Fast Break by Mike Lupica

Author:Mike Lupica
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2015-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

20

THE SECOND HOME GAME FOR Belmont took place the following Saturday. But it wasn’t just any home game, at least not for Jayson. It almost felt more like an away game.

This one was Belmont against Moreland East.

New school vs. old school. New team vs. old team.

New life vs. his old one.

He’d been thinking about it for weeks, having dreams about matching up against Tyrese, Shabazz, and the rest of his boys, but it was no longer just a thought in his mind anymore. It was real life, and game day had come.

His old team was now just another team he had to beat, the best team in the league, even without him at point guard.

It didn’t mean Belmont wasn’t good enough to beat the Mavericks. It didn’t mean that by the end of the year, Belmont wouldn’t be the best team in the league. But that was a long way off, and if they were going to reach that point, they would need to improve a lot throughout the season.

He wasn’t sure in his heart—looking at the matchups, the only player who really knew the skills and weaknesses of both teams—how they could beat the Mavericks today.

He and Tyrese had been talking about the game all week. Constantly texting and emailing each other. Chirping every chance they got. Each of them telling the other how the game was going to play out. Each of them saying that the other’s team had no chance against his.

Most of the bragging was coming from Tyrese.

“Tell you what,” Tyrese said on the telephone the night before. “You’re gonna be so happy to see me and Shabazz that it won’t hurt so bad when we put a whuppin’ on you tomorrow.”

“We’ll see about that,” Jayson had said. “I hear you’re down a pretty big piece this season at point guard.”

“Should send you the stat sheets, dude. Lil’ Duane has been ripping it up the first couple of games.”

Duane Wright had taken over Jayson’s spot playing the point for Coach Rankin and the Mavericks.

“Kid is niiiiiiiiice,” Tyrese had said. “Can hardly even tell that you’re not around anymore.”

“Then I guess I’ll need to remind you tomorrow what it’s like when I am around.”

“Looking forward to it. And Snap, don’t worry. We’ll be nice to you when it’s over and only one of us is still unbeaten.”

“We’ll see.”

Jayson had tried to watch the Clippers–Warriors game on TV after he hung up, Chris Paul and Steph Curry getting after each other. But he couldn’t pay attention to the game. All he kept thinking about was his game against his old team.

As weird as it was going to feel, as much as he’d been trying to imagine what it was going to be like seeing them warming up at the other end of the court, then going toe-to-toe against Tyrese and Shabazz, one thing still mattered to him above all else: winning. He still hated losing as much as ever.

And this time, it was personal.

He thought about what Zoe

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