Box Out (14 page)

Liam holds his phone out like he's waiting for it to talk to him. The silver lining of losing last night is that Jack's rule number three is over. He takes a deep breath and punches numbers.

“Hey, Iris. It's me, Liam.”

“Hi.”

“You played so well last night. I still can't believe it. I can't believe the season is finished.”

“I know,” she says. “It ended too quickly.”

“Yeah. I keep seeing that last shot floating toward the hoop. I keep hoping it's going to miss.”

“It's not going to, though.”

“Iris.”

“Yes?”

“Jack told me when I started practicing that one of his rules was no dating anyone on the team during the season. Now that the season's over, I've been
thinking. Do you want to go to a movie? Will you go out with me?”

Iris doesn't respond. He's made a huge mistake. It's too soon. He should have waited a few more days. Why did he have to be so impatient?

“I can do the first one,” she says quietly. “Not the second.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't date boys.”

What? Are her parents that strict? “Why not?”

“I'm not into boys that way.”

The silence hangs.

“Liam, are you there?”

“Yeah, I didn't know.” He almost says I'm sorry, but that wouldn't sound right. What signs did he miss?

“My good friends know,” she says. “And you're a good friend now.”

“Thanks.” Liam bites his lip.

“We can still go to a movie, though. I like hanging out with you.”

“Okay.” One out of two is so much less than he was hoping for.

The all-school assembly to honor girls' basketball, boys' wrestling, and mock trial is the last period of the day. Jack invites Liam and Darius to sit with the team. Seth's sitting beside Coach Kloss on the other side of the auditorium. Both Coach and Seth pretend not to see him.

Jack calls out the players' names one by one and they come onto the stage. Leah whispers something in his ear and he laughs. Chloe hops up on her crutches and waves. Jessica gives Jack a bear hug, lifts him off the ground, and whirls him around.

When the entire team is on stage, Jack leans toward the microphone. “We'd like to recognize two other individuals who have been valuable to our team: Darius Buckner and Liam Bergstrom. Please come up.”

The audience applauds while Liam and Darius pound fists. As they climb the steps, their teammates break into a cheer. “Vada vim. Vada vom. Yom. Yom. Yom. Go Darius! Go Liam!”

Liam shakes Jack's hand. “Thanks, Jack. The river is never the same twice.”

Jack beams. “I'm honored you remembered.”

As Liam walks back to his seat, he catches Drake's eye and gives him a thumbs up.

After the assembly, Drake finds Liam in the hall. “What's that supposed to mean?” He imitates the thumbs up.

“It means you're the greatest, Drake.”

“You're so full of it and so is Buckner. That whole girls' team thinks they're superior.”

“They are. Twenty-four and two. What were you guys again?”

“What?” Drake looks confused.

“Oh, that's right. Eleven and thirteen,” Liam says. “I guess we were better.”

“Prove it,” Drake says. “You and Darius and any three girls against our starting five. We'll play at the Y. No subs. First team to one hundred. We'll see who's better.”

“We don't need to prove anything.” Liam walks away. “We know what we can do.”

Liam joins the team at lunch, and before he can say anything, Leah holds up her hand. “Drake already challenged us. We've been discussing it.”

“There's nothing to discuss,” Jessica snaps. “He's a loser on a losing team. We don't need to play losers.”

“Of course we don't,” says Leah. “But it would be fun to beat them and shut them up. Besides, I hate ending my season with a loss. I'd like one more game.”

“Do it. Do it. Do it.” Chloe bangs her crutches. “I'd play if I could.” She lifts up her ankle. “Beat them for me.”

“What do you think, Darius?” Leah asks.

“If you want to hoop, I'm ready.”

“Me, too,” Liam adds.

“What about you, Iris?” Leah leans over.

“I don't need to play them, but if you want to, I will.”

“We need you, Jess,” Leah pleads. “Pretty please with sugar on top.”

“Okay. Let's kick their butts.”

From the start, the game at the Y is physical. Drake elbows Liam on a screen.

“Keep your elbow in, Drake, or I'll break it off.” Liam's picked up some talk from the college guys, and Drake looks surprised.

Nielsen hammers Iris on the arm and she calls a foul.

“Strong move, Iris!” Chloe shouts. Liam lines up in the lane. He can't believe how many girls have come to watch: the rest of varsity, girls from JV and the ninth-grade team, and even some girls who don't play hoops. Only one other guy is watching: Seth.

Iris bounces the ball at her new spot.

“You can't shoot there.” Gund bends over with his hands on his knees. The guys are struggling for breath because they haven't played for a couple of weeks.

“Of course I can.” She buries them both.

