Coach blew his whistle. "Halftime's over! Second half starting in thirty seconds!"
Stanlee and Jason made their way to the backcourt, standing alongside Kevin, Keisha, and Connor. Jason scanned the front court. Jackal, Wade, and Charlie were still out there. The two new substitutions were Maxie, a slim, wiry boy with brown eyes and average height, and Jonas.
His eyes gleamed with delight when he saw Jason step onto the court. A grin slowly spread across his face. He cracked his knuckles and immediately began stretching.
Stanlee rubbed his chin while in a thinking pose, "That's not good. They really intend to put this game away."
Keisha folded her arms, "With Maxie out there, you're going to have to be at the top of your game, Stan. He's a pickpocket on defense."
Kevin shook his head, "Not just him, but Jonas as well. Mix those two with Charlie, and you get a rebound dream lineup. We may never get possession of the ball if they so happen to miss."
Stanlee smirked, "I'll make Jonas a nonfactor this game."
Keisha raised a brow, "How so?"
Kevin and Connor's faces lit up with realization as they turned toward Jason.
Stanlee nodded as he patted Jason's back, "Yup, Jason here is gonna get in Jonas's head, and he'll be so focused trying to get back at him he'll forget about the basketball game. Especially after how Jace humiliated him."
Keisha threw her hands up, "Whoa, hold up, Jacey did WHAT NOW?"
Connor snickered, "He humbled him and stood on ten toes for us. He was flying like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Muhammad Ali would've been proud."
Keisha punched Jason's arm, "Alright Jacey, you're definitely one of our day ones from here on out, regardless of the final score."
Kevin bumped his fist to Jason's chest, "Yeah, what she said. You're our bro now."
Stanlee pushed back his glasses, "Yup, and guess what? That final score is gonna have us on the winning high number."
Coach blew his whistle, "Anytime now, kids!"
Stanlee picked up the basketball, "Kevin, stay on Wade. Connor, match with Maxie. Keisha, you got Charlie. I have Jackal. Jason-"
Jason shot a thumbs up, "Jonas is my matchup."
Stanlee nodded. He stepped out of bounds and bounce-passed the ball to Kevin, who passed it back to Stanlee as he strolled up to half-court. Immediately, Maxie and Wade ran to double-team him. Stanlee found Jason in the left corner. He fired him a pass. Jason caught it, set his feet, and faked a jump shot as Jonas came soaring by with a closeout contest. Jason zoomed in for a layup. Charlie jumped to contest, but had no idea Jason's hangtime felt like an eternity. Jason did a circus layup off the backboard.
15-13, Black team up by two.
The Green team bench roared back to life after the amazing play by Jason. They immediately started roaring, "New kid!"
Stanlee high fived Jason as the rest of the team backpedaled. Maxie brought the ball up and then passed to Jackal. Who came into the paint aggressively. Stanlee held his ground. Jackal didn't even shoot the ball he fired it at the backboard. Maxie caught the rebound and easily put it back up.
17-13, Black team up by four.
As the black team backpedaled, Wade yelled, "Yall to little!"
Keisha scoffed, "Acting like he actually did something that play his dumbass."
Kevin glared at Wade, "Don't let him get in your head. We knew they would resort to Maxie."
Stanlee nodded, "Which is why we full-court press whoever has the ball and pack the paint to make life hell for Maxie."
Connor grabbed the basketball and passed it to Stanlee. "I get it, we force them to make jumpers. But hey, don't forget about me. Kobe Jr. at your service."
Stanlee rolled his eyes. "Alright, buddy, get to your corner. It's about time we started getting hot from outside."
Connor took off like he'd just hit a second wind of energy. Kevin stood at his right-angle spot. Jason and Keisha stood inside the arc on opposite sides, Jackal on Keisha and Charlie roaming near the paint. Jonas was on Jason like a hawk.
Wade came up to Stanlee with the ugliest grin on his face. "C'mon, Stanlee, aren't you supposed to be smart? You know this is hopeless."
