AUSTIN
I can tell the second Carter walks in that he’s never been in a house like mine before.
“Whoa,” he says. “This is like something you see on TV. I didn’t think houses like this actually existed in real life.”
“Well, yeah, they do.”
We go into the kitchen, where my mom is making herself a smoothie. She welcomes Carter with a big smile. “Hello, it’s so good to meet you! I’ve heard you’re back on the AAU team, which is wonderful! Why don’t you two grab a treat?”
We walk over to the cupboard, which is filled with all sorts of healthy snacks. Carter stares, and I can tell that he has no idea what most of them are. My mom helps him decide. “Here, try one of these power bars. They’re healthy but delicious.”
Carter smiles. “I didn’t know healthy but delicious was a thing.”
My mom laughs way too loud. “You’re funny! I gotta run to pilates. Austin, be sure to give Carter the full tour. He’ll probably get a kick out of the house.”
As soon as she’s gone, I say to Carter, “You don’t really want a tour, do you?”
He gives me a look. “Uh, based on the looks of this place, it might take the rest of the day.”
“There are rooms in this house even I’ve never seen,” I tell him. “Let’s skip it.”
We end up on the basketball court, of course, but we barely play. Instead, we mostly talk.
“So, how long have you been working with Coach Cash?” Carter asks.
He flips me the ball, and I go in for a lazy layup. “Yeah, um . . . kind of as far back as I can remember, I guess.”
“Whoa. That’s a long time.”
“Tell me about it.” I realize I’ve never really talked about this with anyone before. “I mean, the guy is like a total basketball genius and an amazing coach, but it’s been like, all basketball all the time, and after a while you start to think, like, is it worth it?”
“Yeah, I get that,” Carter says. “You’re a really good player, though, for real.”
“Ha, thanks. I’m pretty good. I’m not great. Despite my parents’ best efforts. Especially my dad’s. If I don’t play in college, it’s going to break his heart.”
“Will it break your heart?”
I laugh. “Absolutely not.” It feels good to say that out loud, once and for all.
Carter casually palms the basketball, which is something I can’t do. “So why do you keep doing it? I mean, the way you were talking at practice the other day made it sound like you don’t even really like playing that much. So what gives?”
I think about that for a few seconds, then say the only answer that seems to make sense. “I don’t know. I love basketball. There are just things about it I don’t love.”
Carter looks around the full court. “I guess your parents are really into hoops though, huh.”
I laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. My dad thought he had a shot at the NBA. Didn’t happen for him.” I cock my head at Carter. “You might have a chance, though.”
“Don’t say that, man,” Carter says. “That’s what got me in all that trouble in the first place.”
I have a sudden urge to get off the court. “You want to check out my video game set-up?”
“Oh dude, you know it.”
We go inside and head toward the rec room, which is downstairs. When I get to the basement door, though, I realize Carter’s not behind me. I go back and find him in the living room, staring at the walls.
“What is all this stuff?” he says, his eyes wide.
I shrug. “Art, I guess. My mom is really into it.”
Carter starts walking around the room, checking out the paintings, which makes me realize that I’ve never really looked at them before. They’re all really modern, which means they’re a bunch of shapes and colors that seem pretty random to me. But I guess they’re cool or important or something, because when people come over, my parents always bring them in here to ooh and aah.
Carter stops in front of a sculpture of an eagle. “What’s this?”
Amazingly enough, I actually know a bit about this one. “Oh, yeah. We were in Santa Fe a few years ago and my mom saw that in an art gallery. I think it’s by some famous artist.”
“Santa Fe? Where’s that?”
“New Mexico.”
The way Carter looks at me, I may as well have said Mars. “Huh,” he says. “I’ve never been out of the state.”
He goes to pick up the sculpture, but I stop him. “Whoa, you can’t touch it, sorry,” I say quickly. “My mom freaks out about stuff like that. Especially with this one, because of what happened.”
Carter steps back. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, there was this thing a few months ago where some worker guy dropped it and it chipped.” I point at the eagle. “See? It looks like it’s got an injured wing. I think it looks kind of cool, but my mom totally lost it. She was so mad, because I guess it’s worth a lot of money.” I start walking toward the basement door. “Come on, let’s go play. Isn’t your mom picking you up in, like, twenty minutes?”
But Carter doesn’t move. He’s just staring at the eagle sculpture. Then he slowly sits down on a couch.
“Dude?” I say. “You good?”
He doesn’t look at me. He just stares straight ahead.
“Nah, man. I’m not good. I’m not good at all.”
CARTER
I’m not sure what to do, but I know I can’t stay in this house another minute.
I bolt up from the couch and start running toward the front door.
“What is happening, bro?” he asks. “Why are you freaking out?”
