Max was feeling very nervous along with the rest of the Spoonerville High School Basketball Team. They always felt very nervous before every basketball game, but they were feeling more nervous than usual tonight. That was because tonight was not only a very important basketball game for Spoonerville High School this year but a very important game in the entire history of high school basketball. They were playing against the Mouseton High School basketball team, who had a very high reputation of being one of the very best high school basketball teams in the whole of the United States of America and never had lost a single game since it was first built in 1890.

Max stood outside the male changing room. He needed alone time to try to stop himself worrying about this very important game, but even that didn't help. All these thoughts of him and his team were going to lose and they were going to be the biggest laughing stock of high school basketball forever.

"Hey, Max!"

Max turned around to see Lisa approaching him. He felt a bit better for seeing her. "Hi, Lisa."

"I just wanted to come to wish you the best of luck for the game," she said.

"Thank you. We're gonna need it."

"Is everything all right, Max?" Lisa asked.

Max sighed. "Well, to be honest, I'm just very nervous about this game. It's a very important one and I'm very worried if my teammates and I are going to lose this game all because of me."

"Well, I'm, by no means, a basketball coach," Lisa said, "but I'm sure that if you just do your very best, that's all that matters. Ever since we became friends, I've seen you a lot at basketball practice and you're very good at it. I can see you could have a future in the NBA."

"Thanks, Lisa. For both the encouragement and the praise."

"You're very welcome, Max," Lisa said. "And also you look very good in that basketball uniform."

Max blushed. "Thanks again."

Then one of the basketball players came out of the changing rooms. "Max, Coach Ball is going to give his talks before the game now."

"Okay, I'm coming." Then Max turned back to Lisa. "Sorry, Lisa. I have to go now, but thanks for coming to see me. Both for tonight's game and for all the basketball practices you came to see me at."

"I wouldn't miss any of those for anything in the whole wide world." Then Lisa was about to walk away to take her seat in the gym to watch the game and Max was about to head back into the male changing room when –

"Hey, Max?"

"Yeah, Lisa?"

When Max turned around to face Lisa, she gave something – a kiss on his cheek.

"That's my good luck kiss to you," she explained. "Good luck, Max." Then she headed off to take her seat.

"Thanks, Lisa," Max said, happily touching his left cheek where Lisa planted her kiss on.

As Max went back into the male changing room and joined his basketball teammates to listen to Coach Ball, he had mixed feelings about Lisa watching him play in this game. On the one hand, he was glad she came to see him play and cheer him on. He certainly enjoyed basketball practice more when Lisa came to watch him. But, on the other hand, he was very worried if he played and lost the game and made fools of himself and his basketball teammates and she would lose all interest in him and she would go back to thinking of him as a complete loser before the skiing trip.

The basketball game finally began. Max wasn't one of the first players chosen to play, so he had to sit on the waiting bench hoping that Coach Ball would pick him when it was time for a substitute to replace one of the first players.

As he waited on the bench, Max looked at the audience and saw his dad Goofy, who was sitting next to Lisa with PJ, Bobby, Stacey and Chloe. Even though he was glad they came to see the basketball game, he wondered if he was wasting their time if he was going to sit on the bench for the whole game and he thought there were probably better things they could be doing to do this night.

Goofy was standing up cheering for Max, even though his son wasn't actually even playing the game yet... hopefully. Then Max noticed something he had never imagined would happen let alone see – his best friend PJ was sitting next to Lisa's best friend Chloe and not only that, but they seem to be talking to each other, laughing with each other and even holding each other's hands.

For most of the first half of the game, Spoonerville High was losing to Mouseton High. They managed to score a few goals, but they were nothing compared to the mountain of goals that Mouseton High managed to score.

Then Coach Ball took one player off and chose Max to be his substitute and went onto the basketball court. Since Max went out to play, Spoonerville High's luck turned around. He managed to score more points for his team and prevent Mouseton High from scoring more.

By the end of the first half, Spoonerville High managed to score more points since Max went out to play, but they still hadn't achieved half the score of Mouseton High. Spoonerville High scored twenty four points while Mouseton High scored fifty eight points. There was still a long way to go and only one half to beat them.

During the break, Max was outside the male changing room to take a breather. On the one hand, he felt very good about what he and his teammates managed to achieve in the first half, but on the other hand, he felt the pressure with his other teammates to get back out on the court to beat Mouseton's High.

"Hey, Max!"

Max was happily to see Lisa running towards him. She excitedly put hands on his shoulders.

"That was incredible!" she cried happily. "What you did was truly incredible."

"Thanks, Lisa," he said. "And thanks for watching. You watching me play really makes me feel happy and even supported. Even more supported than our cheerleading squad."

"Thanks, Max," Lisa said.

"And how's Chloe enjoying the game?"

"Well, sports aren't really her thing, but since she saw you go out there and have fun, she really got excited and has been cheering for you. I told her you were amazing and now she has concrete proof."

"Thanks," he said. "So, I even saw her with PJ."

"Oh, yeah," Lisa said. "They have been talking to each other since the skiing trip and they became great friends."

"That's good."

"Max?" called the same Spoonerville High School basketball player that called him before the first half of the game started.

"Okay, mate," Max said. "I'm coming now." Then he turned back to Lisa. "Once again, thanks for watching, Lisa. It really means a lot to me and it really gives me more confidence."

"You're very welcome, Max," Lisa said. "Well, best of luck for the second half. Go get 'em."

"Thanks, Lisa." Then Max went into the male changing room while Lisa went back to her seat in the gym.

The second half began. Not only did Max managed to stay on the court the entire half but he managed to help his basketball team score more goals and catch up to Mouseton High's score and prevent them from scoring more points.

Then the last minute of the game appeared and both high school basketball teams were tied with fifty eight points. In that last minute, Max managed to grab the ball from one of his teammates, threw it into the other team's basketball hoop and score two more points.

History was made. The Spoonerville High School Basketball Team became the very first one to defeat Mouseton High Basketball Team ever since it was first built in 1890.

Everyone was very proud of Max's accomplishment. His whole team complimented him and so did Goofy, his best friends, Spoonerville High's cheerleading team and Coach Ball were all so impressed that he decided to promote Max to Captain of the Spoonerville High School Basketball Team. Max never thought he would ever earn that title and he was very honored and grateful for it.

"Hey, New Basketball Captain? Wicked game!"

Max already felt very good about himself for helping his basketball team win this very important game and he was grateful for the praise he received from his dad, his friends, Coach Ball and even Principal Mazur, but hearing praise from the girl he had always had a crush on made him truly happy and he was glad that she stayed for the party to celebrate Spoonerville High School's victory. "Thanks, my number one fan."

He and Lisa laughed at that.

Soon, the party was coming to an end and it was time for everyone to go home.

"Hey, Max?" Lisa called.

Max approached her. "Yeah, Lisa?"

"I was wondering… You know, the upcoming school dance…"

"Oh, yeah?" Max knew where this was going but he still decided to play it cool instead of taking the risk to ruin the moment.

"Well, are you going and do you have someone to take to it?" Lisa asked.

"No, I don't have someone to take," Max replied. "Maybe I'll go on my own and see if there'll be any girl free that night."

"Well, there is one free girl already."

"Really? Who?"

"Me."

"In that case, yes, I'd be delighted to take you to that school dance." Max was delighted that his dreams of being with Lisa were coming true, even if they were still only baby steps.

"Great! Thanks, Max!" Lisa cried happily.

"No, thank you, Lisa."