Stanlee sighed, "Don't know unless you try. Plus, a four-point lead is nothing to be scared about."
He fired his pass to Kevin, who was wide open. Wade instantly ran to close out on him. But Wade was not ready to run into Maxie, who was also guarding Connor in the corner and refused to let Kevin get an open three. The two crashed into each other and crumpled to the floor comically. Kevin swung the ball to Connor, who banked the corner three.
17-16, Black team up by one.
"Watch where you're going!" Wade wheezed.
Maxie sighed, "My bad, my bad."
Connor ran back, making binoculars with his hands on his face and looked through them.
"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, TWIN!" Barry roared.
Wade dribbled up to half-court with the basketball. He fired a pass to Jackal inside the paint with Stanlee guarding him. Jackal faked going right and drove left, blowing past Stanlee. Jason switched off Jonas to guard Jackal.
BAM
SWISH
Jackal bumped his left shoulder hard into Jason's chest, knocking the wind out of him and making him stagger. Jackal finished the layup.
19-16, Black team up by three.
Jonas and Wade ran up to Jason screaming, "AND-1!!! ON YOUR HEAD, NEW KID! YOU'RE TOO LITTLE!!!"
Jason wheezed in laughter, "Still got more points than you, Jonas."
Jonas got so close he was inches away from Jason's face. "Keep talking, pretty boy."
Jason smirked, "I'd rather be pretty than ugly. You two would know all about that, wouldn't you?"
Jonas was seething. He raised a fist that Wade caught and shook his head in dismissal. He turned back to Jason.
"That's the one time I stop him, new kid. How about you save all that for after the game? Lock in, you need it, goofy."
Stanlee's eyebrows furrowed, "Wade, didn't you just run into your own nephew and allowed a three-point play on our last possession? So who's the real goofy?"
Wade's eyeballs gleamed with malice. He shrugged, "We're still up, though. What's your point?"
Coach blew his whistle twice, gathering the boys' attention. "Alright boys, let's play basketball. Enough flapping, more swishing!"
Stanlee glanced at Wade and shot him a thumbs-up, then made his way back to Kevin to prepare for the inbound. Kevin passed it and Stanlee tore through the half-court like a bullet. Wade met him at the top of the key. Wade and Stanlee looked like they were having a dance. Stanlee's dribbles were smooth and fast. Wade was barely keeping up. Stanlee went left and Wade drove hard after him.
SKREEEEE
Stanlee crossed over and then stepped back. Wade lost his footing on the initial crossover, so when Stanlee stepped back he fell on his face. The people on the bleachers nearly brought the entire gym down with screams and yells. Coach was smiling like a fool. Everybody knew Stanlee did Wade crazy with that filthy crossover plus the stepback.
With the stepback Stanlee was behind the arc. He let it fly.
SWISH
19-19
Tie game.
The green team backpedaled immediately on defense. Connor slapped Stanlee's back. Stanlee nodded as if to say, "I know it was tough."
When Wade picked himself up, his face was red.
Deep red.
He grabbed the ball and shoved it into his nephew's chest.
"Give me the ball," Wade growled.
Jackal pushed Wade, "No Max give it here."
Maxie looked distraught. Like he was caught in a lose lose situation.
Maxie passed the ball to Jackal. Wade glared at his nephew with so much fury you would've thought his noggin would explode.
Jackal got met by Stanlee before he reached half court. A full court press.
Jackal smirked like he loved the challenge. Jackal tried to shake Stanlee, but he was on him like a lock on a locker because he had Jackal locked up.
Unbeknownst to Stanlee, Wade ran up and set a screen for Jackal. Jackal crossed right, forcing Stanlee toward Wade's screen. Stanlee tried to sidestep around it-
BAM
Wade leaned his shoulder into Stanlee, making him drop to a knee, stunned. Blood streamed down his bottom lip.
FWEEEEEET
Coach stormed the court. "Offensive Foul! Illegal screen by Wade! Turnover! Green team gains possession of the ball!"
