Katie P.'s Short Story

Up and Down

I sat there, waiting, staring out of the window, just tossing my lucky red ball up and down in the air. Where was Megan? She called me an hour ago from the restaurant where her family was having dinner and I had been waiting ever since. I clearly recall Megan saying she would be back from the restaurant in 30 minutes. We were going to get together as soon as she got home. Up and down, up and down, I tossed the ball as the seconds ticked away on the clock.
I met Megan on the day that my family and I moved in next door to her several months earlier. I remember she came over with her parents and a basket of delicious chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were still warm from the oven and their delicious aroma filled our entire house. I also remember my dog, Chestnut, jumping up, trying to get the cookies from Megan's basket. Megan was obviously a little nervous around our jumpy little beagle, but she smiled anyway. We instantly became great friends.
I continued to stare our the window, and finally, after five more minutes of waiting, the big, gray SUV pulled into Megan's driveway. I always thought it looked a bit like the tank we saw at the military museum. I ran out the door as soon as I spotted it.
"Hi Rachel!" Megan shouted as she jumped out of the car. "I'm sorry that we are late, the snow slowed us down."
"That's okay," I replied.
I couldn't believe it. I barely even noticed the snow. Tiny snowflakes fell from the sky. It was my first winter in Massachusetts. I was excited because I knew it would get much colder and whiter than in Florida. I had only seen snow once before. But, the snow also meant that I wouldn't be playing soccer all year round. I was forced to quit my
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team before we moved and I hated quitting, even if I was forced to.
"I'm sorry, Rachel. I know I just got home, but I have basketball tryouts. Do you want to come?" Megan asked. "I would like having a friend there."
"Sure!" I said, "but I have to check with my folks." I turned around and saw my dad walk outside. "Hey Dad, can I go to basketball tryouts with Megan?" I asked.
"Sure!" he shouted back. "You can even try out for the team. It will help you keep you in shape until soccer season."
"Thanks Dad! I shouted. I tuned back to Megan. "Lets go!" I said.
"Okay!" Megan replied. "Tryouts are at the Basketball League gym with Coach Bells, just down the street. We can walk."
We started walking down the road which was starting to be covered in white. Up ahead, I could see a sign with the word BASKETBALL written on it in big orange letters. We turned onto the driveway to see a big square building with BASKETBALL LEAGUE printed on the side in dark orange letters.
We walked through the snow until we finally reached a red door with a big window in the middle. Bells rang as the door opened. I looked in to see a nice bright lobby. There were several large plants near the windows and a bright orange rug. We walked around chairs and tables until we got to the door to the court.
About ten girls our age were sitting on the bleachers. They looked nervous and excited at the same time. As we took our seats, a woman wearing an orange shirt walked in and blew a whistle.
"Is that Coach Bells?" I asked Megan in a whisper.
"Yeah," Megan whispered back.
Everyone stood up, except for me. I wasn't planning on trying out for the team. I
took out my little lucky red ball and started tossing it up and down to pass the time. 2
"Girls," Coach Bells said, "to try out, first state your name, then you will do your best to pass me, then shoot. Don't worry, it won't be hard."
"You first," the coach continued, pointing at Megan, who was at the end of the line.
"My name is Megan," she stated confidently.
"Okay Megan," Coach Bells replied, "let's see what you can do."
I watched in awe as Megan dribbled the ball smoothly around the coach and down the court, and made an amazing shot. I starting clapping along with the other girls.
"Great job!" the coach exclaimed, taking notes on a clipboard.
Everyone in the line tried their best. One girl could barely make it halfway across the court. She really didn't seem like she was trying very hard and didn't even really seem to like playing basketball.
The next day, we all returned to the gym to hear the results of the tryouts. The coach announced who made the team. Then, Megan raised her hand.
"Yes?" Coach Bells said.
"Aren't we one member short?" asked Megan.
"Yes, sadly there weren't enough people at tryouts. Well, there were, but Phoebe didn't really want to be on the team, she was only joining her friend for support," Coach Bells said. "We'll have to hold another tryout soon."
"She quit? But, if we don't have a full squad, we'll lose practice time!" a girl named Ashley complained.
"Do you have another suggestion? Does anyone?" asked Coach Bells.
"There's Rachel," suggested Megan. "Why don't you give her a try, Coach?"
At the sound of my name, I snatched my ball from the air and looked over at
Megan. Oh no, I thought. She wasn't really asking me to tryout, was she? She wouldn't
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make me do it, would she? She knew basketball wasn't my sport, but I also knew that it was her favorite. The whole team stared at me with pleading eyes.
"Please just try, " Megan pleaded.
