Fast Break

by Derek Jeter

  “Just come on by my house after school,” said Derek, a sly grin spreading over his face, “and I’ll show you.”

  Chapter Fifteen ON WITH THE SHOW!

  Vijay looked shocked when Sam rang the bell at Derek’s house. “What are you doing here, Sam?” he asked.

  Sam shrugged. “Derek said to be here, so I’m here.”

  “Welcome!” Vijay said, ushering Sam inside. “You are most, most welcome!”

  Sam took a seat on the couch, and Derek proceeded to explain why he was there.

  “Oh. Wow,” said Sam, his good mood fading in a hurry. “Aw, guys, I don’t know. It’s kind of… last-minute, isn’t it? I would need a lot of practice to do something like that.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Derek assured him. “Sam, I’ve seen your moves—on the basketball court. All you have to do is put on some monster makeup and a cape and pretend you’re driving the lane—in slow motion!”

  “Huh?”

  “Hey, if it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else,” said Derek. “But at least you’ll be doing something you’re used to.”

  They tried it out—and it kind of worked okay. But then Sam said, “You know, it might be better if I had an actual basketball.”

  “I don’t think so,” Vijay said. “The audience wouldn’t get it. Just pretend you do.”

  “It’ll look pretty weird,” said Sam.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Vijay assured him. “In this case, weird is good! You’re a monster, remember? Monsters are supposed to be weird.”

  “Oh. Well, okay, then. Let’s try it one more time.”

  He wasn’t Gary—but Sam seemed to get the general idea. After the first couple of times, he even got into it a little bit.

  After half an hour, it was time for Sam to leave. But as he was going, he had one more thing to say. “Just so you guys know—I mean, so you’re not surprised when I mess up—I’ve never been in front of an audience before, other than in a basketball game.”

  After he left, Derek and Vijay looked at each other. “Well, you know what they say,” Derek offered. “Ninety percent of life is just showing up. He’s got Gary beat there!”

  * * *

  The school parking lot was mobbed. Derek stared out through the drops of rain that coated the car windows. It was going to be a full house tonight.

  Well, he wasn’t surprised. There was a lot of talent at Saint Augustine’s school, and all that talent had parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, and lots and lots of friends.

  “I’m so excited!” Sharlee piped up, clapping her hands. “My brother is going to be the star of the whole show!”

  “Don’t jinx me,” Derek told her, although he grinned when he said it.

  He was nervous, of course. More so every minute as the time crept closer. But he loved his sister’s confidence in him. It was like listening to Vijay. Both of them always thought things were going to turn out great.

  Vijay had had a few dark moments over this show, for sure. But today in school, he’d once again been like his usual self—upbeat and confident about their chances. Gary’s desertion had sent Vijay into a tailspin. Sam’s arrival had lifted him right back up again.

  As for Derek, he was trying to keep on more of an even keel. Every night this week he’d dreamt of things going wrong—just like Gary had. He only hoped those dreams didn’t predict the future.

  At any rate, there was no turning back now. Derek kept repeating all the things his parents had told him: “If you give it your best, you haven’t failed.” “Mistakes are there to learn from so you can improve.” “The only failure is not even trying.”

  He knew it was all true. So why didn’t it help him now?

  He was as nervous as he could ever remember being. Even in a championship baseball game, he seemed to be able to hold it together and focus so that he could come through in the clutch.

  But this was different. This was not baseball. It wasn’t even basketball! It wasn’t something he’d been practicing and working at his entire life—it was totally, terrifyingly new. Sure, he’d danced before, but only at home, or once or twice at people’s weddings or birthday parties.

  “Here we are!” Mrs. Jeter said. “You take the kids inside, Jeter,” she told her husband. “I’ll park the car.”

  The three of them got out and ran through the rain to the front door of the school, while Mrs. Jeter continued on, looking for a parking spot.

  “Derek, you’ve got to get backstage,” said his dad. “Good luck, son. You’re going to be just fine.” He held Derek by both shoulders and looked him right in the eye. “Just focus on doing the routine. The rest will follow naturally.”