Wade shook his head viciously, "That's not a foul, Coach, are you blind!"
FWEET
Coach shook his head. "Technical on Wade. Green team gets a free throw and retains possession. Talk back again, Wade, and you can enjoy the rest of your day with Officer Black in his office. It was clear as day. A moving screen will always be a foul."
Wade was fuming, but he bit his lip.
Coach K turned back and headed to his desk as Keisha grabbed the ball and went to the free-throw line.
Jonas scoffed, "It's Keisha who's shooting the free throw, ain't nobody scared of that!"
Keisha did her usual free-throw ritual. She dribbled the basketball three times and then spun it in the air. She lined up the laces and took a deep breath. She bent her knees and released.
SWISH
Pure nothing but net.
20-19, Green up by one.
For the first time all half, the Green team had the lead. The Green team went crazy on the bleachers. Meanwhile, the Black team looked like it was at a funeral.
Kevin retrieved the ball and prepared for an inbound pass from the sideline. Wade stood in front of him trying to deflect the pass. Coach blew his whistle to resume play. Kevin found a cutting Connor with Maxie trailing and passed him the ball. Connor hit a few pump fakes before leaning back into a fadeaway mid-range jump shot. The ball rolled all the way around the rim before finally falling in.
22-19, Green team up by 3.
Connor ran back and flexed. The Green team bench was going crazy.
"Kobe Jr!" they yelled in unison.
Jonas grabbed the ball and passed it to Jackal. Jackal turned around and sighed. Stanlee stood there at the top of the key, ready for another full-court press.
Jackal passed back to Jonas as he stepped back in bounds. Jackal took off with Stanlee hot on his heels. Jonas drove up to the right angle where Jason met him straight up.
"Wanna dance, pretty boy?" Jonas growled.
Jason smirked, "Come at me, if you got the balls."
Jonas's eyes burned like an inferno. "Ice out, y'all!"
Jackal rolled his eyes, "Seriously, on the new kid?"
Jonas nodded adamantly, "Yes, bro, I can't have him questioning my gangsta! I'm gonna drop him on his ass!"
Jason got in a defensive stance: knees bent, on the balls of his feet, and hands outstretched.
Once nearly everybody cleared out of the paint, Jonas began his attack. He first drove toward the paint. Jason got a hand on the ball, but Jonas regained possession. Jonas hit an in-between-the-legs cross and then a behind-the-back dribble. He went left as Jason kept using his body to stay in front, not giving an inch. Jonas went to bump into Jason. Big mistake. Jason pulled the chair and let Jonas's momentum do all the work. Catching Jonas off guard, he threw a prayer at the backboard which didn't even hit the rim. Jonas stumbled past the baseline and crashed out of bounds as Jason secured the rebound. Wade rushed Jason. Jason fired a bounce pass to Kevin. Maxie was immediately on him. Kevin passed it to the wide-open cutting Keisha, who laid it up and in.
24-19 Green team
Keisha ran back and fist-bumped Stanlee as they readied the defense backcourt. Nobody on the green team said anything, but they all shared the same thoughts. The victory was only six points away.
Jackal seemed to notice this as well. He grabbed the ball and waited for Jonas and Wade to make their way over to him, Maxie, and Charlie. They had a quick huddle with hushed voices.
Stanlee frowned, "Guys, stay ready. We're in for the fight of our lives."
The huddle broke up with a fist bump. Jackal grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and fired a pass to Maxie, who stood near half-court. Maxie matched up with Connor. Maxie pounded the basketball between his legs five times, then faked left and drove right. Connor couldn't keep up with Maxie. Maxie's longer stride, plus his lightning-quick first step, was too much for Connor to handle. Keisha collapsed on Maxie in the paint to contest. But in doing so, she left Charlie wide open, who had been quiet almost all half. Charlie put it in off the backboard.
24 - 21 Green team.
Connor looked defeated. "Sorry, guys, I let myself get too comfortable."
