And the next thing you know, kids start lobbing jabs back and forth:
“You’re not whupping anyone by thirty, except maybe, let me think . . . oh yeah. Nobody.”
“Is nobody your last name?”
“Nobody is my grandma’s last name, she’s seventy years old, and she’s about the only one you can beat on the basketball court.”
At some point I hear Carter say, “We’ll beat you like a bass drum in a marching band,” and I say back, “You’re gonna wanna JOIN the marching band after we’re done with you.”
Chase howls at that one. “Oh, you dropped that one on him good, PJ!”
Carter makes a face. “PJ? Why’d you call him PJ?”
Chase leans toward Carter. “That’s his nickname. Short for Private Jet. That how he rolls, yo!”
Carter shakes his head in disgust. “Of course it is.”
WWMS
WALTHORNE SOUTH RADIO
ALFIE:
A surprising run by North here in the third quarter has tightened this game right up, and South is only up by one, 43–42. The fact that Janeece Renfro has been in foul trouble has certainly not helped. The star guard has only been on the floor for fourteen minutes so far. There is a definite buzz in the air right now. If North found a way to pull this game off, it would be quite the upset . . .
AUSTIN
I’m still a little wound up from Carter’s PJ dig during the third quarter, but I forget about it as the game gets closer. Their best player is in foul trouble and our girls make a run, which of course gets our guys going.
“We’re in your ratty old gym and we’re still about to beat you!” someone yells in the direction of the South section. Then one of their guys hollers, “This time tomorrow night will be a very different story, my friend! Money can’t buy everything, and it DEFINITELY can’t buy you a W tomorrow night!”
And just like that, jabs start going back and forth again. It’s all pretty harmless until Eric yells, “Hey, Southies! You ever heard the phrase, ‘cheaters never prosper’? Look it up!”
Well, that gets people’s attention.
Other people in the bleachers start staring at us, and I can feel sweat pop out on my forehead. “Cool it, man,” I tell Eric, but the damage is done. I see Carter stand up and make his way toward us.
He steps into the aisle and stares at Eric. “What did you just say?”
Eric turns red, but for some reason he decides to go in even harder. “Come on man, you’re a cheater, and your coach got fired because he told you to cheat. Everyone knows it. And even if we lose and don’t make the playoffs, we’ll still get to go to our beach condos on vacation. If you guys lose, where you gonna go?”
I glare at Eric. “What are you doing, dude?”
Carter gets up in his face. “Oh, is that right? So because you boys get the fine school in the fine part of town, and play in that fancy gym with the fancy scoreboard, you think the rules don’t apply to you? It’s cool for your pal PJ here to pressure his teammate to play on a bum ankle, or some girl to keep going to school and playing on the basketball team even though she moved to another town? Is that what you’re saying?”
I try to calm things down. “Yo, Carter, he didn’t mean anything by it.”
But Carter isn’t in the mood to be calm. “He didn’t mean anything by it? Then why’d he say it twice? He didn’t mean it twice?”
A few other kids get up, and I see a couple of teachers heading our way, and I’m not really sure where this is going, but before anything else happens, the third quarter ends, Carter goes back to his section and sits down, and I think that might be the end of it.
It’s not.
WWMS
WALTHORNE SOUTH RADIO
ALFIE:
Well, it all comes down to this, folks. After putting the South team on her shoulders for much of the fourth quarter, Janeece Renfro has just fouled out with ninety seconds to play and South up by two. It was a questionable call, but the way the crowd is screaming at the refs is completely ridiculous. How are the two student sections, who have been pretty rowdy all night, supposed to behave better when they see adults screaming like this? It does make you wonder. Walthorne North center Jackie Lawlor steps to the foul line—if she makes both shots, then we’ll have a tie game. She bounces the ball, takes a deep breath . . . the crowd is quiet . . . she makes the first! It’s a one-point game! Jackie gets set for the second shot . . . oh what was that? What was that? Someone just yelled an obscenity . . . it sounded like it came from one of the student sections . . . the crowd has suddenly erupted again . . . both student sections are screaming . . . the refs have stopped the game as several teachers and administrators rush over to try and calm things down . . . it looks like there is some pushing and shoving going on . . . this could get ugly, folks . . .
CARTER
The teachers keep a close eye on us during the fourth quarter, but I still send some glares over at the kid who called me a cheater. He doesn’t look at me once. Meanwhile, Janeece is lighting up the place, hitting shots from all over the floor. But the North girls hang tough, and it’s going down to the wire.
Then, with, like, a minute to go in the game and South up by two, someone on North drives to the hoop. Janeece steps in front of her, establishes position, and the North girl runs right over her. A total charge. But instead, the ref calls a blocking foul on Janeece. Which means she fouls out of the game, and two shots for the North girl. It might have been the worst call I’ve ever seen in my life.
And of course, the parents start screaming at the referees.
“THE REFS SUCK!”
“WHAT GAME ARE YOU WATCHING?”
“YOU’RE A DISGRACE!”
And way worse than that, if you can believe it.
Sure enough, the North parents start yelling back at the South parents.
“LEAVE THE REFS ALONE!”