I really want to get out of there, but I know he’s not going to just let me leave without telling him why, and part of me wants to tell him anyway. So I do. “That ‘worker guy’ you’re talking about is my dad,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “He’s a painter. He paints houses. Or, at least he used to. He lost his job. Because of your mom. And it wasn’t his fault. He told her she needed to move the stupid freaking sculpture thing, but she refused. And then after it fell, she goes running to my dad’s boss and the guy had to fire my dad. So yeah, I need to go. Now.”
But Austin is blocking the door. “That was your dad?”
“Yes. I just said that.”
“Dang, bro, I had no idea.”
“Well, now you know. He told me the whole story, and I know he was telling the truth, but he said no one would believe him anyway because you guys are so loaded and rich people always get their way and treat other people like crap.”
I wait for him to say how bad he feels, to say he’s sorry. But that’s not what happens. Instead, his face turns angry. “Listen, Carter, I don’t know exactly what your dad told you, but he was careless and screwed up. He knocked over the sculpture. I know you want to believe him, but I know what happened. Just because we live in this, like, big house, people want to blame us for everything, but my mom didn’t do anything wrong.”
We stare at each other, and it feels like all the blood in my body suddenly catches fire. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not blaming your mom because you have artwork all over your house and travel to places I’ve never heard of and your dad bought your way onto the AAU team. I’m blaming your mom because my dad doesn’t lie. He told me what happened.”
Austin looks stung, like I just slapped him or something, but he doesn’t back down either. “My mom doesn’t lie either. You can believe what you want to believe.”
“So can you.”
“AND BESIDES, YOUR DAD WAS DRINKING ON THE JOB!”
It feels like time stops. “What did you just say?”
He stares down at the floor. “Nothing.”
My eyes start to fill with tears. There’s nothing left to say, really, but that doesn’t stop me. “I should have known,” I tell Austin. “I should have known this was a dumb idea, coming to your house. We go to different schools. We live in different worlds. Our schools hate
each other. We’re playing you in two days. This whole idea of being friends was so freakin’ dumb.”
Austin stands up as straight as he can, which is still about five inches shorter than me. “I agree.”
I get out my phone and check the time. “My mom is going to be here soon. I’m going to wait at the end of the driveway.”
“Fine.”
“Thanks for the power bar.” I open the door and walk out.
Halfway down the driveway, I hear Austin slam it shut.
WALTHORNESPIRIT.COM
Wednesday at 7:20 pm
Janeece Need to make sure everyone comes out tomorrow night to the game against North . . . last game before playoffs
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Wednesday at 7:24 pm
Sandra I’ll be there babe you know it
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Wednesday at 7:31 pm
Antoine What time’s the game
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Wednesday at 7:33 pm
Janeece 7
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Wednesday at 7:37 pm
Carter I’ll be there and I’m bringing all the boys, we’re so ready for this
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Wednesday at 7:42 pm
Sham Everyone wear red
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Wednesday at 7:45 pm
North4Eva What if we don’t want to wear read
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Wednesday at 7:48 pm
Briscoe Oh here we go
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Wednesday at 7:52 pm
Kevin We’ll see you guys there, it’s going to be so much fun, we’re going to cheer for our school and show school spirit and just say nice things about everyone. Go team!
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Wednesday at 7:57 pm
Chase Hahahaha I love it
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Wednesday at 8:03 pm
Austin Yeah we’ll be there, it will be a good way to warm up for the main event the next night
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Wednesday at 8:05 pm
Janeece Dude are you for real? The MAIN EVENT is OUR GIRLS TEAM which is 16 and 3
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Wednesday at 8:07 pm
Lucas Hahahahah you tell him Janeece
But yeah the next night we will whup up on you all
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Wednesday at 8:08 pm
North4Eva We got Clay coming back people
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Wednesday at 8:11 pm
Sham We got Carter
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Wednesday at 8:15 pm
Kevin We all remember what happened last time, don’t we?
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Wednesday at 8:19 pm
Lucas I do, your boy got injured bad
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Wednesday at 8:20 pm
Chase And then your boy cheated, remember that?
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Wednesday at 8:24 pm
Janeece None of that please, just come and cheer for the girls, then y’all can yell at each other as much as you want
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Wednesday at 8:26 pm
Sham Oh you know it
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Wednesday at 8:28 pm
Clay Looking forward to it
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Wednesday at 8:31 pm
Kevin Clay! Glad you’re on board bro
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Wednesday at 8:33 pm
Carter Janeece we got you
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Wednesday at 8:34 pm
Sham Ha Carter you wish you got Janeece
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Wednesday at 8:35 pm
Janeece Watch it boys
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Wednesday at 8:36 pm
Austin Janeece I didn’t mean anything by it
Looking forward to seeing you play tomorrow
But your boys team is going down the next day
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Wednesday at 8:39 pm
Lucas Ooh big talk I like that
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Wednesday at 8:41 pm
Austin Yeah we’re done here
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WWMS
WALTHORNE SOUTH RADIO
ALFIE:
Hello everyone and welcome to another great night here at the Walthorne South Gym, my name is Alfie Jenks, sports reporter for WWMS News. The Walthorne South girls basketball team has been on a tear all year, led by the fantastic Janeece Renfro, who is averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists a game. But they face a very strong opponent in Walthorne North, who despite losing their best player earlier in the season is in third place in the league and riding a four-game winning streak. Both teams take the court in front of a raucous crowd, with big rooting sections from both schools. We’re just about set for the tip-off . . .