Stanlee slapped Connor's back, "All good, Kobe. We've all been making mistakes this game. All that matters is what comes next. Right, gang?"
Kevin nodded, "Stay light on your feet, bro. Something tells me there's more where that came from."
Jason picked up the basketball and handed it to Connor, "Try to stay on the balls of your feet. That'll help a bit."
Keisha sighed, "You're good, Connor. But next time he gets past you, we're switching."
Connor saluted Keisha, "You got it, boss."
Connor stepped out of bounds and passed it to Keisha. Maxie stood there waiting for her. Keisha dribbled up the court slowly with Maxie walking in her direction. Their eyes locked like a cowboy standoff, sizing each other up. Keisha made the first move. She drove past the half-court line and Maxie read it immediately. He caught up to her and attempted to steal the ball. Keisha passed to Kevin, who caught the ball. He drove to the paint and gathered the ball. Wade smirked as he passed him. Wade extended his leg in front of Kevin.
SKREEEEE
Kevin tripped and slid on the floor as the basketball rolled out of bounds.
FWEEER FWEET
Coach K spoke into his megaphone," Foul by Wade! Two free throws for Kevin!"
Keisha got all up in Wade's face, "Yo that was a dirty play."
Wade had a smug smile on his face, "Instead of arguing with me shouldn't you be checking on mama's boy."
Kevin picked himself up, "Wanna say that again dumbass."
Wade threw his hands up, "Temper temper Kevi. I was only stating facts. Its not my fault your dad went to grab the milk."
Kevin was about rush Wade. Stanlee and Connor held him back. Kevin kept trying to break free.
"Kevin, calm down! He's just trying to piss you off!" Stanlee said in exasperation.
Connor grabbed Kevin and pinned him under the hoop. "Bro, chill."
Kevin sighed, "I'm good. I'm good."
Coach grabbed the basketball. "Two shots."
He passed it to Kevin. He dribbled it five times, took a deep breath, bent his knees, and shot it.
CLANG
It just grazed the front of the rim and bounced out.
Wade roared at the missed free throw. The green team bench was starting to look a little anxious. All the excitement faded. The black bench looked like they were praying for Kevin to miss both, and so far their prayers were being answered.
Jason grabbed the basketball and bounce-passed it back to Kevin. Kevin didn't even bounce it; he caught it, bent his knees, and released.
BAM
SWISH
Kevin's second free throw banked hard off the backboard and swished in.
25-21. Green team ahead.
The Green team bench nearly ran onto the court. The vibes were at an all-time high, unlike the Black team bench. The idea of Jackal and Wade losing today was slowly creeping in like a daddy longlegs up your arm.
Wade tried to inbound to Jackal, but Stanlee swarmed him, denying him the ball.
Maxie rushed up, clapping his hands, "Ball, Ball!"
Wade fired a hard chest pass to his nephew. The ball slammed into Maxie's chest, stunning him for a second. That allowed Connor to immediately close in on him. Maxie jab-stepped to the left, and Connor twitched back. Maxie drove right but was surprised when Connor was still beside him and recovered just enough to close off the lane. Maxie tripped over his foot and just threw it up from the left corner before falling out of bounds. It went up, hit the backboard, and was rebounded by Charlie despite Keisha's great box-out. Charlie pump-faked, and Keisha bought it. He put it up and in as she slapped his arm.
25-23, Green team.
Charlie growled, "And 1, girl! Too little!"
Keisha rolled her eyes, "And you're too big, but nobody's talking about that."
Charlie blinked, "Damn, fat-shaming is crazy."
Keisha walked to the side of the free-throw line, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Charlie nodded, "Alright, bet."
Coach grabbed the ball, "One free throw."
He blew his whistle and passed it back to Charlie. Charlie spun it in his hands three times with one dribble, then bent his knees and made a J.
SWISH
Nothing but net.
25-24 Green team.
It was now a one-possession game.
Barry was the only one breathing life into the bench. "C'mon gang. LOCK INNNNNN!"
