A pounding on his door woke Jacob after he’d barely fallen asleep. Something in the back of his mind told him he needed to answer the knock, and he pulled himself from the deep sleep he’d entered. Groaning, he sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked at his clock—12:15 p.m. Hazel was pacing on his desk.
“Finally!” she said. “You’re awake! Important day today!”
Matt slammed the door open and ran in the room.
“Basketball, Jacob! Basketball!”
Jacob bolted from his bed, horrified. Lunch would start soon, and along with it, his only chance to prove himself on the court.
He nearly bowled Matt over in his rush to get to the bathroom to wash the dirt off his face.
“You’re still playing, right?” Matt’s eyes were bloodshot—an hour or so of sleep just wasn’t enough for either of them. “You have to!”
Jacob nodded, brushing his teeth.
“I’ll be out in the truck,” Matt said.
How could Jacob have forgotten to set his alarm? Even with the stress of the night before, today was one of the most important days of his life. He finished up in the bathroom, threw on gym clothes, yelled a goodbye to his mom, and jumped in the truck.
They sped to the high school, Jacob leaning against the dashboard, trying to make the truck go faster. Matt babbled advice and encouragement on the way. The grogginess fled out of Jacob’s body as he thought of the upcoming game.
They pulled into the parking lot right as the bell rang for lunch—Matt dropped Jacob off at the door nearest the orange gym and Jacob barged down the hallway, carrying his ball under one arm. His friends were waiting for him.
“You made it!” Tani said. “Where have you been?”
“In bed.”
She frowned. “You sick?”
He shook his head and entered the gym. Kevin spotted him, and Jacob raised an eyebrow at the lanky 9th grader. Kevin nodded once. Apparently Jacob still had permission to play.
“Dude, you’ve got mud in your hair,” Tani said.
Jacob waved her hands away and ran out onto the court, bouncing his ball, shooting hoops. He missed a couple and panic hit him—what if he messed up? And what on earth was he doing? He’d only had one hour of sleep, after a strenuous night of hard physical labor! He faltered, missing another warm-up shot.
“Come on, Jacob, not chickening out now, are you?” Kevin asked, stealing the ball. Jacob swallowed—he couldn’t find his voice to answer, but raced after Kevin, determined to get his ball back without looking like an idiot.
Mr. Coolidge separated the students into two teams, giving Jacob a look—disappointment, maybe? Jacob had missed his class that morning. Kevin and Jacob ended up on the same team—the home team.
Jacob wiped his palms on his gym shorts, trying to control the shaking in his arms. Why was he nervous? There was no reason to be—he’d played basketball in front of groups a lot larger than this before.
Coolidge blew his whistle, and the game started. Jacob played forward—a position he didn’t normally fill. The away team made the first score. He grabbed the ball and ran across the court, tossing it off to another teammate, then got jostled around by the more experienced seniors, who leered at him as they passed. Coolidge watched him again, but this time with concern.
Jacob closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated on one thing and one thing only—playing his heart out. Forgetting where he was and who he played with. Focusing on letting his body take over. Showing Birmingham he could do this. Showing everyone he was a valuable player.
Then Jacob put it all behind him, and began playing.
Adrenaline shot through him as he rushed to follow the other players. A clarity entered his mind he’d never felt before, and everything about him tuned in to the game only. The sounds of the students watching—the cheers, the jibes—faded away. Fear drained from his system, replaced by confidence and excitement.
Jacob was home.
This, he could handle. He’d been the star of his junior high team—by light-years. He was comfortable having eyes on him while on court. All his frustrations, his lack of control over the situation with Aloren, melted away. He shot the ball through the hoop. The away team scored and Jacob rebounded, passing the ball to a senior, who made a perfect layup.
The other team had the ball again, but Kevin stole it and raced down the court, then handed it off to Jacob, who tossed it up and in. Jacob heard a few cheers, and a familiar sensation of elation hit him.
The away team made a couple baskets in a row, tying the game. Jacob got the ball again and strode forward, dribbling it casually. He’d never been a show-off, but was tempted to do something cool—like running, flipping in the air, and slam-dunking the ball. He opted not to, focusing instead on winning. He passed the ball to Kevin, who made a three-point shot.
The students went wild, and the teams began playing in a frenzy—racing back and forth, shooting and making, shooting and missing, each team putting their all into the game.
What felt like seconds later, it ended, with Jacob’s team winning by ten points. The members of the team gave each other high-fives, including Jacob in the celebration. None of them sneered at him now.
Tani bounced up to him, a wide grin on her face. “That was so awesome,” she said, handing Jacob a towel. “I think that’s the best I’ve seen you play!”
An arm encased Jacob’s shoulders. “You never told me you could actually play basketball, Jake,” Coach Birmingham said.
Tani rolled her eyes, but Jacob just smiled in response.
“You and Kev work really well together.”
At the sound of his name, Kevin turned around.
Coach continued. “I want you to try out in November. If all goes well, you’ll end up on JV with Kevin. You had some stage fright there for a while—play in the gym every day from now on. That’ll help.”
Kevin appraised Jacob, his eyebrows up, but he didn’t look too upset over what his dad had just said.
Jacob turned to get his things, a huge grin nearly splitting his features. He and Matt headed home to get more sleep. After he finished his shower, Jacob sank into his blankets, the feeling of elation returning. He’d done it! He’d actually done it! He couldn’t wait to play in the orange gym tomorrow. It felt so good to be part of something like this again. And not only were his basketball opportunities finally falling into place, but they’d be able to get Aloren soon!
Life couldn’t get any better.
Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3 Page 75
