Fast Break Page 4

  Derek had never performed on a stage before—ever. What if he messed up royally? What if the audience laughed at him?

  Still, he didn’t want to let Vijay down. Besides, he didn’t want to feel like he was running away.

  “Well? What have you got?” Vijay said impatiently, bouncing his knees up and down with pent-up energy. Obviously, he hadn’t been losing sleep over anything like Derek had.

  Derek knew his friend must have sensed that something was wrong. Vijay always seemed to know what was in Derek’s heart. He was going to have to be honest—but maybe not just yet… he had to find a way to explain his second thoughts without upsetting Vijay.…

  “Derek? Vijay?” It was Derek’s mom, calling up from downstairs. “Time to wrap it up, guys. It’s getting late!”

  Saved by the bell, thought Derek. Whew!

  Vijay sighed. “So when can we get back to it?” he asked.

  “I’ll… let you know tomorrow, okay? I’ve got to see what this week looks like.”

  “But—”

  “We’ll do it soon, don’t worry,” he assured Vijay. “And I’ll have the song picked by then.”

  “Don’t I get a vote?” Vijay protested.

  “Of course! But I know you’re going to love it.”

  Derek sure hoped so. Because he had no idea what song he was going to pick!

  * * *

  After seeing Vijay out, Derek went back upstairs. It was already late, but he still needed to put in some time going over the test review booklet.

  He sat down at his desk and tried to concentrate—but it was too hard. He was dog-tired, and his eyes kept wanting to close.

  “Derek?”

  His mom, a look of concern in her eyes, was standing in the open doorway. “It’s past ten. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

  “I have to study, Mom,” he protested.

  “You should have gotten that done earlier,” she countered. “You know studying has to come first.”

  “But we had our family picnic!”

  “There were other times this weekend, old man.” She came into the room and sat down on the side of his bed. “Your dad and I were talking about it—you’re doing so much, you seem all stressed out.”

  Derek heaved a huge sigh. “Totally,” he said with a weary edge to his voice. “But it’s all stuff I really want to do!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I really, really want to make this team, Mom! Only the best players get into AAU league.”

  “And the talent show?”

  “It’ll be fun—if we ever get our act together. Anyway, I promised Vijay. I just wish the two things weren’t happening at the same time. And then there’s this big test on top of it! Why did Ms. Terrapin have to assign us an essay, too—this weekend of all weekends?”

  “It’s not her fault if you’ve got other things on your plate besides school,” said his mom. “Derek, if you really want to do it all, you’re going to have to manage your time better. And in the end, you may find it really is all too much. In that case, something will have to go by the wayside.”

  “No! I mean, I don’t want to drop anything.”

  “Well, then, let’s check out this upcoming week.” She got up and took a look at Derek’s wall calendar, which hung over his desk, right next to the poster of Dave Winfield, the Yankees right fielder, who was Derek’s idol.

  “Let’s see… basketball tryouts are Saturday… testing is when?”

  “The twentieth and twenty-first.”

  “That’s Monday and Tuesday. And the talent show?”

  “Not till October eighth—but we don’t even have any ideas yet. We haven’t even picked out music! Vijay is already freaking out about it.”

  “Well, he’s wise to be thinking ahead, at any rate. Still, it seems like there’s more give there. You still have three weeks to prepare. Maybe you and Vijay could do some planning over the phone this week and really go at it after testing is done.”

  “It’s not that simple, Mom,” Derek said. “This Saturday’s basketball tryouts are only the first round. There’s a second round the Saturday after, so there goes another week—if I get that far.”

  “Well, you can cross that bridge when you come to it. Meanwhile, I suggest you work things out with Vijay so that you’re both okay with the plan. As for basketball, as long as you’ve left enough time for schoolwork, I’m sure you and Dave can find time to practice.”

  “But we both need Dad to keep coaching us, and he’s only around at certain times.”

  “Hmmm. Well, you’ll have to work that out with him—but remember, we also have to get Sharlee to her dance and karate classes. Let me go get him, so you two can figure things out.”

  Derek closed his review book and got ready for bed. He had just finished brushing his teeth when his dad came in.

  “Mom tells me you want me to work with you and Dave this week.”

  “Can you, Dad? Please?”

  “Well, tomorrow Sharlee has dance class, and Tuesday she’s got karate. But that’s over at five. Evenings are out—I’ve got papers to grade, and you’ve got homework and studying. I could do an hour with you boys on Wednesday and Thursday after school. But there wouldn’t be time to get down to the college. It would have to be on the courts here at home.”

  “Awww… ”

  “Don’t worry about what shape the courts are in—worry about the shape your game is in,” his dad advised. “You can’t play your best basketball if you’ve got six other things going through your head at the same time.”

  “Okay, Dad. Thanks. I’ll tell Dave about Wednesday and Thursday.”

  “Listen, Derek—I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, but you need to get your rest, too. If you’re tired, you won’t be able to give it your best, either in school or on the basketball court.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about those tryouts,” Derek said.

  “Well, then just think this one thing—you might not be the most talented kid trying out. But if you get your rest, you can at least make sure you outwork everybody else. And in the end, that’s what’s going to put you over the top.”

