9781250209153

The championship game dawns on a cold, rainy Friday. I wake up with a
feeling like I never went to sleep.
The school day passes in a blur. Everyone has game day fever, and
while I’ve experienced this feeling during football season, I’ve never felt it
to this degree, not even during the Christmas Classic. People are wearing
reindeer antlers in class. Student government has taped up a banner with our
team pictures on it. Danielle can’t walk down the hall without our
classmates hugging her. No one even mentions the boys’ basketball team,
which didn’t qualify to play in the championship. For the first time in recent
memory, girls’ basketball is the talk of the town.
As 7:00 P.M. finally approaches, I’m shaking with nerves. Danielle
gathers our team in the locker room and tells every single one of us why
she’s proud of us. Coach Fernandez is there, but she merely hovers in the
background like a phantom. Danielle directs her to carry our water cooler
out to the bench.
When we run onto the court for warm-ups, I wear my jersey and a pair
of lumpy old sweatpants to hide my outfit underneath. I join my teammates
in layup drills and warm-up shots even though I’m not playing until the
second half. I’ll get my real version of a warm-up at halftime.
The bleachers are packed to capacity. Some people are actually standing
beneath them because they can’t find a place to sit. I scan the crowd for my
family and find their line of red hair easily enough; they’re waving posters
and screaming my name. The Zanders are sitting in front of them with a
giant Fathead of Danielle’s face. Mr. Zander keeps making it dance.
It’s harder to find Dr. Abraham in the sea of spectators, but I trust she’s a
woman of her word. She’ll be here.
Funny enough, the last person I look for is Tally, over on the
Candlehawk bench. I almost forgot she was playing tonight. I pictured this
moment for months—the culmination of my dream to outdo her—and now
that it’s here, I feel nothing for her. The realization makes me laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Danielle asks, jiggling her leg nervously.
“Nothing. Are you ready, Coach?”