I knew I should try. I owed her for all of those times when she helped me. I was terrified since I'd never played on a basketball team before. But, I knew I was a pretty good athlete. What should I do?
"Please," Megan begged. "I know basketball isn't your thing, but you're good at every sport you try. Please!"
I didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of all these girls from school but I didn't want them to think I was afraid, either. I didn't want to let Megan down. She was my best friend. There was no time to find an excuse. I had to make a decision immediately. What could I say?
"Okay," I muttered. "I'll give it a try."
I stood up and walked slowly down the bleachers. I remembered the other girls' tryouts. It looked just like soccer, but they dribbled the ball with their hands. I'll just use my soccer moves, I thought. My hand-eye coordination wasn't that bad. I was always tossing around my little lucky red ball and didn't drop it very often. And, I had played a little bit of basketball in gym class. I felt like I was shaking all over as the coach passed me the ball.
"Let's go," she said.
I slowly started dribbling the ball and then as she approached, I dived around her bouncing the ball with my left hand. I saw that she was watching me as I dribbled toward the basket. With every step closer, I was shaking a little less and finally I passed the three point line and flung the ball at the hoop. To my surprise, the ball breezed through the net.
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"Nice shot! You made it!" Coach Bells shouted over the cheers of my new teammates. "Be at practice next Saturday at noon!"
I walked back outside with Megan.
"That was so awesome," she exclaimed. "You were great!"
"I was lucky," I said. "I'm not a basketball player. I got to the net with an open path and the ball just happened to go in. I've never made a basket before in my life. I've barely even played basketball before.! I don't think I even know all the rules. I don't want your team to lose because of me!"
"It's our team now. Besides, I could help you practice," Megan suggested as we walked up to our houses. "I'll see you tomorrow and we can practice."
"Okay," I replied.
I walked up the driveway and I saw my dad getting into the car. He must be going to the store, I thought.
"How'd it go?" he asked.
"I made the team," I replied unenthusiastically. "They needed another player, I got lucky, and now I'm the newest member of the Jamestown Jaguars junior basketball team."
"Congratulations!" he exclaimed, "I'm proud of you."
"Don't be. I'm not sure I want to play. I don't want them to lose because I don't know what I'm doing. I think I should quit."
"Quit? Don't be silly, Rach. You know that quitters never win and winners never quit. You're a winner. You tried something new and you made the team. You're an excellent athlete and you can easily learn the rules to the game. Your mom is going to be proud of you, too. And you'll be playing with Megan, you'll like that," Dad pointed out.
"Listen, I'm going to the store to pick up a couple of things. You can come with me and
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then we can go to the rec center. We can practice a little together. What do you say? I used to be a pretty decent basketball player, myself."
"Yeah, right, Dad. Okay," I replied.
I pulled the car door open and climbed in. My dad had recently opened a new recreation center on the other side of town and I hadn't seen Dad's new place yet, so I was looking forward to it.
After picking up some cereal and vegetables for my mom, we continued on to the rec center. As we pulled in to the parking lot, I noticed the big blue letters that spelled SPORTS on the front of the building. Sports were a big thing to my dad. I knew he appreciated that I was an athlete like he was. I started tossing it in the air like my little lucky ball. I guess I always do that when I'm nervous. Dad turned the key in the lock and the door swung open. He led me past the pool and racquetball courts and opened a door to the gym and tossed me a basketball.
"Why don't you set the timer? We have to be home by 4:15," my dad reminded me.
I glanced at the clock. It was 3:30pm, I thought, so I had half an hour before we'd have to leave to get home on time. I went over to the control table and set the timer. It was just like the timer in the last recreation center my dad had run. Then, I switched on the scoreboard to record how many baskets I made.
I stood at the middle of the court, keeping my eyes on the net. I can do this, I thought, tossing the ball up and down as I stood with my feet frozen to the spot. Look how well I did at the tryout. Finally, I managed to move my feet and dribble down the court. I could handle the ball pretty well both left-handed and right-handed. This isn't too tough, I thought. The net was straight ahead of me. I flung the ball through the air. It bounced off the backboard and landed back in my hands. I decided to try a couple more
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times. Shot after shot, the ball refused to go in the net and I chased it around the gym. I dribbled in a little closer. I shot from the left side and I shot from the right side. The scoreboard still read 0 and the timer only had fifteen minutes left. I couldn't believe it. I felt horrible. I was trying to help Megan and I probably just ruined her team's chances of winning.
"How's it going?" my dad asked as he popped his head in the door.
"Just great, Dad," I responded sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, Rach, I have a problem I have to deal with. You're going to have to keep practicing alone today," he called as he closed the door.
