Center Court Sting (2 page)

Daren hunched forward. “Look, I’d rather be by myself, okay?”

Lynn blinked. Then he shrugged.

“You got it.” He moved to another seat, leaving Daren alone.

A few seats ahead, Lou Bettman also sat by himself, staring out the window at nothing.

For a team that had won a game, the trip home was very quiet.

A
fter games, Daren and Lynn usually rode their bikes home together. The ride, and Lynn’s easy-going chatter, usually calmed
Daren. But today Lynn had a challenge on his hands.

“The Blazers are pretty hot this season,” Lynn said, “but we can take them.”

“I guess,” Daren muttered. “If we don’t get that lame ref we had today. Can you believe him? He didn’t give me one break!”

“I guess,” said Lynn.

Daren stared at his friend. “You
guess?
Carl did everything but hit me with a baseball bat! If he had, the ref still would’ve called the foul on me!”

“Well…” Lynn pedaled in silence for a moment. “Carl plays tough
D
. In-your-face defense. Against the Blazers, he held Don Spratt to ten points. That’s doing a good job, I think.”

Daren was amazed. He wanted sympathy, and here his best friend was, praising Carl Mantell! He was practically saying that
all the problems today were Daren’s fault!

“Carl Mantell plays dirty! End of discussion! If you can’t tell the difference between good defense and playing dirty, you
should try another sport — like checkers! What kind of friend are you?”

Lynn kept calm, and his voice stayed level. “I’m a good friend. But I don’t always have to agree with you. I can say what
I think.”

“Yeah, well, do me a favor and keep your thoughts to yourself for the rest of the ride,” Daren snapped.

Lynn shrugged, and neither one said another word. They parted when Daren pedaled up his driveway and Lynn headed home.

Daren put his bike in the garage and grabbed his backpack from the backseat carrier. As he was closing the garage door, he
heard a voice calling him.

“Dar, how’d it go? Did you win?”

His friend and neighbor, twelve-year-old Judy Parnell was smiling at him from her side of the fence between their front lawns.
Daren and Judy had known each other since they were babies, and Daren felt his mood improve. He walked over to the fence.

“We won, barely. I didn’t do so great.”

Judy’s smile faded. “That’s too bad, but you’ll have a great game next time. You never have two bad ones in a row.”

Daren smiled for the first time in hours. “Well… thanks. I better have, because we’re playing the Blazers, and those guys
are tough.”

“I hope I can come see you. Daren, can I ask you a big favor?”

“No problem. What’s up?”

Judy looked back toward her house. “It’s about my little brother, Gary.”

Gary was eight, and Daren thought he was a nice kid. “What about him?”

“Well, he’s really interested in basketball all of a sudden. He watches it on TV, and he’s got posters of pro players all
over his room. We got him a ball for his birthday, and Dad is going to put up a hoop and backboard in the yard.”

Daren nodded. “That’s great. It’s good for kids to get started young. I was only seven when I got my first ball. My dad and
I practiced all the time.”

“I remember,” Judy said with a smile. “The thing is, my dad is so busy these days that he doesn’t have the time right now
to help Gary. And Gary needs some coaching. You know, someone to give him tips. I don’t know enough about it, so I was hoping
that you could help. Gary really looks up to you.”

Daren thought a moment. He liked Judy, and he was sure he could get Gary playing well in no time.

“Sure, why not?”

“Oh, that would be so great!” Judy’s smile was radiant. “Would you wait a minute, and I’ll get Gary. He’s doing his homework.”

“Sure thing.”

Judy ran into her house and came out a moment later with Gary, who had a basketball under his arm. His face lit up at the
sight of Daren.

“Hey, Dar!” he yelled. “I got a basketball, see?” He held the ball up.

“That’s cool, Gary,” Daren said, taking the ball and spinning it on his index finger.

“Gary,” said Judy, “would you like Daren to coach you now and then?”

The younger boy’s eyes grew round in astonishment.
“Really?
He’d coach
me
?”

“Definitely,” said Daren, tossing the ball back to Gary.

“Awesome!”
Gary caught the ball. “Hey, could we start now?”

Daren laughed. “I can’t today. I have homework. But how about tomorrow? I can be here by four-thirty.”

“Yes!”
Gary beamed at Daren and his sister. “Wait’ll the guys at school hear!”