“STOP YELLING, THEY’RE JUST DOING THEIR JOB!”
“YOU’RE THE DISGRACE!”
Lucas elbows me in the ribs. “Yo, how come the teachers aren’t telling them to settle down, the way they told us to?”
I laugh. “I know, right? I mean, where do they think we get it from?”
Janeece goes to the sideline. She looks like she’s about to cry. I have a weird feeling in my stomach, and I wonder to myself, what’s that about? Does that mean I really do like this girl? I should ask her out, I say to myself, maybe to a movie. I wonder if she likes movies?
Then I start laughing at myself. I’m sitting here watching Janeece look so sad on the sidelines, and all I can think about is going on a date with her!
I’m about to ask Sham what’s wrong with me when I hear a voice from the North section yell, “THAT’S RIGHT, NUMBER 23, YOU’RE DONE! GO BACK TO WASHING DISHES AT MY COUNTRY CLUB!”
Hold up.
Janeece is number 23.
I shoot up out of my seat, stomp across the aisle and scream, “WHO SAID THAT?” I’m not thinking, I’m just acting. Or more like reacting. “COME ON, WHO’S THE COWARD WHO SAID THAT?”
People behind us are telling me to be quiet, and the North girl is about to take the foul shots to try and tie the game. I’m not sure what to do when Amir suddenly stands up and starts hollering at Austin. “Aren’t you the captain of this team? You going to let your team talk trash like that? You going to let your boys disrespect this girl? That’s pathetic.”
Austin refuses to look at Amir. “I don’t know who said it,” Austin says. “And whoever it was didn’t mean anything. Everyone makes stupid comments sometimes, don’t sweat it.”
Someone behind us says, “Sit down, you’re blocking the view.”
I turn to Austin. “Come on, man, who said it?”
“I don’t know who said it! Can we just move on? There’s, like, a minute left in the game.”
I shake my head. “You guys talk smack all game long, but that crossed the line, man. That crossed the line.”
Suddenly, someone at the far end of the row
stands up and says, “I said it, okay? I said it. I mean, who fouls out of a close game with a minute left to go? That’s pretty dumb.”
I point at the guy. “You need to stop talking. Right now.”
The guy grins—the grin of a rich kid who thinks he can say and do anything and get away it. “I’ll tell you what,” he says. “She’s a cute girl, so if you think I was so mean, then maybe you can introduce us after the game and I can apologize to her up close and personal.”
That’s all it takes.
My blood starts to boil, and I decide I’m going to wipe the smirk off that kid’s face myself.
I start climbing over the North kids, all of them, stepping on some, ignoring the complaints as they try to push me off, and I get so close to the jerk’s face that I’m pretty sure some of my spit gets in his eye.
“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE F UP!”
Except I don’t say F. I say the whole word.
And I don’t exactly say it, I scream it.
And I scream it when the whole rest of the gym is silent, as the player is about to take her second foul shot, to try and tie the game.
AUSTIN
Well, that pretty much does it. After Carter swears at Chase at the top of his lungs, it’s like a stick of dynamite whose long fuse has just run out. Everything explodes. Chase jumps up and pushes Carter. Carter pushes him back. A bunch of South guys run across the aisle into our section, and there’s more pushing and shoving and yelling. The girls on the court are standing there, not sure what to do. The refs leave the court. Some fans around us start to scatter, while others try to break it up. A bunch of adults are rushing toward us. I want to leave, but I’m trapped in the chaos.
It occurs to me that this could get a lot worse before it gets better.
CARTER
I see Mr. Rashad and Principal Marshak running up the bleachers, heading straight for us. Alfie Jenks is right behind them. We’re still pushing and shoving and yelling, but the guy I was jawing with ducks away and disappears.
“COWARD!” I yell, even though I have no idea where he is.
Mr. Rashad gets to our row and starts yelling, “Enough! Enough!” while Principal Marshak talks into a walkie-talkie. The pile starts moving itself backward, away from Mr. Rashad and Principal Marshak. I’m at the end of the row, and I realize I’m getting pushed closer and closer to the railing that’s supposed to protect people from falling off the edge of the bleachers.
That’s when I notice Janeece, on the bench, staring up at me with her mouth wide open.
AUSTIN
I can tell that Carter is trying to keep his balance as the crowd starts pushing, away from the adults. The pile is moving him backward, toward the end of the row, but no one seems to notice. I start shoving my way toward him. He’s getting closer and closer to the edge, and I’m almost there. Finally, I reach out and try to grab him, but instead I trip and fall into Clay, who is between me and Carter. Clays trips, too, and falls backward, into Carter. It’s like a horrible game of dominoes, and Carter is the last domino.
There’s no place for him to go.
He starts to stumble backward.
And suddenly, I know exactly what’s going to happen before it happens.
CARTER
Seriously?
After all this?
I feel myself lose my balance, and at first I think the railing is going to save me, but then I realize it’s too low—I think it’s meant to protect people who are sitting down, not people who are standing up and shoving people and screaming swear words.
My back goes over first. I reach out for the railing with my hands but miss.
And then, I feel nothing but air.