“Pelke loves to go middle,” Liam tells Iris as they move back on defense. Staley shoots a long jumper and Liam holds his ground in front of Drake on the box out. Drake
slides baseline, but Liam pushes back with his butt and jumps for the rebound. He clears it to Leah, and she flies downcourt. She whips a pass to Darius at the arc. His three hits all net.

Trailing thirty-four to twenty-eight, Drake bounces the ball off his foot out of bounds.

“It went off you, Drake,” Liam calls.

“Off you.” Drake gets in Liam's face.

“That's crazy.” Liam wipes the sweat from his forehead with his jersey. “Shoot for it.”

Drake shoots from the top of the key and misses.

“Justice.” Liam grabs the rebound.

Leah zips a pass to Iris, who finds Liam, who's fouled. He lines up at his new spot for free throws. Leah, Jess, and Iris are so good at passing the ball and finding the open person that it's fun to finally play with them, rather than against them.

Drake takes out his mouth guard. “Do you shoot from the same place as your girlfriend?”

“She's my teammate.” Liam bounces the ball. “Remember team spirit?” He hits both of them.

Darius rains in threes. Leah's finding him perfectly off Iris's screens, and Staley is too slow to cover him. Gund switches over on him, so Darius posts him up and takes him to school.

Pelke turns middle and Iris blocks the shot. It bounces right off his head. “Great block, Iris,” Chloe shouts. “Next time, shove it down his throat.”

Darius jets downcourt and drives into the lane. Drake steps up, so Darius bounce-passes to Liam, who catches the ball and banks it in.

“Good finish, Norbert,” Darius shouts.

Liam feels the bounce in his step as he boxes out and grabs rebound after rebound. He rebounds from Coach Kloss and quitting the boys' team. He rebounds from Mom's pressure and Dad's disappointment. He rebounds from Mackenzie. That's life. Things go bad. You rebound.

Darius lines up for a free throw late in the game. They're ahead of the boys' team ninety-four to eighty-four. Pelke stands next to Iris and pushes an elbow against her. “How many of you are lesbians?”

“None of your business,” Jessica snaps.

Iris steps back, like she's been slapped.

“He's desperate,” Leah says. “Desperate, ignorant, and a bigot—the trifecta.”

“What do you mean?” Pelke shrugs. “I was just asking.”

“Knock it off, Pelke.” Liam glares at him.

“Remember, Pelke,” Darius says. “I've seen you naked.” He holds up his thumb and index finger close together. “There's a little thing I could talk about if you want to go that way.”

Jessica bursts out laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” Pelke asks.

“A teensy-tiny thing.” She holds her thumb and finger so close together, they're almost touching. Chloe cracks up and the other girls on the sidelines laugh as Pelke retreats downcourt.

Gund forces a three trying to cut the deficit, and Jessica pushes against Nielsen for the rebound. She passes to Leah, and Liam races downcourt on the break. Leah fakes to him and passes behind her back to Iris, who goes in for the score. The girls watching go nuts. Ninety-six to eighty-four.

Jessica and Iris double-team Nielsen and Iris steals the ball. She passes to Darius, who brings it upcourt. He bounces the ball between his legs at the arc. He can blow by Gund anytime he wants. Instead, he passes to Liam, who's guarded closely by Drake.

“Take him,” Darius says.

Liam turns and pump-fakes. Drake's too eager for the block and leaves his feet. Liam goes up and under for the hoop.

“That's it.” Darius slaps his hand.

Back at the other end, Staley knocks down a three when Leah gets stuck behind Nielsen's screen.

“Ninety-eight to eighty-seven. Game point.” Leah bounces the ball and Liam calls for the ball. He's not just a rebounder; he's got game. He wants to go right back at Drake. Leah passes to Darius on the wing and Darius feeds him. Liam turns baseline and spots Iris open at the edge of the free throw line. He bounce-passes to her, and Pelke's slow to close. Iris shoots.

“Game,” she calls as the ball leaves her hand. Everyone
stops to watch the shot. Nothing but net, and the girls watching burst into cheers.

Liam hugs Iris, and Leah, Darius, and Jessica wrap their arms around them. Girls swarm in from the side.

“Leah, you got your win.” Liam bows his head against hers in the inner circle of teammates.

“So did you.” She smiles.

Liam looks over at the guys, who still can't believe they got beat by thirteen.

Staley comes up and slaps his back. “Good run, Bergie.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Good game,” Nielsen says as he hurries past.

Drake is already at the bleachers, taking off his shoes. Liam walks over. “Good game.”

“Whatever.” Drake tosses his shoes into his Adidas bag.