Daren reached over the fence and patted Gary’s shoulder. “Okay. See you tomorrow afternoon. Bye, Judy!”

“Bye, Daren,” she said, “and thanks!”

As Daren walked inside, he realized that his bad mood was gone.

H
ey, Lynn! Wait up!”

Seeing Lynn headed for school the next morning, Daren pedaled hard to catch him. He felt bad about the way he had talked to
Lynn the day before and wanted to make sure that everything was all right between them.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Daren said when he got close. “I don’t know why I said those things to you. I was a creep. You’re
my friend, and you can say whatever you want.”

“No problem,” Lynn replied with his
usual smile in place. They started toward school.

Daren sighed. “I don’t know why I act like that. It’s like, I can’t stop once I get going. Then, later, I always wish I had
kept my mouth shut. You know what I mean?”

Lynn nodded. “Yeah. I just worry that it’s going to get you into a big jam someday.”

For some reason, Lynn’s tone irritated Daren. “Well, we can’t all be Mr. Cool, like you,” he replied with an edge in his voice.

Lynn gave him a sideways look. “At least you know it’s wrong to blow up like that, right?”

Daren shrugged.

“If you
didn’t
know,” Lynn went on, “then I’d really be worried.”

Daren didn’t know how to reply to that, so he let the subject drop.

That day at lunchtime, Daren carried his
tray into the cafeteria, with Lynn just behind him. He headed toward a table where some other Rangers players were sitting.

As he neared, Lou Bettman looked up at him. Lou said something to Shawn, who glanced at Daren, then nodded.

Daren hadn’t been close enough to hear Lou, but he was certain that Lou was talking about him, and he was ready to bet that
it wasn’t a compliment. In spite of having promised himself not to lose his temper, he felt himself getting mad. Who did Lou
think he was to talk about him?

He and Lynn slid into chairs across the table from Lou and Shawn.

Daren stared at Lou. “Hey, Bettman, what were you saying about me just then?”

“Who says I was talking about you?” Lou snorted. “Maybe I was talking about the weather. Not everything is about you.”

Daren unwrapped his sandwich. “Oh, I see. You don’t have the guts to say it to my face.”

Lou slid his chair back. “You think you know everything, don’t you? Well, you don’t.”

Daren took a bite of his sandwich. When he had swallowed, he said, “So what
were
you saying? Go on — don’t be afraid.”

Lou stood up quickly. “You think I’m afraid of you, McCall?”

Daren stood, too. “No, you’re real brave. Just like you’re a great basketball player.”

Lou started around the table, but Shawn grabbed his arm, saying, “Don’t let him get to you. Don’t pay attention to him — he’s
not worth the trouble.”

Meanwhile, Lynn tapped Daren’s arm. “What
is
it with you? Listen to yourself, you’re doing it
again!”

“Well, he —,” Daren began.

Lynn cut him off. “It’s not
him
, it’s
you
— and you better cut it out.”

Shawn had his arm around Lou’s shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.” As the two walked away, Shawn turned and glared at Daren.
“You’re a real pain, you know?”

Daren glared back. When Lou and Shawn had disappeared, he picked up his sandwich again. But he wasn’t hungry. Lynn finished
his own lunch in silence, picked up his trash, and left Daren sitting alone for the rest of the period.

After his last class of the day, Daren was on his way to the locker room when he saw Shawn Howe by the door. Shawn walked
over.

“I want to talk to you.”

Daren stood still. “Yeah?”

“Leave Lou alone, okay? You’re always giving him a hard time, taking shots at him every day. Why don’t you cut it out?”

“Are you his bodyguard?” Daren asked. “If he has a problem, let him tell me himself.”

He started to walk around Shawn, but Shawn got in his way. “I’m not his bodyguard. I’m his friend. And I’m telling you because
he won’t. Get off his back, all right?”

Daren looked Shawn up and down, slowly. “And what if I don’t?”

“If you don’t,” said Shawn darkly, “I —”

Suddenly they heard angry voices in the locker room. One voice was Lou’s. The boys went to see, and found Lou yelling at Andy.

“That’s a stupid place to leave an open can of paint! What’s wrong with you? Is your brain out for repair?”

