Twins by Marcy Dermansky

Author:Marcy Dermansky
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

Chloe

Nothing felt as good as making a jump shot and watching Mr. Markman nod his head in silent approval. Or when he hooted after I made my first reverse layup. He had dared me to do it, and remembering his moves from the videotapes, I’d taken a run at the basket. I couldn’t believe it when the shot went in. There was nothing Sue could do to take that away from me. No cold glare from Lisa or Todd could stop me from returning to their house to practice basketball with their father in his gym.

Once again, I made the decision to become a new person. I gave up on the idea of being an exceptional student. I had to accept the fact that, as hard as I tried, I was not and would never be extraordinary at school. As Sue liked to say, any idiot who studied enough could get good grades. I had agonized over French and still made the same mistakes over and over.

But in just a few weeks, I had mastered both the right- and the left-handed layup. I had a killer fadeaway jump shot and what Mr. Markman said was essential to any elite player: a pair of fast hands. Mr. Markman said that should I choose to develop my skill, I could be a top player, because I had a natural gift. A gift. I repeated these words silently to myself throughout the day—when I was at home waiting for Sue to come out of the bathroom, or watching her walk through the halls at school, following Lisa. I didn’t like the two of them together. I was certain that they were conspiring to get me, but I pretended not to notice. I tried to concentrate on what was important: basketball.

Mr. Markman had convinced me that I had to play on a team to fully expand my talents. He also told me that it would be selfish not to play for an audience. Gifts, he said, need to be shared. The day before the high school team tryouts, Mr. Markman presented me with wonderful presents: a pair of Nike Air basketball sneakers and a stuffed animal, a soft white polar bear with a red ribbon around its neck. Mr. Markman had a way of looking at me and making me feel special.

Mr. Markman was proud of me when I made the varsity squad. He wanted me to play on the team, and so I would, but I hated the idea of giving up my afternoons with him. I had started playing basketball just to be near him. If he had been a skydiving teacher, I would have eagerly jumped out of an airplane. The team practices made me nervous. I was one of fifteen other girls; all of them, I was sure, would dislike me if I made too many shots or outran them during the drills. I was wary of the team coach, who called me Swiss Miss, making it clear how much I stood out on the almost all-black team.

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