Luke, Alicia, Marcus, and Jessica joined in on the chant.
Kevin inbounded the ball to Keisha. She drove down the court and was matched with Wade. She faked a pass to a cutting Kevin and swung it to Stanlee at the top of the key. Stanlee caught it and Jackal went for a poke steal. Stanlee pivoted left and passed to Jason at the left wing. He pump-faked as Jonas flew by with the closeout and swung it to Connor in the left corner behind the arc. Charlie was too busy ball-watching that he forgot he was guarding Connor. Charlie charged and Connor blew past him with a nasty crossover. He hit a sidestep, further disorienting Charlie, and pulled up and shot it as he faded to the side. It went in, out, and back in.
27-24 Green team.
Wade throws the ball at Charlie, "What the hell was that?!"
Charlie scratched his head, "I-"
"LOCK THE FUCK IN!!" Wade growled.
Jackal grabbed the basketball and got in between the two of them. "That's enough! We still have a game to win. Save all this crap for after the game."
Wade narrowed his eyes, "What?"
Maxie wrapped his arm around Wade and walked him to set up the defense. "If you've got energy to yap, you definitely have energy to squeeze out a W. Come on, Wade, let's win this."
Wade snorted, "As long as he doesn't let that happen again."
Jackal inbounded it to Jonas. Stanlee was on Jackal like a magnet. Jonas took it up to half court where Jason once again waited for him. Jonas gritted his teeth and passed to Maxie, who was within the left side baseline. Connor had him on the baseline. Maxie started backing into him, attempting a post-up. Maxie went up for the pull-up.
SMACK
Unbeknownst to Maxie, Keisha had switched off Wade to help out Connor. The second she saw Maxie get in form, she came from behind and smacked the ball from his hands. A beautiful deflection, sending it out of bounds.
Coach lifted his hand towards the same hoop, "Out of bounds! Black team keeps possession!"
Maxie was still bewildered in amazement, "How?"
Keisha smirked, "Before y'all came down here, Kevin and I chose to switch for this possession. That way, if Connor needed help, I'd be there."
Maxie chuckled, "Impressive, am I that much of a threat?"
Kevin and Connor scoffed.
Keisha shook her head, "Dude, you're a mini Kevin Durant. We're going to double you and help with defense at all times."
Maxie shot a thumbs up as he walked to the left corner.
Stanlee walked up to them with a huge smile on his face, "Great work, you three! Now let's keep up the pressure!"
Wade grabbed the ball and prepared to inbound. The coach blew his whistle to resume play. Everybody scrambled around, attempting either to get open (black team) or to deny the ball (green team). Wade found a cutting Jonas. Jason planted hard to close out, but his sneaker caught a slick patch of sweat. His foot shot out from under him, sending him face-first toward the floor. Jonas laughed as he put up the floater.
SWISH
27-26, Black team cuts it back to 1.
Jonas taunted Jason, replaying how he slipped and collapsed. "Help! I've fallen and I can't get uppppppp!"
The entire black team chuckled as they ran back to play defense. Meanwhile, the entire green team surrounded Jason.
"Yo, fly swatter, ya good?" Stanlee said.
Jason grumbled, "Damn it, I sold."
Keisha shook her head, "Nah, you were hustling, Jace. We love to see that, especially when it's clutch time."
Kevin nodded and offered his hand, "Yeah, what Keish said. None of us have been perfect this game. But as long as we still have each other's backs, we aren't losing."
Connor offered his hand, "Yeah, we hold each other accountable and move forward. Like the defensive tip you gave me really helped, dawg! Maxie had to resort to the post-up thanks to you."
Stanlee nodded in agreement, "Yeah, tearing ourselves apart will only put us on the same level as the black team. Up and at 'em, fly swatter. You still got some swatting to do."
Stanlee and Keisha offered their hands.
Jason blinked. For a split second, the four outstretched hands became other hands from another time. A familiar voice echoed through his memories.