It was just as well. I didn't want my dad to be disappointed in me. I shot some more and some more, hoping that time would help. It didn't. The ball went up, but came down on the far side of the backboard. I shot it up again, and it dropped short. I just couldn't make a shot. Suddenly, the buzzer blared. I glanced up at the scoreboard knowing what it showed. My score was 0. I hung my head. What was I doing? What was I going to tell Megan? I had to quit now so that the team could find another player. I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of all of those girls, and in front of the coach, and my parents! Quitters never win and winners never quit. How many times had I heard that in my life. Was I a quitter?
I woke up the next morning when the phone rang next to me at 10:13am.
"Hello," I mumbled into the phone.
"Hi Rachel!" a cheery voice bubbled from the other end of the line. It took me a moment to realize it was Megan.
"Hi Megan," I replied.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the gym to practice a little. I could help give you some tips on basketball," she offered.
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Should I tell her I wanted to quit and that yesterday had been total luck? She'd be so disappointed. What should I say?
"That would be great," I muttered, not knowing what else to say.
I thought it might be easier for her to see how poorly I played and then tell her I was quitting. I really didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the other team members nor in front of anyone else coming to watch a game.
"I'll meet you outside at 10:30. Is that okay?" Megan asked.
"Sure," I replied. "See you then."
I put on my light blue sweat suit and my sneakers and pounded down the stairs. I grabbed a freshly baked banana muffin and a clementine for breakfast and poured a tall glass of Tropicana orange juice.
A look at the clock told me it was 10:20. As I gobbled down my breakfast, I glanced out the window and saw Megan saying goodbye to her parents.
"Mom, is it okay if I go to the gym and practice basketball with Megan?" I asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Wow. You're pretty enthusiastic about basketball all of a sudden," she noted.
"Not really, Just nervous," I muttered, tossing my good luck ball up and down a few times.
"It's fine for you to go," Dad added. "Good luck."
I slumped out the door, pushed through the bushes between our driveways, and was at Megan's side. We jogged down the driveway and down to the gym. When we pushed open the door, we saw our coach sitting in the lobby.
"What are you two doing here today?" she questioned, barely even looking up at us as she typed something out on her laptop.
"We were just going to get a little practice in," Megan said, "to help Rachel with
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some of the basics."
"Okay then, you can do that," Coach Bells agreed.
"Thanks," we shouted as we pushed open the door that led to the court.
A bright orange basket full of orange basketballs was right next to the bleachers. Megan grabbed one ball for herself and passed another one to me.
"First, we'll go over dribbling," Megan began. "You're not allowed to hold the ball and run. That's called traveling. You must always dribble the ball when you have it and are moving on the court."
Megan starting bouncing the ball as she continued. "The best way to dribble is with the pads of your fingers, not with your palms and not with your fingertips. That's how you'll have the best control of the ball."
"Like this?" I asked as I started to dribble the ball.
"Perfect," Megan replied. "Now, it is important to always know exactly where the ball is. It's good if you can do it without looking directly at the ball. Usually you can see it out of the corner of your eye and also be aware of where your opponents are."
What Megan told me made sense, but seemed difficult for someone who spent most of her life coordinating her feet more than her hands. As I was contemplating everything Megan had explained, she beckoned me over to one of the hoops.
"When you shoot, have one arm bent pretty much under the ball, and the other hand on the side guiding the ball," Megan told me. "Once you have the position and you're on target, you can shoot!" Megan released the ball and it swished through the net. "Now you try," Megan continued.
I stepped onto the spot Megan had just occupied and threw the ball to the hoop. I made it!
"That was awesome!" Megan exclaimed. "You're a natural!"
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For the next hour, we practiced shooting and even played a short one-on-one game. I started feeling more at home on the court and even made a couple of baskets. Megan and I practiced every day that week. Practicing with Megan was fun and I was starting to get excited about playing. Maybe I could help the team. Maybe I wasn't so bad. And…it's a fun sport! I decided not to quit and instead of sitting around at home tossing my little red ball in the air, I started constantly carrying around a basketball and tossing it up and down in the air. I felt more and more at ease with the orange ball.
When the following Saturday came, the coach told us that since everyone knew the basics of how to play, we could start a game that she would referee. She wanted to see how we worked together on the court. I was on a team with Megan and we worked together well after practicing all week together. I scored seven points, intercepted two passes and stole the ball twice. My team won 29 to 23. Playing a real game was a lot of fun.
"You did really well," Megan stated enthusiastically as we walked home.
"Thanks!" I replied. "You did, too. I was amazed I could do that well. Before working with you, when I was practicing at my dad's sports center, I couldn't make one basket. I was ready to quit, but I didn't know how to tell you."