  “First place or bust!” Sharlee chirped, hugging Derek.

  “Sharlee, come on now,” Derek said. “Just clap loud, okay?”

  “Uh-huh!”

  “Come on, Sharlee,” said Mr. Jeter. “Let’s go find some good seats for us and Mom.”

  * * *

  Vijay was backstage, hopping up and down to use up his excess energy. “Derek!” he called, waving. “Over here!”

  The stage at Saint Augustine’s was large, but the backstage area was tight and crowded with props. “Where are we supposed to hang out till our entrance?” Derek asked.

  “Downstairs in the cafeteria,” said Vijay. “But I wanted to make sure our set was ready.”

  “Our set? What set?”

  “See this door?” Vijay showed Derek a freestanding doorframe. “When we open this door, Sam will be standing there, in full costume!”

  “Great!” Derek said. “Where’d you manage to get this?”

  “Sally Spitzer is the stage manager for the drama club—she hooked me up with it.”

  Sally lived in Mount Royal Townhouses, right next door to Vijay. She made her own go-karts and could fix anything broken.

  “Nice!” Derek said.

  “She’s going to run our spotlight, too!” Vijay said. “I told her to keep it on Sam once he comes out.”

  “Speaking of Sam… where is he?” Derek asked.

  Vijay frowned. “I haven’t seen him… but I’m sure he’ll be here.… You don’t think he would—”

  “Drop out on us? Not a chance,” Derek said. “I did him a solid last month, helping him out on those tests. He won’t let us down, don’t worry.”

  Derek tried the doorknob. “Cool. Who’s going to open it—me or you?”

  “I think you should do it,” Vijay said. “I’m supposed to be the timid one, remember?” It was the way they’d laid out the story—Derek convincing Vijay to make a bad choice, daring him to enter the haunted house.

  “Well, hello there, suckers!”

  “Gary!” Derek said. “What are you doing back here?”

  “Just wanted to wish you two the best of luck—you’re totally going to need it! Ha!”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t just stay home,” Derek said. “Since you think talent shows are such a waste of time.”

  “He thinks everything is a waste of time,” Vijay said with a touch of bitterness.

  “Not everything,” Gary said. “Just everything you two clowns are into.”

  “I think he just dropped out because he was too chicken,” Derek told Vijay.

  “Chicken? Well, I call it smart,” said Gary, unconvinced. “And the only reason I bothered to brave the rainstorm to come here is that I wanted to see for myself just how big a disaster I got myself out of!”

  “You got yourself out of it by breaking your word,” Derek reminded him. “You’re going to have to live with that, one way or the other.”

  “No problem,” said Gary. “I can live with being a cop-out—it beats making a fool out of myself in front of everyone I know.” He sniggered. “Well, I’d better go find myself a front row seat.”

  He laughed—the same laugh he’d used as the monster—and left the two of them there, alone in the semidarkness.

  “I can’t stand that guy,” Vijay said.

  “A
h, he’s not all bad.”

  “No?”

  “Nah. Remember how he helped our team win the Little League championship?”

  “He had to do that! His mother made him play!”

  “Yeah, but he could have dropped that fly ball on purpose. It was the biggest catch of the whole season. That’s got to count for something.”

  “Says you. I say he’s my least favorite person in our whole class.”

  Derek sighed. “Never mind him. Let’s make him eat his words, huh?”

  “Right!” Vijay said, giving Derek a smile. “And when we win the first prize trophy, we will bring it to class and put it right on his desk, so he can see it up close!”

  * * *

  If Derek had been nervous before, when he got to the cafeteria and saw all the kids who were going to be their competition, he really started to sweat.

  Harry Chen was there with his guitar—Derek had heard him play once in the music room, and he was incredible. Daisy Hargrove had been taking voice lessons since she was five years old—she’d already played two leads in musicals at the local community theater. Eva Katz was in her toe shoes, ready to show everybody her ballet moves. All these kids seemed calm and ready, primed to do their best.

  Could Derek and Vijay stand up to the competition?

