Chapter 45
Basketball started the first week of June, on a Monday. Instead of practice set in the evening like T-ball was, it was at three in the afternoon, which was a little better since it was between rushes. So Luke closed the diner for two hours.
The two walked inside the large gymnasium just as practice was starting. Luke recognized a few kids from Shelby's class, so it helped her feel a little at ease. Giving an encouraging push, Luke told Shelby to join her team while he took a seat on the lowest seat of the bleachers.
Dean was already there, standing with the coach. With Rory in Washington for the next six weeks, the guy wanted something to help keep him busy other than work and hanging out with his friends. Plus, Dean wanted to make sure Shelby had all the help she needed. From all the practice he spent with her, he figured she'd be set. It was the social anxiety part Dean mostly looked out for.
For the first practice, the coach started the kids out with some warm-up stretches and exercises, including a few laps around the gym. Shelby was one of the kids who brought up the rear, but wasn't the last one to finish. At that point, the kids hurried over to their parents to grab some water, which Luke took the time to let Shelby know how well she was doing, being supportive.
Watching the kids learn dribbling drills, Luke noticed Shelby was the only girl on the team. With T-ball, there had been two other girls besides Shelby, but not this time. Thankfully, none of the boys seemed to give her a hard time, especially the ones who knew Shelby, which Luke was glad of.
This time, practices were Mondays and Thursdays, but the coach assigned each kid, homework drills, wanting them to work on what they learned during practice. He only assigned them five minutes, though. Whether they wanted to do more was up to them. Shelby practiced out front of the diner for longer than five minutes, even trying to dribble it underneath one leg. That's what the kid had a hard time getting down. Mostly, Shelby worked on dribbling with both hands and keeping her head up without having to look down so much as the coach taught during practice.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, Dean made some time to take Shelby to the park to work on other drills besides dribbling. When Jess heard who Shelby was spending time with, he didn't seem thrilled, though he said nothing about it.
Even with all the practice Shelby been doing, she still felt nervous the morning of her first game. This time, Shelby's team was orange with a black stripe down the sides of both their jerseys and shorts. So the kids named themselves, the Tigers. Luke also had to take her to go buy new shoes since Shelby couldn't wear her sneakers during the game. It had to be tennis shoes or some kind of athletic wear. She ended up picking a pair specific to basketball.
Unfortunately, the games were in the morning, so Shelby ended up missing her cartoons. Ethan and Alan eventually assured her later they were old episodes and nothing new, but in the meantime, Shelby was bummed about it. She still wouldn't talk about her mom leaving or show any feelings towards it. However, playing basketball seemed to keep her spirits lifted and kept her mind focused. It was a worrying thought, Shelby could be bottling her emotions.
While working downstairs, Luke made sure Shelby ate a well-balanced breakfast before they left, leaving Caesar in charge while they were gone.
Finally, somehow, Shelby was able to convince Jess to come to her games. During T-ball, she had been unsuccessful. This time, he joined Luke on the bleachers after Luke told Shelby to go warm up with her team, who were just about to start their stretches.
As Shelby warmed up with her team, someone caught Luke's side view, entering the gymnasium on the other side. Lorelai walked in, climbing towards the top of the bleachers, sitting a few steps from the top. A nervous feeling dropped in Luke's stomach, increasing his heart rate a little. He tried to turn away and focus on his daughter, ignoring Lorelai, who was busy chatting.
Jess must have noticed because he asked, "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Luke told him calmly while stifling everything down on the inside.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Just eager for Shelby's first game, that's all." Thankfully, the guy took that answer and looked back to watch Shelby. After the kids stretched, they stood in a line and took turns shooting baskets while the other team did the same on their side.
Shelby was doing pretty well, so far, making almost every shot she made. She was the only player with a backwards baseball cap, making her easy to spot. Though, even without the baseball cap, she was easy to spot.
For the first game, Shelby spent a lot of the time on the outside, barely moving her feet. When the ball found its way in her vicinity, she'd get scared and let the ball go out of bounds or let another kid get it, sometimes even a kid on the other team. That didn't sit well with some of her teammates.
"Come on, Shell!" Luke called out to her, throwing out some encouragement to try to get the kid to participate more.
Dean would come over to talk to her before sending her back in the game. Shelby seemed to make the effort, but like T-ball, did a lot of second-guessing, and backed out.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bleachers, Lorelai cheered extra loud for Shelby. This time, a score was kept, so basketball was more competitive than T-ball. Shelby's cheering section cheered extra loudly. Whenever Shelby slipped up or backed away, Lorelai would call out, "Aw, it's alright, Shelby! You'll get'em next time!" clapping her hands. They even did the whole defense chant.