  Derek hugged his father. “Thanks, Dad,” he said.

  “Good night, old man. Get some rest. You’ve been on overdrive all week.”

  “I will. G’night.”

  Derek wished he could have dropped everything else, just for this one week, and concentrate totally on basketball. But he knew his dad was right. From now on, he promised himself, he was going to plan his time carefully. Otherwise, he was going to burn out—and that could mean failing at everything he was trying to do!

  Chapter Six PRESSURE COOKER

  Derek had dribbled his basketball left-handed all the way from the school bus into the building and down the hallway. Now he was trying to fit it inside his locker without having it roll back out.

  “Hey! Derek! What’s up?”

  “Sam!” he said, turning around. “Not much. What’s up with you?”

  He had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what was up with Sam.

  “So how’s this afternoon?” Sam said. “I really need to start studying.”

  Wait, wait, thought Derek. He hasn’t even started?

  Derek was trapped, and he knew it. He’d said he would help Sam study. Then he’d forgotten all about it!

  Well, what could he say now? He was going to be spending that afternoon studying anyway. And Sam lived just two buildings over in Mount Royal Townhouses.

  Derek knew his parents wouldn’t object. Sam and Derek had known each other for years, and their parents often stopped for a friendly chat in the parking lot. But he also knew that it would take way more time to wade through the work with Sam around.

  On the other hand, Sam needed his help, and he’d already offered to give it.

  “Um, I guess you could come over for a while.”

  “Thanks!” Sam said, clapping him on the shoulder. He walked off down the hall, and Derek stared after him, shaking his he
ad.

  So now he was going to help Sam do well on the tests. So that Sam’s mom would let him play basketball for the under-12 team. At point guard—the very position Derek was aiming for! If Sam made the team at point guard, it would probably mean there was no spot for Derek. And, as Derek well knew, Sam was a real sharpshooter from long range. His own shot was pretty good, but not that good.

  He needed to work on his shot this week! His dad had promised him and Dave two hours, but that wasn’t going to be nearly enough!

  “Hey, Jeter—what are you staring at?” Gary stood at Derek’s shoulder, following his gaze and spotting Sam bouncing happily down the hall. “So. You and ‘Rockhead’ are new best buds, huh? A little birdie told me you two are going to be studying together. It can’t be true, can it? Please—say it isn’t so, Jeter!”

  “You’re unbelievable, Parnell,” Derek said, shaking his head in wonder. “What do you care who I study with?”

  Gary shrugged. “Whoa. Touchy, aren’t we? Well, suit yourself, big man. Happy studying.”

  “I suppose you study alone, huh?”

  Gary snorted. “Me? I ripped through that stupid review booklet in twenty minutes, then tossed it in the newspaper recycling. Jar-El and I had a date with destiny.”

  “Huh. Interesting. Not getting too overconfident, are you, Gar? You might wind up sorry you tossed that booklet, my man.”

  “Not a chance,” Gary said, chuckling. “You two can study up the wazoo from now till test time, but Sam’s still going to fail. As for you, you’ll probably pass—but as for beating my score? Dream on, Jeter. I’m going to wipe the floor with you—in math and English.”

  Derek was about to argue some more, but the two-minute bell rang, and they both had to scurry to get to class on time.

  * * *

  “We didn’t get to talk this morning,” Vijay said as they stood in the cafeteria line at lunch. “What songs did you come up with?”

  “Um, I’ve, uh, got a couple to play for you.”

  “What are they?”

  “They’re… no, it’s better if you just hear them without me blowing the surprise,” Derek said.

  He was making this all up as he went—not having even a vague idea of which songs he might want to suggest. He just needed a little more time to come up with something!

  “So, can we meet after school?” Vijay asked, a slight note of frustration in his voice.

  “Um, no, actually—not today. I’ve got to spend the afternoon reviewing for the test, because I didn’t get it done over the weekend.”

  Vijay sighed. “Man, I’m starting to wonder if you really want to do this with me.… ”

  “I do!” Derek said quickly. “It’s just… ”

  He took a deep breath. There was no sense evading things any longer.

  “Look, Vij, I’ll level with you. I’ve just got too much on my plate this week. After the test and tryout I’ll have more time.”

  “But that would leave just two weeks!” Vijay said. “We don’t want to get up there onstage and do something half-baked. We want to win this thing! The whole enchilada!”

  “Speaking of which,” Derek said, “look what’s for lunch.”

  “Enchiladas—ha!” The two boys shared a laugh. “Seriously, though, Derek—we need to nail what song we’re doing, like, right away. Can’t we meet after school for a little while? You can study later tonight, can’t you?”

  “That’s not how it works around my house,” Derek said, although Vijay, as an old friend, already knew that in the Jeter household, nothing happened until the homework was done.

  “We could study together!” Vijay suggested, but Derek shook his head.

  “Not unless you want to study with Sam Rockman, too. He’s coming over after school to study with me.”

  “What? But—”

  “It’s no use—I promised him I’d help him go over everything.”