  And where was Sam?

  When Mrs. Seymour came downstairs and called for the first three acts to follow her upstairs, it was seven fifteen. The show was supposed to have started at seven, but these kinds of shows always started late.

  A good thing too—because where was Sam? “He can’t have forgotten about it,” Derek said aloud.

  Vijay knew exactly whom Derek was talking about. “We don’t know Sam that well. Maybe he just decided not to come. Or chickened out, like Gary.”

  “I still say he’ll be here.”

  “And if he’s not? What do we do then? We’re listed as going on fifteenth. I’m thinking that’s in about forty-five minutes, right? If he’s not here in fifteen, I suggest we tell Mrs. Seymour. She’ll know what to do.”

  “Maybe she’ll let us go last or something,” Derek said hopefully.

  “Or something… ,” Vijay echoed, his voice trailing off to a whisper.

  “Mi, mi, mi, miiii… mi, mi, mi!” sang Daisy Hargrove, warming up her voice.

  Wow, thought Derek. She sure can hit a high note.…

  Eva Katz did a few pirouettes, and Harry Chen tuned up his guitar, playing some amazing riffs just to warm up his fingers.

  “Show-offs, all of them,” Vijay muttered. But neither he nor Derek got up to practice any of their dance moves.

  No one knew what kind of act they were about to perform. Derek and Vijay had kept it a complete secret. The only thing anyone knew about it was that the song “Thriller” was involved—and even that was only because it had to be listed in the program.

  Mrs. Seymour came down and got the next three performers.

  “Where are the first three?” Vijay wondered. “What happened to them?”

  “I think you can go out and sit in the back of the audience after you’re done,” Derek said. “Hey, we’d better get in costume, huh?”

  “For sure!” said Vijay, glad to have something to do except worry.

  They grabbed their backpacks and headed for the boys’ room. There, Derek changed into his outfit—warm-up gear with cool stripes down the shirtsleeves and pant legs, all in black, silver, and gold.

  Vijay stepped out of the stall where he had gone to change.

  “Wow!” Derek gasped. “Awesome, Vij!”

  “You think so? Me too!” Vijay looked like a Bollywood superstar. He wore a red spangled jacket, bright blue pants, and sneakers that were painted gold. On top of it, he sported huge sunglasses, with a silver star over each eye!

  “Okay!” Derek said. “Let’s go get ’em!” They went back into the cafeteria, drawing stares from the other performers who were still waiting their turn.

  Sure, they both looked good. But time was passing by, and still no Sam. It was already 7:35, and the second hand kept on circling round and round, round and round.

  Where was he?

  Now Derek was starting to get spooked out for real. He’d been sure Sam wouldn’t back out of his commitment. But Vijay was right—neither of them knew Sam that well. Anything was possible.…

  Numbers seven through nine were called, then ten through twelve.

  “Mrs. Seymour?” Derek finally asked. “Um, we’re missing one of our performers.”

  “Well, now is a fine time to tell me,” she said huffily. “You and Vijay are the only ones listed on the program.… ”

  “Yes, but we have a surprise guest star,” Vijay said. “And he’s not here!”

  “Can’t you go on without him?”

  “No!” Vijay said. “It’s not possible!”

  “Well, you still have a little time,” she said. “Who is this mystery guest, may I ask?”

  “Sam Rockman,” Derek said.

  “Oh! Why didn’t you say so?” she asked. “Sam’s been sitting backstage for the past hour—he’s in costume and makeup and didn’t want anyone to see what he looked like before the show!”

  Derek and Vijay looked at each other, a flood of relief coursing through them. “Makeup?” Vijay repeated. “He didn’t say anything about makeup.… ”

  “Well, be prepared,” she told them. “I had quite a shock myself when I saw him!”

  * * *

  It was as if new life had been injected into both the boys. Derek suddenly couldn’t sit still. He started doing stretches, bouncing up and down, spinning around once or twice, doing a little moonwalking.

  Vijay, too, was all motion. It was practically deserted down here now, with twelve of the contestants already gone.