"Maybe you do your best when you're playing with others, " Megan suggested.
"I think your instruction really helped," I replied. "Before, I was just kind of throwing the ball at the basket. Now I feel like I know how to shoot. The ball goes up and swish, down through the net! Two points! Thanks," I told her as we approached our houses. "Thanks again for convincing me to play. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You're welcome," Megan acknowledged. "Bye."
I jogged across to my house and I burst through the door and saw my mom baking cookies.
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"Hey, Rachel! How did practice go?" she asked looking up from rolling balls of dough.
"It was great! Coach Bells let us play a game. I scored seven points!" I screamed.
"Seven points! That's fantastic!" my mom shouted back. "In a while, we can eat these cookies to celebrate! But stop screaming!"
"Okay," I whispered. "By the way, Coach Bells informed us that we have our first game on Friday. That's in only six days. We're playing against the Harwinton Hawks."
My mom nodded. "Okay, we'll be there."
I ran upstairs to share the good news with my dad.
"Hi Jessica," I murmured as I passed my older sister in the hall. She just nodded, and I saw she was texting her friends.
I practiced every day with Megan at the league court, and Coach Bells always complimented us on our skills and improvement. At practices, we would begin with the basics, and then play a game. We all gave 100% every day. I was learning more and more each day. I couldn't wait until our game against the Hawks. I learned that they were the league champions each of the past three years. It would be a tough game.
Every day, I would stare at the clock, hoping it would go faster.
Finally, the day came. I went to the gym with Megan and Coach Bells handed out our uniforms. Number 20 was on my uniform. After everyone changed in the locker room, we went out to the court to warm up. At noon, people starting filing in to the gym and filling the bleachers. I saw our opponents emerge from the visitors' locker room wearing dark green uniforms. They looked dull next to the bright orange that we were wearing. The announcers sat behind the score table and one of them switched on the scoreboard. We were about to start.
"This is so exciting," Megan exclaimed as she walked up beside me.
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"I know," I agreed 100% with Megan.
Coach Bells had assigned positions at the last practice and announced the starters. I was a starting forward and Megan was a starting guard. We all took our positions as the fans settled into their seats and quieted down.
The whistle blew. The Hawks took possession of the ball. A tall, dark haired
girl ran down the court and tried for a three point shot. The shot was low, so I jumped up and knocked the ball out of the air and hit it to my teammate, Ashley. She caught it and passed it to Megan who dribbled down to the other net for an easy lay-up.
"Great job, Rachel," Coach Bells shouted from the sidelines over the cheering crowd. "Good pass, Ashley. Nice shot, Megan."
When the buzzer sounded for halftime, we were ahead 22-19. Our team gathered on the chairs beside the court.
"You girls are doing a great job!" the coach exclaimed.
Everyone got a quick drink of water and a few minutes of much needed rest before we headed back to the court. The game started again. It was close throughout the second half. With ten seconds left on the clock, Coach Bells called a time out. The score was tied.
"Now," Coach Bells declared," we can do this. This is how we'll do this. Ashley, you'll inbound the ball to Megan. Rachel, you'll go up to the top of the key and Megan will get the ball to you. Make sure you're open. I nodded and so did Ashley and Megan. "Ashley, once you inbound the ball, cut to the outside corner. Rachel, if you have a shot, take it. If not, Ashley is our back up. Get the ball to her if you can't take the shot yourself. Got it?"
With everyone agreed, "Go Jaguars!" we shouted in unison.
Play began again. Ten seconds left. Ashley got the ball to Megan with nine
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seconds left. I was at the top of the key but was covered. Eight seconds left. Megan dribbled up to the three point line. Six seconds left. I dodged around the tallest of the Hawks as Megan passed me the ball. Four seconds left. I turned to spot the basket. Ashley was covered. Two seconds left. A quick side step around their guard and I flung the ball into the air as the buzzer sounded. The ball bounced up off the rim and then dropped…swish through the net!
I just stood there, amazed. I looked up at the scoreboard and it read HOME-46,
VISITORS - 44. Everyone was jumping for joy!
"You did it!" Megan shouted as she ran over to me. "We won! We beat the Hawks! We've never beaten the Hawks before!"
"We did it!" I exclaimed, "together."
After everyone settled down, I found my parents in the crowd.
"You were amazing," my mom cried with tears of happiness in her eyes.
I couldn't believe it. This was my first real game and I made the buzzer shot. I had almost given up. I had wanted to quit. I owe a lot to Megan. I would never have been able to make the shot without her. I would never have even tried. Friends are really important in life. She helped me learn that you should never give up and that if you really set your mind to something, you can do it. Winners never quit. I'm going to remember that lesson for the rest of my life.