I turn and say hi to Troy, who’s wearing a light blue and white school shirt. Looking around more, I see we’re in a roped-off section full of light blue and white fans. I grab my jersey from my backpack and put it on over my t-shirt, then put my hair up in a messy bun. Fans completely pack the surrounding stands. Our section is the only one not stuffed.
The cheerleaders and mascot take the floor after the music and lights stop. Gabby waves up at us before a song starts. The team performs a complex routine, pumping up the crowd for the first game, cheering in front of the bleachers. I look back at Troy. “Gabby is fantastic out there.”
“She is,” he says, full of pride. “Her team came in second last year at the state championships.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I smile. Turning back around, I notice Alex pulling his container of lemon squares out. He offers one to Troy, who happily accepts and takes another for himself.
“These are superb Summer. I might get addicted,” he says.
Laughing at him, I tell him I’ll make them whenever he wants more.
The music dies down when a spotlight comes on towards the locker rooms. Someone announces the rival team and starters as they take the floor. It’s like being at a mini-NHL game. We all clap for them as they enter, despite being the opposition. Flashes of light fill the room as our team is announced. Everyone rises and cheers as Seb and E step onto the court.
They both wave in our direction, but I’m not sure they can actually see us right now.
Regular court lights come on after the announcements. As the coaches deliver their final pep talks to their teams, I notice Seb glance back and spot me among the crowd, giving me a wink. I smile and wave.
The game is fast-paced right from the start. Both teams are good, but ours is better. Seb and E work like a well-oiled machine,scoring points and intercepting passes. Seb gets a few three-point shots in to lead his team in scoring. By halftime, we’re up by 10 points. The cheer team entertains the crowd during halftime as the teams head to the locker room.
The second period starts just as fast. We’re up by 15 pts by the end of the third quarter, and the visiting team looks desperate as the fourth quarter starts. As Seb goes in for a layup, a hard check, like a hockey player, sends him crashing into the wall. We all jump up as the ref blows his whistle. E rushes over to Seb as he gets up. He looks okay, if a bit dazed, and starts slowly walking back to the bench with E helping him, as the ref calls a technical foul. The other starting guard on our team takes two shots for Seb and sinks them.
We win the game by 20 points with several more fouls being called, but none like Seb endured. The visiting team played dirty for the rest of the period, though.
After both teams leave the court, much of the crowd disperses. “We'll wait here for the guys,” Bay tells me.
Gabby joins us shortly after. “You were fantastic, Gabby,” I tell her.
“Thanks, Summer,” she beams as Troy gives her a hug. Everyone talks about the game highlights while we wait. About 20 minutes later, Seb and E come walking over. I jump up and meet them at the bottom of the bleachers. “Are you okay Seb? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, Sunshine. Promise. I’ll be a little sore later, but I’m okay,” he says, putting his uninjured arm around my shoulders. We walk back up the bleachers to our group. Everyone checks in with Seb and congratulates them on their win. They don’t play again until tomorrow morning, but they want to watch the next game since their biggest rivals are playing. I open my backpack and pass each of them a granola bar.
“What’s this?” E asks, inspecting the bar closely, trying to discern its ingredients. He should definitelybe a chef.
“I made you guys high-protein granola bars with minerals. I figured with all the games you’ll be playing, you could use them.”
“Sunshine, these are so good,” Seb says around a mouthful. “You’re the best.”
I pass E the container with the rest of the granola bars. “Keep these with you for the weekend.”
“I will,” he smiles. “They are delicious.”
“I have to meet the coach and make a phone call. How long until the next game?”
“Only 10 minutes,” E says.
“I’ll try to be quick.” Giving Seb’s hand a squeeze, I stand up and walk to the hallway. There’s only about a quarter of the people from the game here now, so it’s easy enough to get outside.
Cara, Ana, and Stacey are in the hallway, still in their cheerleading uniforms. “She looks so desperate,” Ana says. “Did you see her rush over to Seb after the game?”
“They just feel sorry for the new girl,” Cara says confidently. “She’s the boss’ daughter, so what can they do? Seb loves working at Finn Enterprises. He told me Wednesday after practice he feels obligated to be friends with her because of his job.”
That stings a little. I know it’s probably not true, but doubt creeps into my mind. After all, I lost all my friends once before. Would Seb really do that? He is an outgoing guy and easily makes friends. I guess it’s possible. Maybe the rest of the guys are just following Seb’s lead? Trying to refocus, I walk down the hall and knock on the coach’s door. “Hi Coach,” I say as I take a chair in front of her desk.
“Summer. How is Seb doing? I saw the hit.”
“Okay. No permanent damage, although I expect he’ll be sore by tomorrow.”
She nods at that. “Good. Your times yesterday were slower than qualifying, but not by much. Which is impressive, considering youhaven’t run in a year. I’d like you to train with the team, starting Monday after school.”
