18. Showtime
School continued to fly by. I think that everyone in the school knows who I am, thanks to my
fight with Jeremy. He didn't show up to school for the rest of the week and his nose was
clearly broken when he returned. The story was that one of his friends hit it with a baseball.
He had to wear a protective mask at basketball practice. He has avoided me ever since the
incident. I no longer give Carley rides to and from school anymore, but we still talk briefly after
school, although I don't think that she is supposed to be talking to me. Marcus was right about
the fight boosting my reputation. One day I saw Hayley crying in the hallway because a senior
had called her fat. I angrily guided her to confront the guy and I demanded that he
apologize. He apologized without any issues and said that he was just angry because she
rejected him. Hayley was laughing at the fact that he was cowering in fear when I approached
him. This seemed to make her feel better. She caught me off guard when she hugged me and
thanked me after I walked her to her locker. I could feel my cheeks begin to burn as she did it.
She wasn't embarrassed when she let go. I don't think that she ever gets embarrassed. She's
just so happy and care-free about everything. That's one of the reasons why I was so angry
about her crying. Candace had to have a schedule change in order to get an elective that she
wanted. This caused her to be in my math class, which I was extremely happy about. We always
work in partners when it's allowed. She even helps me with my homework in the mornings before
school, because she knows that I rarely do it at home. My motivation to do my work is low since my
parents aren't pushing me to do well anymore. I've also struggled with juggling basketball,
schoolwork, and my group of friends. I often wonder what it would be like to date Carley, Candace,
or Hayley. I know Carley has a boyfriend, but she's still really smart, kind, and has a unique
personality. Candace keeps me on track and always seems to tell the truth no matter what. Hayley
is always so happy and easy to talk to. They are all extremely good looking. They all have qualities
that I like, but no one compares to Leah. I try to envision myself with others, because I know that
she's not coming back into my life. I really should try to find happiness with someone else, but I'm
just not ready to give up yet. Not that it really matters anyway. I'm sure they all only see me as a
friend, and it might ruin our friendship if I started dating one of them. Candace and Hayley text me
often, but Carley doesn't. I'm sure that Jeremy forced her to delete my number.
Marcus has been staying after practice to help me with the drills and plays. It's been extremely
helpful to me and I'm starting to get in a groove during practice. I'm thankful to have a friend like
Marcus. He stuck with me after the whole Jeremy incident. The team kind of split after that, with the
majority of the team siding with Jeremy, and the rest siding with me and going against the popular
choice. I was convinced that no one would've been on my side if it wasn't for Marcus.
It's the night of our first game. I was extremely nervous as I slipped on my number 24 Jersey. I won
it playing one on one against another eleventh grader. I knew that I probably wouldn't get much
playing time since I was backing up Marcus, but my stomach was still turning. The game was a
back and forth battle all the way through. I only got to play a few minutes and I struggled when I
was in there. I managed to turnover the ball the other team several times. It was crunch time and I
was sure to sit on the bench for the rest of the game. How embarrassing to finish my first game
with zero points. There was one minute left in the game and we were down by five. Marcus fouled
out and to my surprise, Coach Taylor asked me to go in the game for him. I took a deep breath trying
to calm myself as I walked onto the court. The other team hit both free throws and we were down
by seven. I dribbled down the court and immediately pulled up for a three pointer. I could hear
Coach Taylor yelling no as the ball left my hands. It went in and we were down by four. The other
team inbounded the ball and I poked it from the opposing point guard's hands. I grabbed the loose
ball and took it to the goal to score a layup. We were down by two. The other team took the ball up
the court and was trying to run out the clock, so we had to foul. They hit both free throws and we
were down by four again. I pushed the ball up the court with a defender pressed on me. I shook
him with a dribble move that I had learned from Marcus. I sank another three pointer and we were
down by one. We fouled the other team immediately with five seconds left. They hit the first free
throw and missed the second. Our coach called a timeout after we got the rebound. We had four
seconds to score and we were down by two. The coach drew up a play for me to quickly get the ball
to one of our senior post players so that he could hit the game tying shot and send it into overtime.
I got open and my teammate inbounded the ball to me around halfcourt. I looked for the senior, but
he wasn't open. The noisy arena seemed to go dead silent as I pulled up for the three pointer. The
shot seemed to hang in the air forever as the buzzer sounded. The ball slid through the net and we
won by one point. The crowd went wild and my teammates ran onto the court and dog piled me,
with the exception of Jeremy. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Many of the students and cheerleaders were still hanging outside the locker room as I exited. I was
greeted with cheers and a lot of pats on the back and high fives. Candace and Hayley each gave me
a hug. Carley was walking away with Jeremy while he had his arm around her, but she turned her
head and gave me a smile and a thumbs up behind his back. Candace and Hayley invited me to go
get some ice cream with a bunch of people in order to celebrate the win, but I turned it down. They
kept pleading until I finally gave in. I sat with Hayley and Candace when we got there, but we were
constantly surrounded by people telling me good job and congratulating me. Of course, Marcus was
in a booth telling people about that famous move that he taught me. This was all a new experience
for me. I hate to admit it, but I was actually enjoying all of the attention. It was nice to no longer go
unnoticed.