  Mrs. Seymour appeared again. “Thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen,” she announced. “Come with me, please.”

  Harry Chen got up and slung his guitar over his shoulder. Daisy Hargrove cleared her throat. And Derek and Vijay followed them up the stairs.

  “I can’t wait to see what Sam looks like!” Vijay said.

  “I sure hope whatever he did looks good,” Derek agreed.

  They need not have worried. Sam was not only in full costume, with a black cape and top hat—he was also in complete clown white makeup, except for black circles around his eyes and black lips that made his teeth stand out like fangs! He’d even pasted long, sharp, fake nails onto his fingertips!

  “Hi, guys!” he said. “Ready to go. You?”

  “Boy, are we glad to see you!” Derek said.

  “You look horrible!” Vijay said. “It’s fantastic!”

  “Thanks!” Sam said. “Grrrr!” He stuck his fingernails out at them, and both boys giggled softly.

  “SSSHhh!” said Harry Chen, who was awaiting his turn to go on.

  Derek and Vijay put fingers to their mouths, but they couldn’t hide their smiles.

  Harry blew the audience away, playing some Jimi Hendrix song that went so fast it was totally dazzling. The crowd shouted and gave him a standing ovation, and Harry came offstage wearing a smile that practically screamed I win!

  Not to be outdone, Daisy Hargrove went out there and sang an aria. Her high note at the end made a glass of water that was standing on a table backstage rattle and buzz—luckily, it didn’t break.

  It was the boys’ turn next. The door was rolled into place at one end of the stage. Vijay placed Sam behind it and gave a nod to the stage manager, who returned it with a thumbs-up.

  The music started. Derek sashayed his way onstage—Mister Cool—and did a double-spin move just to kick things off. The crowd whooped and hollered—at least his family and friends did. Derek could see Sharlee, and he knew his parents would be right next to her.

  He looked down at the front row, and there were Vijay’s parents—right next to Gary, who had a big smirk on his face. Derek didn’t care—he was ready to show Gary what dancing was all about.

  He did a floo
r spin, causing another round of whoops and applause. Then Vijay came on—and the crowd really began to get into it.

  Derek was known around the school as an athlete and one of the “smart kids.” But it would have surprised no one to find out he could break-dance.

  Vijay, on the other hand, was known as a brainiac and a class clown who loved to laugh and tell jokes. To see him break-dancing up onstage came as a complete surprise. And to see him do it this well? Awesome!

  Now the story the two boys had come up with began to play out. Derek mimed his own bravery, daring Vijay to approach the haunted house with him. Vijay pretended not to be scared, mimicking every dance move Derek tried, just to show he was no slacker.

  But as they approached the door, and the song lyrics warned of impending doom, Vijay pretended to back off, doing a cool glide step backward while Derek moonwalked forward alone.

  At last, with the crowd now really into it, Derek looked at the poster of the haunted house, pulled on the doorknob, and yanked it open.

  Sally flicked on the spotlight—and there was Sam, monster deluxe, baring his fingernails and teeth in the open doorway as Derek and Vijay did backflips and the worm.

  The crowd practically screamed at their first sight of Sam—then started clapping rhythmically along with the music as Sam danced his monster dance, slowly approaching the two terrified intruders.

  It turned out that Sam had some really amazing moves of his own too—moves he hadn’t shown in rehearsal with Derek and Vijay!

  At the end of the number the three boys froze in mid-move. The audience rose as one, giving them a loud, long, standing ovation!

  Derek could barely hear anything but the thumping of his own heart and the rushing breath in his ears. He looked over at Vijay, who was beaming, and at Sam, who was still making monster gestures to the crowd.

  Geez, Derek thought. What a ham he turned out to be—who would have thought it?

  They bowed and bowed, then ran offstage and hugged one another.

  “SSSHHHH!” This time it was Eva Katz, about to do her ballet piece.

  Derek motioned for them to leave the backstage area. Vijay and Sam followed him through the hall to the back of the auditorium, where they entered and stood behind the last row of seats with all the other kids who’d finished performing.