Towards the end of the first half, a kid shoved Shelby out of his way and didn't even try to help her up, much less acknowledge her. It made Jess shoot to his feet, which Luke had to grab onto him and yank the kid back down, struggling.
"That punk just shoved her," he pointed out.
"Jess, you're not going out there," Luke told him. As much as he wanted to say something, himself, Luke had to keep quiet, doing all he could to hold both him and Jess, back.
Once Jess was back down on the bleacher, they saw the referee, A.K.A. Kirk, call a foul and they let Shelby make a free throw while the other kids stood on either side. Things were quiet, and all eyes were on Shelby, no doubt making her nervous as she peered around at everybody.
"You got this, Shell!" Luke called, followed by a cheer from Lorelai and the rest of her cheering section.
Shelby bounced the ball a few times. She stared up at the hoop before finally tossing the ball up. The ball bounced off the rim. One of the kids on the other team hurried over to retrieve it, passing the ball to Kirk, who passed it back to Shelby, for one more attempt.
"Shelby, you can do it!" Lorelai called out. Dean also cheered her on, which Luke couldn't help notice Jess glare over at the other teen whenever he spoke. There seemed to be some tension between the two.
Bouncing it some more, Shelby looked up. She then tossed it up. This time, the ball rolled around the rim. For a split second, it looked like the ball wouldn't go in, but at the last second, it fell through, earning a point for her team. Screaming and applause erupted from Shelby's cheering section as everyone leaped to their feet as if the Tigers already won the game.
The game resumed as soon as one of the other team's players caught the ball and dribbled it towards their side. As the rest hurried after him, some of Shelby's teammates patted her arms as if they were congratulating her.
Cupping his mouth, Jess called out, "Scout, throw an elbow!" when the kids returned to Shelby's side and Shelby was trying to get more involved.
Luke countered the suggestion, telling her not to before turning back to Jess. "That would be another foul, Jess," he told him. "That's why she could take those shots."
Jess had been keeping his eye on the kid who shoved his cousin. "That kid is really pissing me off, though." The kid was awfully close to Shelby again. After a while, Shelby must have caught on, too, because she started trying to stay away from the kid, who moved along with her.
The buzzer eventually went off, signaling the end of the first half.
Shelby hustled over to grab a drink of water.
"You're doing good out there, kiddo," Luke praised as she took a long drink of water.
"Hey, Scout," Jess also spoke up and pointed over at the other team. "That kid giving you a hard time?"
Shelby twisted around to look in the direction her cousin was pointing in, returning her attention to him. She removed the water bottle, taking in some air. "I heard his coach tell him to guard me because I was open," she informed him. So that explained why the kid had taken a sudden interest in hanging around Shelby. Guess Luke and Jess's overprotectiveness gotten the best of them and jumped to conclusions too fast. Shelby looked like the easiest player to pass and score if given the ball, especially when she put in effort, moving around the court. If only they could get the kid to move further in and make a reach for the ball.
"Just make sure you're moving your feet," Luke reminded her, "and keep your focus on where the ball is. Okay?"
She gave her dad a nod, passing the water bottle back to him. Shelby then turned and jogged back over to her team. Both teams switched sides, now on the side, Lorelai was sitting on. The kids started out on the centerline again, with Kirk blowing his whistle and tossing the ball into the air. He then got out of there before getting trampled by a bunch of six- and seven-year-olds, who made a grab for the ball. All of them except Shelby, who stood back from the rest. She at least hustled down the court, watching the kid dribbling the ball.
For the rest of the game, Shelby just watched. She may as well been running laps back and forth. Shelby attempted to get closer, even started towards where the ball bounced away but halted when another kid grabbed it.
"You got this, Shell!" Luke called, cheering her on. "Get more in there!"
"Technically, she's doing what you told her to do," Jess pointed out.
He glanced at his nephew for a split second, focusing more on Shelby. "What do you mean?"
Jess shrugged, "You said to move her feet and keep focused on the ball. You didn't really specify to do anything else."
Luke fully looked over at him but looked away. Jess had a point. Luke was just glad Shelby wasn't playing like a tree, like she did in the beginning of T-ball. At least Shelby was moving. He tried to put all of his focus on his kid, catching Dean approach her once more when she got spooked again.
