True Legend (21 page)

FORTY-FIVE

C
allie was the fastest out of Drew's cheering section, by far, once Drew's teammates stopped pounding on him for a minute. She was on the floor about the same time King and his teammates were leaving it.

When she got to him, she stood with hands on hips, shaking her head.

“You're as bad here as you are playing H-O-R-S-E,” she said.

“How do you figure?”

“Well,” she said, “I'm sure you didn't call bank.”

“Do you have to on a pass?” he said.

Drew was afraid she was going to hug him in front of everybody, imagined for a second that picture in the papers or on TV. Eyes on Drew now as much as they'd ever been. But instead the cool girl just put up her right palm for a cool high-five.

Drew's mom hugged him with all her might, until he had to beg her to let him go, telling her he didn't want a cracked rib to go with his banged-up knee.

Drew saw Seth Gilbert then, behind his mom. No surprise that he had to be down here in the action, too. But tonight, Drew imagined him on the sidelines.

Almost out of the picture.

“You couldn't make that pass when we were on television?” he said.

When
we
were on television.

Drew shrugged. “I already made that pass on TV.”

Lee came back, got Drew from behind, lifted him off his feet, yelling at him, “Dude! You did it!”

“Put me down!” When he did, Drew said, “No,
we
did it. Even the best pass in the world can't catch itself.”

Lee smiled. “The point guard does make a solid point,” he said.

Then his other teammates were on him again, arms around each other, Drew and Lee and Tyler and Brandon and Ricky, doing this crazy made-up dance.

Somebody was saying over the public address system that the court had to be cleared for the trophy presentation, and people started heading back to their seats. Drew found himself standing alone with Legend at midcourt.

“Last time you tried to beat King,” he said. “Tonight your team beat his team.”

“We did.”

Legend said, “I never figured it out in the day. How to be a team man.”

“You still got time.”

“Not so sure about that.”

“You got all the time in the world,” Drew said. “See, you and me,
we're
a team now.”

Legend smiled. “Heard of bank shots before,” he said. “A bank pass? Boy, what was
that
?”

Now Drew smiled.

“Legendary,” he said.

FORTY-SIX

T
his is the most nervous I've ever been in my life,” Drew said, looking around the Henry Gilbert Athletic Center, not an empty seat to be seen or found anywhere.

“No kidding?” Lee said. “I would never have picked up on that.”

“Hey,” Drew said, “it's a big day for you, too.”

“Bigger than Park Prep?”

Drew began to vigorously nod his head yes, but said, “Nah.”

“Just remember,” Lee said, “this
isn't
all about you, as difficult as that might be for you to comprehend.”

“I'm good with that.”

“For once,” Lee said, “others get to be the star.”

“Good with that, too.”

“Good,”
Lee said. “Now, go take a seat in the stands.”

Graduation Day at Oakley.

The ceremony was a couple of minutes away from starting. Drew did what he'd been told, went and took his seat across the basketball floor from where the stage had been set up. His mom was already in her seat, in a new dress she'd bought for the occasion, sitting next to Lee's parents.

And next to them was Coach Fred Holman.

He wasn't dressed up in a sports jacket and tie like the rest of the grown-ups in the gym. Just wearing the same sweater he'd been wearing the day Drew and Lee went to see him in Santa Monica.

Here to see Urban Legend Sellers finally graduate from high school, graduate along with Lee and the rest of the seniors at Oakley.

Mr. Shockey had given Legend the option of having a private ceremony on his office.

Legend had said, “No, I'll wear the uniform and take the walk.” Legend had turned to Drew that day and said, “Do something great for myself in a gym again.”

This morning Coach Fred Holman had picked up Legend at his hotel, driven him to Drew's house. Legend had put on his gown there, saying, “I'll wait to put the cap on till I have to.”

Drew had said, “It'll look better on you than that Lakers cap you were wearing the night I found you.”

They were alone in Drew's room.

Legend had surprised Drew then by hugging him.

“We found each other, boy,” he'd said.

The ceremony seemed to take forever. Darlene Robinson had to poke her son a few times, just to keep him awake. With that, Drew still felt himself getting the nod during the song part, and during the speeches, his eyes started to close all over again. He even excused himself, saying he needed to go to the men's room, during the speeches.

But he was back in plenty of time to watch Lee Atkins and Urban Legend Sellers take their walks.

When it was time, Mr. Flachsbart called out the name “Urban Donald Sellers.” And Drew couldn't help himself—he stood up across from the stage, put his hands together, cheered somebody else in this gym.

The rest of the graduating seniors stopped the ceremony for a moment, because they were cheering, too.

Legend slowed as Mr. Flachsbart shook his hand, then handed him his diploma. The other graduates were still cheering. Then—diploma in hand—Legend was walking toward the steps.

Drew noticed he wasn't limping at all.

But then, how could he be?

In that moment, Drew imagined that Legend really could fly.

• • •

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