"C'mon, son. It's not over yet. Show them who you are."
Jason gritted his teeth and grabbed their hands. Together, they pulled him back to his feet.
Jason grabbed the ball and inbounded it to Stanlee. Stanlee was met by Jackal at half court. Stanlee fired a pass to Keisha, who blew past Charlie. She went up for the layup, unaware of the chasedown Maxie was giving, leaving Connor.
BANG
Maxie smacked it off the backboard, rejecting Keisha's layup. The ball rebounded hard off the glass backboard. It went to the other side of the court. Wade was ahead of everyone else. The minute he picked it up, he wasted no time; he shot it as Kevin caught up to him, hitting the backboard and banking it in.
28-27, the Black team had regained the lead.
The entire Black team, including the bench, erupted like a volcano. You would've thought they had just won the game. The Green bench had gone silent for the first time all game. The feeling of defeat slithered into their hearts. Dread filled the air.
Kevin sighed in defeat, "We gotta beat them with a three. That's our best shot."
Stanlee scratched his neck, "They know that as well. Connor, stay ready. We'll try to get you the ball."
Connor blinked, "But what about an and-one?"
Keisha shook her head aggressively, "No, we can't let them get another possession. There's a good chance they'll let anything from inside go in, but not a three. Why would they give us free points and a chance to win the easy way?"
Connor looked even more confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Stanlee wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Basically, they'll protect the rim, but they won't risk fouling us inside. Even if we score two, they get the ball back needing one. A three ends it."
Connor's eyes widened. "Ohhhh."
Keisha squinted at Connor. "That's exactly what I just said, twin."
Connor laughed nervously. "You talk fast when you're mad, Keisha."
Keisha just death-stared him. "Watch your back after class."
Kevin planted his hand on Connor's shoulder. "That's the situation, Kobe. What do ya say?"
Connor cracked his knuckles. "Let's do it."
With that, Jason grabbed the ball and stepped out of bounds. He fired the inbound pass to Stanlee. Stanlee dribbles up the half. Jackal harasses him immediately. Stanlee was pulling all the dribble moves he had in his bag. He faked left and drove right. Maxie drifted slightly off Connor, and Stanlee read it. He fired it to Connor, who set his feet and let it fly as Maxie closed out.
CLANG
It hit the rim and rolled around, flirting with the hoop.
It rolled out.
Shock filled the faces of the entire green team. The black team looked like they had just survived a heart attack.
Charlie recovered the rebound. He quickly found Jonas had leaked out and fired the pass to him. Jonas caught it. Jason was in hot pursuit. Jonas gathered for the layup, but Jason wrapped both arms around his torso before he could rise, stopping him cold. Jonas threw the ball toward the hoop, but it never reached the rim.
FWEET
Coach snickered and gave Jason a knowing glance, "Foul by Jason, two free throws for Jonas."
Jonas turned around to face Jason, a huge smirk on his face. "I'm busting yo ass right now pretty boy."
Jason didn't respond. He just smiled in Jonas's face.
Jonas's smirk faded into annoyance. "Why are you smiling?"
Jason shook his head, "Getting ahead of yourself ugly. You have to make both free throws. Me and you both know you aren't gangsta like that."
Jonas narrowed his eyes, " Ya know, for a new kid you say alotta BS."
Jason shrugged, "Prove me wrong then. Shut my mouth."
The coach walked up and grabbed the basketball, waiting for everybody to line up beside the paint except Jonas.
The coach passed it to Jonas and blew his whistle. Jonas pounded the ball hard three times, then bent his knees and released.
Everybody on the green team looked like the oxygen had been sucked out.
PING
Jonas air-balled. The ball didn't even reach the rim. It bounced harmlessly on the floor.
The green team bench erupted as if oxygen had just been pumped back into their lungs. The feeling of hope crawled back into the green team's veins.
Jackal shook his head in disappointment. Wade looked like he was going to murder Jonas himself. Jonas sighed and glared at Jason, who just shot him a thumbs-up.