Pelke grabs his stuff and scrambles to the door without talking to anyone.

Liam goes up to Seth, who's putting on his jacket. “Hey.”

“Those girls are good,” he says. “You played great.”

“Thanks.”

“I was sure you'd get blown away. Instead you played like a monster.” Seth jams his hands in his pockets. “Maybe we'll get a chance to play like that together on varsity next year.”

“We'll see,” Liam says. “Maybe with Darius.”

Leah's opening reception at the Regional Art Center is packed with friends, family, and teammates. Mom greets Jack and Mrs. Jack enthusiastically. Dad sets out a new tray of cookies, and Chloe picks out a rosette and talks to him. She's wearing a shiny silver dress that twirls when she turns. Liam's so used to seeing her hair pulled back for games and practice that he does a double take. She looks good with it down.

He spots Iris in the corner, gazing at a painting. He grabs a couple of ginger thins and walks over. “Cookie.” He offers her one.

“Thanks.” She's wearing a blue sweater that highlights her eyes. “Check this out.”

Liam looks at a painting splashed with jagged strokes of red and white around the outside and a circle of gold in the middle. “What's it called?”

Iris bends down to read the tag. “Jack.”

Liam stands back. Quiet in the center, but intense with the colors of Horizon basketball. “That works.”

Iris gestures at a dark-haired girl pouring punch into glasses. “That's Hannah, Leah's sister. She's in eighth grade and plays point. She might be good enough to start for us next year.”

Liam rubs his freshly shaved chin. Iris, Jess, and Chloe will be back next year. Another Braverman to handle the ball. That's already a strong team. What about the boys? Drake, Nielsen, Gund, and Pelke will all be gone, and Kloss might not be the coach. Would Liam start? Would Seth? Would Darius come back if Kloss didn't? He's got to find a way to keep playing with Darius.

Iris grabs his arm. “Look.”

Walking in together are Jessica and Hunter Nielsen, and they're both smiling. Maybe she felt sorry after beating him. No, that wouldn't be like Jess. Maybe she likes him.

Mom and Dad approach Liam. “What a turnout,” she says. “We've never had so many tall people, so many young people. So many tall, young people.”

“Mom, Dad, this is my friend Iris.”

“Nice to meet you, Iris.” Dad shakes her hand.

“You're the one who hit those free throws against Clearwater.” Mom reaches out to her. “That should have won the game. Those refs were terrible. They stole it.”

Iris laughs and Liam shakes his head. That's Mom.

“You played a strong game, Iris,” Dad says.

“Thanks, Mr. Bergstrom.”

“Here are the Buckners.” Mom pulls Dad away to talk with Darius's parents.

“Chloe and I are going to a movie after this.” Iris offers him an Altoid. “She wants you to come, too.”

“She does?” Liam sucks on the mint. “Are you trying to set me up, Iris?”

“Maybe.” She grins. “She's a friend. You're a friend. I look out for my friends.”

Leah and Chloe walk over as the warm light of spring pours through the front windows.

“This is an amazing opening, Leah.” Liam gestures at all the people.

“Thanks.” She's a couple of inches taller in her maroon heels.

“It's the equinox today,” he says. “The same amount of light as dark.”

“I didn't know that.” She adjusts her necklace. “That's good timing for an opening. Now I feel slightly better balanced.”

More people come up to congratulate her, and Liam turns to Chloe.

“Hey.” He holds out his hand and Chloe takes it. She's got long, dark lashes. “Nice dress.”

“Thanks.” She smiles.

He breathes in her perfume. Sweet and clean. “I talked with Iris.”

“And?”

“A movie together sounds fun.”

“Good. I think so, too.”

“Hey, Norbert, Chloe.” Darius comes up. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. Hey, D.” Liam lets go of Chloe's hand and pounds fists with Darius.

“I'll see you later.” Chloe waves.

“Definitely.” Liam moves closer to Darius. “Thanks, man.”

“For what?” Darius shakes the ice in his glass.

“For everything. For quitting the boys' team. For saying yes to Jack. For pushing me in practice.”

“You made yourself better, Norbert. And I enjoyed destroying those losers with you.”

“I've got one question.” Liam puts his hand on Darius's shoulder.

“What?”

“You remember Jack's rule on dating team members?” Liam looks over at Leah. “Did you two wait until the season was over?”

Darius's deep laugh rumbles. “Not quite.”

Liam laughs, too. “I didn't think so.”

Darius picks an ice cube out of the glass and pops it in his mouth. “Hey, we're playing at the B-CAB tomorrow. We need you.”

“I'll be there.” Liam grins. “Ready to run.”