Andy flushed. “That’s not fair. I just left it there for a second —”

Seeing Shawn and Daren, Lou pointed to an open can of red poster paint on the floor. “He leaves that paint sitting there where
anyone could knock it over! I almost tripped on it!”

Andy picked up the can. “I only left it there for a second, while I —”

“You shouldn’t leave it there at all!” yelled Lou. “You’re here to
help
us, not booby-trap us!”

Andy’s eyes flashed. “I didn’t —”

“What’s going on here?” Coach Michaels stood in the doorway to his office. “What’s the problem? Why all the shouting?”

Lou pointed to Andy. “He left an open can of paint in the middle of the floor!”

“I had to get towels,” Andy said. “I was gone for just a second.”

“All right, enough,” said the coach. He looked at both boys. “Let’s get ready to practice. Shake hands, you two.”

Lou scowled but shook Andy’s hand. Neither of the two looked happy.

As Coach Michaels had promised, the
Rangers had a tough practice, running set plays over and over. At one point, Shawn grabbed a rebound and pivoted, the ball
held high. As he spun around, his elbow slammed into Daren’s face. Daren stumbled back, rubbing his jaw.

“Sorry,” said Shawn, not sounding sorry.

“You did that on purpose!” said Daren.

“Hey, I didn’t see you!” insisted Shawn.

Daren’s jaw ached. “Yeah, right.”

“I saw what happened,” said Lou. “It was an accident, and you know it, McCall.”

“Accident! Right! Look who’s talking, Mr. Basketball himself! Hey, Bettman is it true that ‘Lou’ is short for ‘loser’?”

Shawn shoved Daren, hard. “I told you to cut that stuff out!”

The Coach’s whistle sounded loudly. “Hold it! What is the matter with you guys lately?” He stared around at the team, his
hands on his hips. No one spoke.

“Look,” said the coach. “If you people want to fight each other, fine. Go out for the wrestling team. But if you want to play
basketball, this has to stop.
Now
. If you hope to beat the Blazers, you’ll need all your energy for that.”

He paused to look at Shawn and Daren, who couldn’t meet his eyes. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

“Daren, go get an ice pack for your jaw.” Daren opened his mouth to say he was fine, but the coach’s eyes told him he’d better
go whether he needed it or not.

He stalked into the locker room and found the first-aid kit in the bathroom. Still fuming, he pulled out the ice pack, crushed
the inner bag of chemicals, then held the rapidly cooling plastic bag to his face. As he did so, he caught sight of himself
in the mirror. The look of anger on his face startled
him, and he dropped his eyes. As his jaw numbed with the cold, he willed his temper to cool, too. Five minutes later, he
tossed the pack into the trash and returned to the court.

The rest of the practice was uneventful. At the end, the coach called everyone to the sidelines.

“That’s it for today. See you tomorrow — and you’d better be thinking about basketball and your next game, not wrestling one
another.”

The players started for the locker room. “Daren,” the coach called out. “Come here.”

Coach Michaels walked Daren over to a bench by the court and sat down.

“How’s the jaw?” asked the coach once the other players had gone.

“Okay,” Daren answered. “A little sore.”

“I saw what happened, and I know it wasn’t
all your doing,” he said. “But I want you to understand this: When you get on a player like you’ve done with Lou lately,
it not only hurts that player, but it also hurts the whole team. It also makes for bad feelings among other players.

“It has to stop. I’d like you to knock off the nasty remarks. Can you do that?”

Daren wanted to defend himself, but he knew it would be a bad idea. So he simply nodded. “Okay, I promise.”

“All right, Daren. I think that it would be a good thing if the Rangers can all start pulling together from here on in, because
—”

“McCall!
Is this your idea of a joke?”

Lou Bettman had come back to the gym with an angry scowl on his face and a pair of street shoes in his hand.

The shoes were bright red!

“What happened?” asked the coach.

Lou held the shoes up for the coach to in
spect. “Look at this! Someone took that paint in the locker room and painted them red!”

Coach Michaels took the shoes and looked at them closely. “When did this happen?”

Lou pointed at Daren. “Ask him! He’d be the one to know! He did it!”

D
aren couldn’t believe it. Lou was accusing
him!
True, he and Lou weren’t exactly buddies, but this was
unbelievable!

Daren was stunned to see the coach look at him suspiciously. Did
he
believe it, too?