Page 64 of Game On

She laughs. “Though basketball wasn’t my sport. Field hockey.”

That makes sense. I know she coaches Christie’s team.

When Miss Lyons leaves with a tub full of my pee, Dawn gives me a crazy look. I shrug. “I guess something happened to my sample yesterday.” Gym goes by in a heartbeat. It seems like we were just in the locker room changing into our gym clothes when we’re right back in it changing out of our gym clothes. When I’m done, I sit on the bench right by my gym locker. The gym locker room is different from the Timothy Dale Court locker rooms. The others are much nicer, but they hold the same things inside. It reminds me of what I’m about to face.

“Listen,” Dawn says. She sits across from me. “I’m not good at the sentimental stuff, but I hope you make it. If you do, I’ll celebrate with you. If you don’t, we’ll get drunk, you can cry it out, and then we’ll never have to talk about it again.” She shrugs her shoulders.

I laugh at how cut and dry she is. Like it would be that easy for me to get over not making the team. “Thanks.”

We walk to Timothy Dale Court together. David meets us there. Today won’t be a practice at all. We’ve all done what we can do. Now, it’s about announcing who’s on the team and presenting those that made it with their jerseys. There will be less pomp and circumstance than Sign-Ups because Coach runs it. Though, there will be a big celebration day slash pep rally the day of the first scrimmage. That’s where the true crazy fanatics come out. There’s no media here tonight, so that’s good. It’s mainly a school event, regulated to just students, teachers, and people like my dad.

He accosts me when we first walk in. I can’t even get away from him if I wanted to. Dawn gives me a thin-lipped smile as she walks away and sits with David in the front row again. He doesn’t even wait for social graces. “I’m sorry, Tess. Okay? I was an idiot. I should have said something. I should have waited. I should have done whatever you thought was appropriate.” I look away from my dad, throat working. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ryan staring at us. When I look at him, he doesn’t glance away. He’s rubbing a towel over the bottom of his basketball shoes. “I didn’t know you were going to be there that night. I never would’ve wanted it to happen like that.” I slowly look up at him, glaring. “Not that I’m making excuses.” He holds up his hands. “I don’t know what to say to make it better, Pumpkin. I messed up. I’m only human. But I’m your father, and I love you. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

I rub my head. I don’t even know what to say to him. The only thing I know is that I don’t want to think about this right now.

Like he expects this answer from me, he says, “Just don’t shut me out, okay? And I wanted to tell you how damn proud of you I am this week.” His voice falters. “My baby was so good.” A tear forms in the corner of his eye. He wipes at it, but another one just forms right after. “I absconded from giving Coach my opinion, of course, but you deserve to be on that team, Quintessa. You deserve to be right up there with them. You always have been. I’m sorry if I never said it enough.”

He cups my cheek, and then he walks away. I just stand there, feeling a little heavy-footed, yet light-headed at the same time. Dawn stands, who’s watched the whole thing. She puts her hands on my shoulders. “Alright, focus. Get out there. You got this.” She turns me toward the court and pushes me forward. She gives me a little slap on the butt, and I jump at the sting. She laughs, and I can’t help but laugh with her as I rub my butt cheek. Obviously, she doesn’t get the idea of an easy butt slap.

I jog out onto the court and wait for Coach to come out. Nothing registers around me. Not the other players, not the students and teachers who’ve gathered. I’m in a perfectly calm bubble. When I see Coach approach us, though, I start to shake from head to toe. It feels like everything I ever wanted comes down to this moment.

One of the young kids who’s been helping with equipment wheels a cart behind him. The top is open and there are blue jerseys spilling out over it. I shift from foot-to-foot. When Coach gets in front of us, he’s all smiles. Past him, I see my dad towering over everybody and taking a seat by himself. It looks like he’s pulled himself back together.

“Wow,” Coach said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the caliber of talent we had to choose from this year. You should all be proud of yourselves for the hard work and effort you put into every day and every second.” The players all start to clap. I bring my hands together a little late, but I give everyone the round of applause they deserve. There’s a reason why RHS is one of the best in the state.

He puts his hand on the box. “I’m just going to start calling names. If your name gets called, you’re on the team. If it doesn’t, I’m so sorry. This really isn’t a dig at anyone’s skill level because you were all so good. We just can’t take everybody. If you don’t make it and you’re interested in helping out the team with equipment, see me. I know it seems like a crappy deal, but there’s always next year, and if you love basketball as much as you all say you do, you’d do anything to be around the talent that’s here, eating everything up.” Even before he stops talking, I know if I don’t make it, I’ll volunteer to help. He’s right. Why wouldn’t I? I have one more year left if this doesn’t work out. Though, please, God, make this work. “Ryan Linc,” Coach says, pulling out the first jersey.