Coach passed it to Jonas again for his final free throw. Jonas breathed five times, dribbled it twice, and let it fly.
SWISH
This time, it was nothing but net.
29-27 Black team up by 2.
Jackal shoves Jonas, "What the hell was that?"
Jonas stumbled back, confused. "What? I made the shot."
Maxie shook his head. "If you missed purposely, me or Charlie could've put it back up and won the game!"
Wade's eyes were smoldering. "Yo, Jonas, don't tell me you let that pretty boy distract you from a W!?!?!"
Jonas glanced back at Jason, who bowed in his direction before laughing and joining his team.
Stanlee put his fist out, "Great work, Jason. Color me impressed."
Jason bumped it, "Now let's win this."
Kevin grabbed the ball and stepped out of bounds. The coach blew his whistle, signaling the final possession. Kevin inbounded to Stanlee. He caught it and was swarmed by a smothering double team.
Jackal and Wade.
They had him surrounded. But Stanlee threw a bounce pass between Wade's legs to Keisha. Keisha ran up to it and received it. Maxie was on her yet again. He swiped at the ball multiple times, forcing Keisha to pivot around to avoid him. She fired it back to Kevin.
Kevin scanned the court.
Stanlee was double-teamed by Jackal and Wade. Keisha was guarded by Maxie.
Kevin blinked twice. Connor was being doubled by Charlie and Jonas near the right angle, his hotspot for a three-pointer. Connor had the hot hand, so it made sense. This left Jason open at half-court.
Kevin didn't waste another second; he fired a chest pass to Jason. Jason caught it and dribbled up to the Lyons lion logo.
Jason set his feet.
Jonas ran and leaped to contest.
Jason's eyes were focused as he let it fly.
Everybody watched as time seemed to slow as the ball sailed to the hoop.
BANG
The basketball struck the back iron.
It bounced once, twice, thrice.
PING
PING
PING
PING
It bounced around the whole hoop like a merry-go-round, bouncing four more additional times.
Seven times.
SWISH
The basketball fell through on the seventh bounce.
30-29, Green team victorious.
Silence filled the gym.
BRRRIINGGGG
The lunch bell broke the silence, and chaos immediately ensued.
Kevin, Keisha, and Connor embraced Jason, each one by one. Stanlee saluted Jason, and Jason returned the salute.
Barry rushed the court yelling like a mad man. "Jason motherfreaking Yang!!! You are a badass!!!"
The entire green bench, followed by some people on the black bench, joined in greeting and meeting Jason.
***
Luke blinked twice. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Jason, but that story doesn't end there."
Jason shrugged. "That's where the story ends."
Kevin narrowed his eyes. "No, it doesn't, homie. You skipped the part where we went to the cafeteria to enjoy our victory lunch-and Wade, Charlie, and Jonas tried to jump you."
Jessica nodded adamantly. "Exactly! You whooped all three of them!"
Jason waved a hand dismissively. "That wasn't the point."
Luke stared at him. "Wasn't the point? That's the part that made half the school think you could beat Jackal. People started calling you his equal."
Keisha scoffed lightly. "Modest fool."
Jessica folded her arms. "What happened afterward gave everyone hope that this school could actually change. Before that, you were the new kid who hit the buzzer-beater. Afterward, people started calling you the strongest kid in school."
Jason sighed. "That wasn't the point of the story."
His eyes drifted toward Stanlee, who lay motionless aside from the faint rise and fall of his chest.
Jason spoke softly. "The point is... that was the day I found my family."
His gaze moved across the room. "Kevin. Keisha. Jessica. Luke. The twins..."
Finally, his eyes returned to Stanlee.
"And you, Stan."
The heart monitor continued its steady rhythm.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
"You were always the shooting star," Jason whispered. "Not me."
No one spoke.
Jason closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
His voice nearly broke.
"May the Tao return you to us."
The air conditioner hummed overhead, sending a cool breeze through the silent room.
Tears gathered in everyone's eyes.