right now before I cool off.”
After practice he and Dan went into the adjacent complex where one of the tournament games was still going on. They watched the action for about half an hour, but the high school team from Portland clearly had the upper hand. Halfway through the third period they continued to play with intensity despite a twenty-point lead. “These guys are scary!” Dan muttered, shaking his head as another fast - break went roaring down the court past them. A cheer went up from the crowd made up of relatives and local basketball fans. Bucky spotted one or two men who looked like reporters.
“Let’s go.” Dan picked up his duffel bag. “They said that smaller shuttle van would take us back to the hotel any time we were ready.”
The city of Honolulu was already ablaze with lights in the early evening darkness as they rode back home. “What’s up for tonight?” Dan wanted to know.
Bucky hesitated. “Nothing, I guess.”
“Man, I’m starving. After such a scrawny lunch, I’m ready to do some serious scarfing down. Let’s spend that meal money they gave us.”
The younger player tried to hide his scowl. How could he eat with Dan and still get away to spend some time with Deirdre? “Sure,” he managed.
They dropped off their equipment and hiked over to the beach where all the fast - food restaurants were. Bucky sneaked a glance at his watch. Eight - thirty. “What do you feel like having?”
Dan laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. One of everything, I guess.” He pointed to a Sizzler. “I love that place, man. Smorgasbord. Hot fudge sundae bar. All that good stuff.”
“Oh, come on. You want to eat there?”
“Sure.” Dan gave his friend a playful kick. “You pigged out at lunch, that’s why you’re not very hungry. Come on, let’s eat.”
With a sigh, Bucky followed him into the restaurant. Filling his plate with some salad fixings, he tried to spread out the lettuce to look like more than it really was.
“Is that all you’re having? No pasta or refried beans? Man, Stone, you’re not getting your money’s worth.”
Bucky shrugged. “I ain’t that hungry.”
Dan kept going back to refill his plate and it was almost 9:15 before they finally walked back out to the beach. “What now?” Dan wanted to know.
Bucky gave a little sniff that he hoped created an impression of boredom. “You know what? I really ought to call my folks. I told them I would.”
“Well, don’t do it now.”
“Why not?”
“Man, it’s late back home. It’s after 11:00.”
“Oh, they don’t mind,” Bucky responded. “You want to just wait a few minutes for me?”
“What, you’re going to just sit d
own, prop up your feet and tell Mommy all about life? Right now? What am I supposed to do?”
Bucky’s mind whirred. “Look,” he said, “go sight - see down the street a bit. I’ll be right there on that bench over there. Fifteen minutes from now, come back and I’ll be done. Then we’ll go take a hula lesson or something.”
“Fifteen minutes? What in the world are you going to gab about for that long?”
“I don’t know.” Bucky gave his stocky friend a little push. “What’s it to you?”
“OK.” Dan gave a snort. “I’ll see you in a bit, I guess.”
Bucky waited until Dan was a little ways down the road before pretending to head for the bench. For a moment he hesitated. He actually had planned to call Mom and Dad, but it really was kind of late. Maybe it would be better to phone tomorrow.
“Plus we just got here,” he shrugged to himself. Besides, Deirdre was waiting.
Cutting down to a side street, he jogged along “Hotel Row” until he recognized the name she’d told him. It was a tall, ornate building with small palm trees all lit up with soft green lights. The effect was of a tropical paradise, almost like a Disney fantasyland.
Entering the lobby, he glanced around. Deirdre had told him she’d be over by the outdoor cafe on the beach side. It took him several minutes of looking, but he finally spotted her seated alone at a table next to the railing. She glanced at him with an expression of mock reproof. “Mr. Stone, I’ve been waiting here for what seems like hours.”
“I know,” he panted. “It was hard to get away.”
“Your roommate wouldn’t let you go?” She said it with a knowing wink.
“Well, he doesn’t exactly know where I am,” Bucky confessed.
“That makes sense,” she nodded. “Well, come on. Buy me something.”
Scanning the menu, he ordered her a big piece of Hawaiian mocha cake and a tropical sherbet dessert for himself. In the background a five - piece band played soft island music.
After taking a bite, he leaned a bit closer to her, rubbing a hand across his stubbly chin as he did so. She smiled. “What?”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 87