I smile and clap. Ryan jogs forward and takes the Warrior jersey, holding it up in the air for a second while the crowd claps and yells. Past them all, I can see my dad politely clapping. For a moment, I think to myself,Shit. Will Ryan ever be my stepbrother?

I toss that thought aside as Coach calls the rest of the Ballers’ names one-by-one. The crowd reacts the same for each one, cheering for their kings of RHS. I close my eyes and sway as Coach calls more names. I don’t count, but it seems to me he’s called a lot. He must be close to finished. I gulp, swallowing down the churning bile in my throat and stomach.

“Quintessa Dale.”

My eyes snap open. I just stand there for a moment. My ears ring and buzz. When I don’t come right up, Coach raises his gaze. He smiles at me and turns my jersey around, the last name Dale clearly woven into the back with the number nine. I drop. I don’t faint, but my knees buckle until I’m squatting, my hands covering my mouth. I try not to, but tears come to my eyes.

“That’s my girl,” my dad yells, and I think that’s the only thing that makes me actually stand up and move. My hand’s still covering my mouth, but I grab the jersey anyway. Coach claps my back, and I turn to see all the players smiling and clapping for me. Sloan is bouncing up and down. Alec has his hands around his mouth, shouting something. It’s all too much. Lake is the only one who’s giving me a small golf clap. Ryan, even, with his jersey over his shoulder has one of the most genuine smiles I’ve ever seen him give.

There’s only one name after me, but I don’t even hear it. I couldn’t even repeat who’s on the team other than the Ballers and me. I filter back into the line. Everyone goes silent when Coach holds his hands up. He moves in, and we all gather around. “RHS on three. Ready?” I put my hand in, squished between other bodies. For right now, I’m riding a high I don’t want to come down from. I want to bottle this moment and revisit it every time I have another moment of self-doubt. “One, two, RHS!” we all scream, raising our hands in the air.

We disperse, and I’m still shaken that I have no idea what to do or who to turn to. It doesn’t matter because I’m lifted from behind. My dad literally lifts me off my feet and puts me on his shoulder. He slaps my leg. “I knew you could do it.” I’m grinning from ear-to-ear. I steady myself with my hand on his bald head before I see the Ballers make their way over to me. Dad drops me on my feet. “I have to talk to Coach.” When he sneaks by Ryan, he gives him a hearty handshake and then moves on.

“Number nine?” Alec asks. He reaches out and curls his fingers into the waistband of my jeans.

“You know it,” I say.

Lake has made himself busy by making out with his flavor of the week, so we all just stand there looking at one another. “Congratulations, Tessa,” Ryan says. “You deserve it.”

I bite my lip. The crazy tears that dropped are all dry now. “Thanks,” I tell him. I look around. “So, now that we’re all on the same team, can I say something?” They all look to one another, but eventually Ryan shrugs. I take a deep breath. “Don’t you ever do something so stupid as to put your hands in jeopardy again. Are we clear?”

Alec is pretty much the only one who looks properly chastised. Sloan just grins. Hayes looks unaffected. It’s Ryan who steps forward, his gaze hard. “We’ll do all that and more if we have to.”

Tension sparks between us as we stare one another down. This basketball season is going to be very, very interesting.

31

The newness of the moment fades eventually. Dawn gives me goodbye hugs. Students filter out. The new team and I stay right where we are. I look at the dozens of guys and feel a tightness in my chest. These are my people. We’re a team already. From being on plenty of teams in my life, I know from this moment forward we’ll have to work together to achieve what we want. Some of us might not all get along. Hell, some of them might not even want me on this team, but at least they should be able to see that I deserve to be. That’s why I work my ass off.

Surprisingly, Matt makes the team, but Shawn doesn’t. We have too many good centers already, or at least that’s what I hear the rumors are. When I look at the Ballers, I’m not so sure. Sloan is smirking when he sees Shawn talking to Coach, and I’m reminded of the fact that they don’t like him very much. Maybe he didn’t get their vote. It’s not as if Shawn would have been able to start if he did make the team. That’s Hayes through and through. He’s not just a good player for us, he’s the best center in the state.

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