Space Jam: A New Legacy
Chapter 1
A Star Is Born
"Alright. Let's do this." A nine-year-old black girl said to herself. Her name was Emily and she was feeling nervous.
Emily entered the school hall, nervous rising with every step she took. It was the final game of the series, and she was determined to win. She sat on the bench next to her best friend Fiona, who was trying to tie her shoelaces. She was a ten-year-old white girl with red hair.
"Hey, need a hand?" She offered.
"Nah, I've got this," Fiona said as she tied her shoes into makeshift knots.
Emily smiled, rolling her eyes. Looking up she could see her parents in the audience. She waved to them which they waved back, just before her coach approached her.
"Emily Jones, pay attention!" The broad woman called.
"Yes, Ms. Selzer," Emily said getting up with the others.
Ms. Selzer was the strictest school coach you could have the displeasure of meeting. She had broad shoulders and mean little eyes. She was the kind of person who always had to win, even if it was for something unimportant like a game of rock, paper, scissors.
"Now, I want one hundred percent from all of you. Remember either win it or don't play! Got it!" She yelled in a loud, nonsense tone.
"Yes, coach." The girls said. They headed onto the court Emily went to the centre with the captain from the opposing team.
The ref threw the ball into the air and blew his whistle, starting the game.
The crowd cheered with each point scored. It was intense, each player desperately trying to keep the ball from the other team, while their coaches yelled at them from the side.
With ten seconds to go Emily's team had managed to score six points, however, the opposing team had eight. One of her team members passed her the ball and Emily ran as fast as the wind, keeping away from the other players. With only three seconds left, she shot the ball… and missed the hoop. The ball hit the ground as the clock buzzed. The game was over and Emily had lost.
"Shot." Fiona snapped her fingers with a concerned expression on her face.
Emily looked down at the wooden floor in disappointment. Not only because she had lost them the championship, but because she knew her coach was going to have some harsh words for her. When Ms. Selzer was angry, even a full-grown bull hippopotamus would run for the hills and that was when they lost a regular game. What would she be like now that they lost the final?
"How many times have I told you!" Ms. Selzer yelled, her face red with rage. The two were in the locker room, the other players having already left. "You've got to focus! You're the captain of the team for crying out loud!"
"I'm sorry. I really tried honest." Emily said with tears in her eyes.
"No Excuses! Try hard next time!"
"Yes, Ms. Selzer."
Fiona was waiting outside for her best friend. She saw Emily come out with tears rolling down her cheek.
"You shouldn't let her get to you," Fiona stated.
"That's easier said than done."
"Hey, it's just a game. It's not like all of humanity is in jeopardy."
"That's not really helping."
"Sorry."
"Fiona." Her mother called.
"I've got to go. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Fiona began to head home with her mother while Emily went over to her parents, expecting them to be disappointed, but they weren't.
"You did your best. That's all that matters." Her mum said.
"I know, but it's my fault we lost."
"Hey. It's no one's fault." Her father stated.
Emily looked down sorrowfully at the ground.
He looked at his wife, who nodded, before turning his attention to his daughter. "We were going to save this as a surprise, but we taking you to the cinema tonight."
"Really? To see what?"
"That part is a surprise." He joked.
Emily hopped into the car, wondering what this mystery film was.
She sat in the cinema, her eyes glued to the screen with wonder. The film was about one of her heroes, Michael Jordon having to play against aliens. With him were a group of animated characters called the Looney Tunes. She laughed at their antics, especially the rabbit and the duck.
That night Emily discovered her second passion. She was forever hooked on the legendary characters. When she was practising basketball she was drawing the characters along with her friend, who was by far a better artist. Fiona's favourites were the Roadrunner and the Coyote. The two of them would talk for hours about them, go to conventions to meet the voice actors, and watch the original shorts over and over again until they could quote them word for word.
As she got older, she got better and better at the sport until she could do it in her sleep. She was captain of every team she joined, listed as the greatest since Jordon himself.
She earned the nickname Eagle Jones due to how she 'flew' over the court when she leapt for the hoop with her long dark hair tied in a ponytail flowing behind her.
When she was twenty-seven, she met a man named Wayne who had a shared love for Warner Bro's iconic characters, his favourite being the loud-mouthed schnook. He was a kind man and incredibly handsome. He worked in radio, interviewing famous sports stars which was how they first got to know each other. They dated for a year, until one night on the beach, he proposed to her. Two years later they welcomed their first child, Tex and the following year they welcomed their second, Hannah, and finally, two years afterwards, they welcomed their third child, Judy.
Emily couldn't have asked for anything better in her life. She was a world-renowned basketball player, the top woman in sports and the mother of three.