I’m falling.
And that’s when I realize, when you’re falling through the air, about to crash into a hard wooden floor and get really badly hurt or possibly die, you have a lot of time to think.
Which is good, because I have a ton of stuff to think about as I fall.
The first thing I think is, this isn’t as scary as I thought. I mean, it’s definitely scary, but it’s also calm.
And silent.
Like, the world stops.
I keep falling.
I think about everything that happened that led up to this moment.
I think about my mom and dad.
I think about not wanting to die.
I think about how much it’s going to hurt when I land, if I don’t die.
I think about what kind of injuries I’m going to have and how long it will take for me to get better.
I think about how the injuries might be so bad, I won’t be able to play basketball again for a long time. Or ever again.
Or maybe I’ll be able to play, but I won’t ever be as good as I am right now.
And I think about how that might not be the worst thing in the world.
And then, I run out of time to think.
I hit the floor.
I hear a SLAM! Then a CRACK!
And everything goes dark.
WALTHORNENEWS.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 20 10:27 AM
Final Middle School Basketball Game Canceled
It was announced this morning that the boys basketball game scheduled for tonight between Walthorne South Middle School and Walthorne North Middle School has been canceled.
In a joint press release, the Central Youth Athletic Conference (CYAC) and the Walthorne Board of Education stated, “In light of last night’s events at the girls basketball game between the same two schools, we have decided that it is in the best interests of all parties involved to cancel this game. We hope to sort out the various unfortunate issues that have complicated what should have been an annual highlight for these schools, as well as the players and our community. In the near future, we hope to be back cheering for our wonderful student athletes.”
The statement is referring to an incident last night in which students from both schools got into an altercation at the end of the girls game that led to one student-athlete falling off the bleachers and getting severely injured.
“It’s a real shame,” said Walthorne South Principal Valerie Marshak, in a phone interview. “The terrific kids at our school and at W-North work hard for this all year, and now it’s been taken away from them. But at this point, I think the decision is the right one. The last thing anyone wants is for tonight’s game to be marred by another incident that we all regret. It’s only a game, after all.”
No one at the CYAC or Board of Education was available for comment.
OVERTIME
CARTER
So yeah, I didn’t die, just FYI.
I ended up with a concussion, a chipped bone in my left elbow, torn ligaments in my left ankle, four broken ribs, and a badly sprained lower back.
I should make a full recovery. “For life, and for basketball,” the doctor said, “and not necessarily in that order!” Everyone laughed. I tried to laugh, too.
At the hospital, the nurses were all so nice. The food was horrible. I got a lot of cards and flowers and stuffed animals, but I told my parents I didn’t want any visitors.
Coach Benny came anyway.
“Hey, kid,” he said. “How ya holding up?”
“A little tired, to be honest, Coach,” I told him. “But I guess I’m pretty lucky, all things considered.”
“I guess that’s true.” His voice was smaller than usual. “I owe you an apology, son.”
“No, you don’t. It was my fault. I’m the one who cheated.”
“Yes, I do.” He sat down in the chair next to the bed. “I look back at what I said to you that day in the cafeteria, and when I think about it honestly, I realize that maybe I did want you to cheat on that test. Maybe I did want to win that badly, and have a great season, and I knew those things couldn’t happen without you. I can tell myself I didn’t, but I wouldn’t be being honest with myself. Or with you.”
My back was killing me, and I felt incredibly tired, but I still knew how hard it must have been for
him to say that. “I appreciate that, Coach. And thanks a lot for coming by to say so.”
He might have said something back to me, but I can’t be sure, because I think I was asleep by then.
ALFIE
When I decided to become a sports reporter, I thought it would just be reporting scores and talking about great games and great players and great plays. I had no idea that everything would be so much harder than that. I had no idea that there was a lot about sports that wasn’t about what happened on the field or on the court. And that a lot of that stuff was bad.
And then Carter fell and got hurt.
Which is when I decided that something has to change.
WALTHORNESPIRIT.COM
Friday at 4:13 pm
Alfie Hey everyone, it’s Alfie Jenks. I don’t want to bother anyone, especially since we’re all still in shock about what happened last night. But I didn’t sleep at all, and as I was up thinking about stuff, I remembered this page, and how in the past, everyone would just use it to fool around and make fun of each other and sometimes say stupid or hurtful things. And it seemed harmless at the time but look where that got us. Carter is in the hospital. So I was thinking maybe this time we could change it up and write supportive stuff and actually show some Walthorne Spirit. Sorry to be cheesy but I just think it might help. Let me know what you guys think.
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Friday at 4:15 pm
Sham Thank you for doing this Alfie. I texted Carter a few times and he hasn’t hit me back yet, but bro if you’re reading this we love you
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Friday at 4:17 pm
Sadie I was at the game last night and it was amazing because you girls on the court were so awesome, but I gotta say I was a little shocked at the crowd, I know our guys didn’t act great and the north kids too but the adults were the worst—screaming and complaining and acting like it was a matter of life and death, I mean come on!! #rolemodels
#not
I love you all though, even you North people, Carter, I can’t wait to see you back out there soon xx
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