The game ended with the final buzzer ringing throughout the gym. The final score was eighteen to nine, with the other team in the lead. The Tigers lost their first game. Both teams high-fived each other in two single-file lines to end things on.
The Tigers' coach had the kids huddle up and take a knee to praise them, and remind the kids it was only their first game. There were seven more games left in the season and plenty of time to improve. Once their snack was passed out, the kids were free to go.
Shelby headed over to her dad and cousin, who stood up from their seat.
"That was a good effort, kiddo," Luke assured her, hugging Shelby's head against his leg.
"Nope," Jess shook his head. "That was terrible. I want you to give me fifty laps around the gym. Go on." When the puzzled look appeared, Jess assured her he was kidding, and she did great.
One by one, Shelby's cheering section came over to give her some praise and compliments. All except Lorelai, who left already.
After her cheering section left, Dean came over to do the same. "Hey, Shelby. Good effort out there," he told her, receiving a smile. "You still nervous like you were before?"
She shrugged and held up her thumb and pointer finger up, leaving space in between.
He smiled. "A little?"
Shelby nodded.
"Don't worry. That'll go away once you get used to it."
Luke smiled, looking between the two. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jess staring over at Dean. Luke wasn't sure if Dean was just ignoring him or hadn't notice himself. Whichever it was, he just kept interacting with Shelby until they had to leave.
During the second week, Shelby continued to practice on her own. She hustled up and down the front of the diner, practicing her dribbling. Luke reminded her to not run out in front of cars in case the ball got away from her, keeping an eye on her through the window. Thankfully, when the ball got away from her, someone noticed and got it for her. At one point, Luke caught Shelby getting it, herself, looking both ways and using the crosswalk, at least. So, he didn't make a fuss about it and told her to be careful. As much as he would have liked to put his daughter in a plastic bubble, he knew he also had to give the kid some freedom.
The day of the fourth practice, Dean offered to take Shelby so Luke wouldn't have to. Luke declined this time. Whether it was a game or practice, he wanted to be there to cheer his little girl on. Even if that meant closing the diner or leaving Caesar in charge.
For Shelby's second basketball game, the Tigers played against the Power Rangers, or the black and white team. There were two girls on the Power Rangers' team, so Shelby wasn't the only girl on the court this time. It still didn't help her nervousness. Though she didn't score for her team, Shelby managed to catch the ball when it bounced towards her. With several kids coming right at her, Shelby quickly looked around and passed it to one of her teammates.
"Way to pass it, Shelby!" her coach called out to her, encouragingly. "Nice job!"
"Great pass, Shell!" Luke also called out to her. Shelby didn't look towards him, instead, he saw her head move towards where Lorelai had sat at her first game. In fact, he hadn't heard Lorelai at all. Looking in the same direction, Luke noticed she wasn't there, most likely at the inn. Even from where he sat, Luke could tell Shelby was disappointed.
Shelby still put in her best she could do. It wasn't her full best, but the kid was still opening up. During halftime, she jogged over for some water, taking a really long drink. When she got her fill and passed it back to her dad, that was when Shelby informed him.
"Lor-lai's naw here."
"Maybe she had to work this morning," he shrugged. "Remember, Lorelai didn't come to every single one of your T-ball games either."
Shelby nodded, though she remained disappointed.
"I'm here," Jess pointed out. That was actually a surprise he came to another game. It made a corner of her mouth lift. "Go show those Power Rangers who's boss," he encouraged, sending her away, a little happier. Jess quickly looked over at his uncle, who was smirking at him. "What?"
"Nothing," Luke shook his head, turning back to the game just as it was starting. Even though he knew the truth between the cousins, Jess still tried to hide and deny it, trying to remain tough. It was amazing how much power Shelby had in making the walls Jess kept up around him crumble at just the slightest touch.
It wasn't until her third game did Shelby make her first attempt getting in there with the other kids and grab for the ball. Even though the ball was knocked out of her hands, Shelby made a run for the kid who done it, trying to block him.
Luke couldn't help scoot towards the edge of his seat, watching as Shelby hurried beside him, quickly stepping in front of him. The kid tried to shoot it over her head, but she managed to knock it out of his hand. One of Shelby's teammates caught it and took it back over to their side with everyone else following.
Luke along with the rest of her cheering section cheered her on as Shelby hurried along with them, watching wherever the ball went. When the ball bounced off the rim and fell towards the side, Shelby dashed over to retrieve it, rebounding it as fast as she could. The ball flew back up into the air, this time falling inside the net.
