Okay, just so you guys know the story is going a little back in time. Hope you enjoyit!

1981, championship game- the East High Wildcats vs. the West High Knights

"Okay guys, West High is tough, but we are going to beat them," Captain Jack Bolton said to his team. The eleven other guys on the team cheered. "We're better, stronger and brighter! WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"WILDCATS, GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME!" The team started jumping up and down, before exiting the locker rooms and onto the court. The crowd cheered and waved banners. Jack stood taking it all in. He had to win this game. Then he noticed Robbie, a guy who worked for his dad. He was only 21 and he and Jack were very good friends. Robbie had on a referee shirt on. Jack walked over to him.

"Hey Jack, your dad said that this is the big game!"

"Yeah," he answered in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm your referee." Robbie walked past Jack and as he walked by whispered in Jack's ear. "Don't worry, you guys are going to win."

Jack's eyes widened. Who had paid Robbie? Their team could win without him making them.

"Jack!" Man was he popular today. He saw Daniel Boucher- a good friend of his- running toward him. "Hey you think we got a chance?" Daniel was a junior, a year behind Jack, and had made captain this season. Jack, who was a senior, had been captain last year as well.

"I don't know Daniel you think we got a chance? You guys got yourselves a good team this year."

"Oh, but the Wildcats are always good. Especially their captain," he said elbowing Jack. Jack let out a nervous chuckle.

"It should be a good game," was all Jack said. The West High coach called Daniel over and Jack was happy to see him go. He was still in shock of the Robbie situation. He walked over to the bench and sat down, taking deep breaths.

"Hey wildcat!" He looked behind him at the bleachers. Elaine was waving toward him. She was sitting with her friend Kathy and Kathy's boyfriend Chris Danforth, who was on the team but had an injury earlier in the season. He waved back, before turning back to the court and staring at his team.

"You nervous?"

Jack looked up at the best coach East High had ever had. Alex Wells could have gone to the NBA, had he wanted to, but he wanted to work with kids. "A little."

"You know what Jack, if you go out there and give me 110 percent, I'll be happy, no matter what the score is. Jack there is no need for you to be nervous. You go out there and show these people why you got that scholarship." Jack looked up into the coach's face and nodded. Alex patted Jack's knee before calling the team over and sending the starters out.

At half time, it was not going good. When Robbie had said they would win, he meant it. The Wildcats were winning 45-17 and had gotten called for one foul. The Knights had two people sitting out because they fouled-out and half of their team had at least 2 unnecessary fouls. The Knights were starting to get rough, they figured if they were going to loose, mind as well make it worth losing.

"Hey Bolton!" Jack looked back as Daniel walked up. "What's going on! That ref is calling fouls left and right...on us only!"

"I don't know Daniel," Jack said turning around toward the locker room.

"Don't lie to me Bolton, I saw you talking to him before the game. How much you give him? Twenty, thirty?"

Jack faced Daniel, "I didn't give him anything."

"Yeah right." He threw the ball full force at Jack's face. "I thought we were friends."

"We are!" Jack said rubbing his nose.

"No, we were." Daniel took the basket of balls (a/n I don't know what they're called, you know the thing schools keep their basketballs in) and pushed it at Jack. With the weight of the twenty or so balls inside it, the basket pushed Jack over. Daniel shrugged and started to strut back toward his team's bench.

Jack stood up and rushed toward him, pulling the younger boy to the ground. Both teams ran over to help their teammates. Robbie was blowing the whistle, but no one seemed to notice. Alex and the West High coach, started pulling their players off of each other. Jack and Daniel were amongst the last to be pulled apart. Jack was red from anger and bleeding from various places on his face and arms. Daniel was walking away, holding his wrist, which Jack had heard snap. Alex sat Jack on the bench.

"What do you think you're doing!"

"He started it Coach!"

"I don't care who started it! Remember our first rule, no contact fighting with the other team. Sanchez, go in for Bolton."

Jack shut up, knowing his coach was mad. The rest of the game, Jack looked down at his feet, finding an interest in the white sneakers. When the buzzer sounded, Jack looked at the score. The Wildcats had won 89-31. Daniel walked by Jack with a look of disgust on his face, his wrist swelling by the minute.

"Hope your happy Bolton," he said, just loud enough for Jack to hear. He didn't know why, but he felt guilty. Maybe he should have paid Robbie not to rig the game. He got up, noticing Alex was shaking his head. That made him feel a whole lot worse, he had lost the trust of his coach. But that wasn't the only thing he would loose that night. He lost his scholarship to Duke, making his father angry. He didn't know why, but playing basketball after that night, didn't interest him. He had lost one of the best friends he had ever had, and his father had kicked him out of the house. He found shelter at Elaine's house. He promised himself that if he ever had a son, he would never let him make the mistake he had that night. He couldn't let his son feel as bad about himself as he had that night.

His son would be the best. Not just as a player, but he would have the best attitude as well. He wouldn't loose his scholarship like Jack had, and even if he did, Jack wouldn't kick him out of the house. Jack was determined to be a better father than his own had been, he would always be there for his son, no matter what.

So, that was Coach Bolton's mistake, not telling Robbie to let the game just play out, fighting with Daniel Boucher and losing his scholarship. Coach Bolton did go to college, just not one like Duke, just to let you know. That is the reason Mr. Boucher doesn't like Coach Bolton, the game and the fact that they were friends and he broke his arm. Hope you liked it!