. . . And midway through the second quarter, Walthorne North takes a time-out, with the score 24–19 in favor of Walthorne South. As expected, the game has been pretty close, but the South girls seem to have things pretty well in control. The same cannot be said for the crowd, especially the student sections, as they seem to be getting a little rowdier as the game goes along. I did see one teacher go over and talk to them, so hopefully things will settle down a bit . . .
AUSTIN
It’s only the second girls basketball game I’ve been to in my life, not including my sister’s games. My mom always says that girls play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. My dad gets a little mad whenever she says that, but during the first half I understand what my mom is talking about. They cut, they pass, they use the back door, they find the open man—I mean woman—and they zip the ball around. It’s not all drive-and-kick-for-a-three, or isolation one-on-one.
I’m impressed.
But my friends are less impressed. We’re sitting way up in the bleachers, in the last couple of rows, and the South kids are right across the aisle from us, in the next section over. So of course, everyone starts messing with each other. Eric, Kevin, and Chase kind of start it, making faces and pointing, and their guys do it back. For most of the first half, it’s kind of chill like that, kind of funny, although at one point in the second quarter some teacher from South comes over and tells us to settle down.
And everyone does settle down, for a while.
At halftime, a bunch of us decide to walk around the gym to get some food and say hi to some other people. In the aisle, I see Carter, and he sees me. We both look away.
We’re halfway down the bleachers when a big guy from South steps in front of us. “Fancy meeting you boys here,” he says. “You all ready for the big game tomorrow?”
I feel like I should probably be the one to answer, but before I can, Eric jumps in.
“Oh yeah, you bet we are,” he says. “We’re more than ready. You ready, chump?”
The big South kid snorts. “Chump? I think you mean champ.”
“No, I mean chump.” Eric looks around for comic approval, and a few kids laugh, but the rest of us just stand there, ready to get moving.
“Aight, then.” The South kid steps aside, and it looks like he’s about to let us pass, but then he blocks the aisle again. He’s looking right at Eric, but I’m glad to see he’s still smiling at least.
“You know, I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me a chump. My name is Amir. What’s yours?”
“Uh, Eric.”
“Nice to meet you, Eric. I look forward to seeing you on the basketball court tomorrow night, where we can get to know each other a little better.”
“Okay, yeah,” Eric says. “Whatever, sure.”
The kid Amir finally steps aside, and we all hurry down the bleachers before anything else happens.
When we’re in the hallway outside the gym, Eric takes a deep breath. It’s only then that I realize he was nervous.
“Dude,” I say. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I�
�m fine,” Eric says defensively. “I can handle myself. Which is a good thing, because I didn’t see any of you guys jumping in to help me out.” He glares at Kevin. “Like, where were you, dude?”
Kevin snorts. “What, you want me to come to your rescue? Not gonna happen.”
“What did you want us to do?” I ask Eric. “They’re just kids, like us. And besides, you’re the one who called him a chump.”
“It’s cool,” Eric mumbles. “Whatever. I gotta use the bathroom.”
Kevin, Clay, and I decide to walk over and check out the concession stand. Chase is already there. When he sees us coming, he flashes a fifty-dollar bill. “Hey boys, what’s your pleasure?” he says, flapping his money around. “They got a pretty lousy selection of food at this dump, no surprise, but at least they got hot dogs. Anybody want one?”
“Nah, man,” Kevin says. “And put that money away.” Kevin always thought Chase was a prep-school tool. He’s never really liked him. I can see why.
Chase goes to put his bill away, but it’s too late—some South kid spotted it. “Yo bro,” the kid yells, “mind paying for us?”
Chase grins. “Yeah, uh, I don’t think so, but how about we place a little bet on the game tomorrow night, whaddya say?”
“I’d like that,” the kid says. “It’ll be like taking candy from a baby. How much you wanna bet?”
Kevin tries to step in by saying, “We’re not interested,” but then Clay chimes in: “How much can you afford? If anything?”
“Nicely played,” says some other South kid. “But will we be able to say that after we whup up on you guys by thirty?”
Rivals Page 11