Applause and praise erupted from Shelby's cheering section.
As the kids hurried down the other side of the court, Shelby stopped and turned around long enough to hold a thumb's up towards her dad which Luke returned, holding his up.
"Great job, Shell! Proud of you!"
Either making a basket or Luke stating he was proud of her must have given her a boost of confidence as Shelby finally started giving her all, moving a lot more and participating better, not only for the rest of the game but from then on, too.
As soon as Sookie and Jackson returned from their honeymoon, Sookie came with Lorelai for Shelby's fourth game, seeing the kid in full-on action. Lorelai ended up missing the last two games, so seeing Shelby's complete turn around was news to her. Shelby was grabbing, passing, and shooting like a pro! Well, in Luke's eyes, anyway.
Instead of a party this year, Luke did something different for Shelby's birthday. In fact, he didn't even tell her. Though she wondered why he told her to bring her baseball glove.
Her birthday landed on a Sunday this year. Closing the diner for a day, Luke drove them to Boston, Massachusetts. It was a two-hour drive one way and because she didn't know where they were going, Shelby had taken to ask every ten minutes, "are we tear ye'?"
"Not yet," he replied for the tenth time, trying not to sound annoyed. Luke understood why, though. It was a rare thing, but his own father used to plan surprise trips for him and Liz, and the suspense was always painful. Of course, Luke made the mistake of telling Shelby to bring her glove instead of just bringing it himself.
Eventually, Shelby took to guessing where they were going and ended up guessing if they were going to a baseball game. Luke wasn't sure whether to say yes or keep quiet. In the end, he told her the truth.
"Yep, you got it, kiddo," he smiled over at her for a moment before returning to the road, ahead. "I thought I'd take ya to your first baseball game for your birthday. That okay?"
Shelby excitedly nodded her head. "Ta' tah bes' bir'day presen' I ever go'!"
Luke couldn't help a chuckle. "Is it now?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Are we seeing the Red Sox?"
"Yep, you bet we are, kiddo." That was the team Luke followed and introduced to his daughter, of course. Shelby lifted her arms above her head, cheering with excitement. It was relieving to see the kid back to her happy self again. It was sure of a challenge for both him and Jess. The rest of the town helped, reassuring the kid they were all there for her.
One thing to catch his eye, though, was when Shelby raised her arms and the bottom of her shirt rose, alerting Luke, Shelby was growing. As of today, his little buddy was now seven years old. He had a seven-year-old on his hands. Luke couldn't believe a year and a half had passed already, and they were a year away from being halfway through her childhood. The thought produced a lump inside his throat and Luke found it difficult to swallow.
While he was in thought, watching her from the corner of his eye, Shelby had taken to singing along to the radio. Tim McGraw's My Best Friend was playing. It took almost a minute, but the words slowly sunk in and his thoughts changed to the last person he thought the song would remind him of. Luke tried to shake his mind of those thoughts, trying to think about the long day he had planned to spend with his little buddy. With both Tim McGraw and Shelby singing the words, Luke couldn't help think of his best friend and soon he couldn't stand it any longer, reaching over to turn the radio off.
It took Shelby a few seconds before she realized she was singing alone. "Hey," Shelby protested. "I was listening to ta' song."
"Um... how about some quietness for a while," he suggested.
Shelby watched him for a moment before turning to look out her window. She was wearing her baseball glove on her hand, and after a while, she started lightly tossing a ball inside it, over and over. Fifteen minutes later, she finally asked if they could turn the radio back on. Luke reached over and did so. Reba McEntire's I'm a Survivor was playing. Shelby started singing along with her, but he couldn't help notice she was using male pronouns instead of female. Then when Reba sang the title of the song, Shelby sang, "my dad's a survivor."
It made him smile. "I'm a survivor, huh?"
She looked over and nodded.
"You know I don't have two jobs, right?"
"Yeah, you do. You work in tuh diner and you fix tings around town, like at Lor-lai's house. You jus' don' ge' paid," she explained. "And you take care of me and Jess, and your hard-headed."
Luke switched between her and the road. "Do you even know what hard-headed means?"
Shelby nodded. "Mom told me wha' i' means, so I told her tis song fi's you. She says i' couldn' because i's abou' a sin-go mom, not a sin-go dad, bu' I tink she's wrong. I' fi's you be'ter ten i' fi's Mom."
"It does, huh?"
She nodded again. "I tink so."
Luke smiled over at his little buddy.
He certainly did love this kid so much.