  “Oh. I see,” said Vijay, clearly disappointed.

  “I couldn’t stand the way Gary was making fun of him, so I… well, you get the idea.”

  Vijay nodded. “I get it,” he said. “You’re doing a good thing, Derek. But aren’t you busy enough?”

  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” Derek said as they walked to a table. “But I had to study anyway.”

  “We two could have gotten through it a lot faster.”

  “True. But then, where would that leave Sam? I couldn’t stand it if Gary got to fire away at him after this big test.”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Vijay said. “Too bad. But okay. So when can we get together?”

  “Well, we could do an hour on Tuesday, after Sharlee’s karate class… ”

  “One hour?” Vijay frowned. “Okay, I guess, but that’s not much time. What about Wednesday?”

  “Um, listen, Vij, there’s something else I have to tell you about—something else that’s competing for my time. You know I’m trying out for the under-twelve basketball team at the Y on Saturday. With Dave. Sooo… we’ve got to practice before that, and my dad’s going to give us some pointers. Except he’s only free Wednesday and Thursday afternoons between 3:30 and 4:30. Which leaves only about an hour for us those afternoons, too. Sorry.”

  Vijay shook his head sadly. “I see,” he said. “And you did not want to tell me.”

  “I thought it might hurt your feelings,” Derek admitted. “I guess I wound up doing that anyway. Sorry.”

  Vijay heaved a deep sigh. “I know you love basketball,” he said. “And being in a talent show… it’s the first time. You must be nervous about it.”

  “No! I’m not nervous—it’s not that. It’s… ” Derek’s voice petered out.

  He definitely did not want to go up there onstage and look bad. And he knew Vijay was right—if they wanted to succeed, they had to put in the work.

  “Let’s talk tonight over the phone,” Derek suggested. “I can play you the songs, and you can decide. And as soon as the tests are over, we can put time into it almost every day, okay?”

  Vijay looked up at Derek, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Okay,” he said. “Call me after supper. I sure hope you’ve picked us a winner.”

  Derek swallowed hard. He hadn’t picked anything—nothing at all.

  * * *

  “I… don’t know. $6,243?”

  Derek shook his head sadly. “No, Sam. It’s B—$62.43. See, you can’t forget the decimal point.”

  “Right, right… ” Sam shook his head. “It’s just so hard to get. Why is it there again?”

  Derek tried not to show his impatience. They’d been going over math for an hour already, and they were still on the same page they’d started on. Derek had been racking his brain, trying to come up with a way to explain it to Sam, but nothing seemed to work.

  And this was stuff Derek had already gone through! He hadn’t devoted one second today to the stuff he still needed to review, much farther on in the booklet.

  “Think of it this way,” he said, an idea coming to him. “You’re dribbling the ball across midcourt, and the forward is coming out to set a pick for you, okay?”

  “Yeah?” Sam said, nodding.

  “So where the forward sets the pick matters, right?”

  “Of course! If he sets it too far out, like at the three-point line, I can drive around him and look for an outlet if I’m double-teamed. If he sets it too close to the basket, then back off a step and sink the open jumper.”

  “Exactly!” Derek said. “So that’s how it is with decimal points—if the numbers are to the left of them, they’re whole numbers. If they’re to the right of the decimal point, they’re fractions, or percentages.”

  “Oh. Wow—I never thought of it that way before. So, like, whatever is to the right of it is a percentage of one?”

  “Yessss!!” Derek cried triumphantly, doing a fist pump. “Sam, we’re definitely making progress. Now, let’s get back to the booklet—”

  “Uh… maybe to
morrow,” said Sam. “My brain is totally fried, man. And my stomach’s rumbling too. Gotta get some dinner in there fast.” He grinned at Derek and reached down for his book bag.

  He yanked up on the strap, but he’d forgotten to zip up the bag, and as he lifted it, something fell out—a portable CD player. It popped open, revealing the CD inside.

  Derek gasped. “That’s it!”

  “Huh?” Sam reached down for the CD player.

  “Wait, Sam—can I borrow that disc?”

  “Thriller? I don’t know, man, it’s my favorite. It never gets old.”

  Derek nodded. Thriller, the album, had been at the top of the charts all of last year. Yet Derek had never thought of it till now. And the title song was perfect for him and Vijay!

  “Please? I’ll study with you again tomorrow.”

  “Well, in that case… okay—but take good care of it. I’ll be wanting it back soon.”

  “Can I have it till the talent show?” Derek begged.

  “Whoa. That’s three weeks away. Mmmm… ”

  Never mind, thought Derek. He could buy his own copy with the money he’d saved out of his allowance. “Okay, just for a couple days.”

  “Sure. Here y’go.”

  “Thanks, Sam. You’re a lifesaver!”

  “Really? Cool! Well, gotta go—see you after school tomorrow!”

  “Yeah… tomorrow.”

  Derek wasn’t thrilled about doing all this studying with Sam, but he knew he was doing the right thing. And now his generosity had been rewarded—because of it, he’d found the perfect song for him and Vijay!

  * * *

  “Okay, so what songs did you find?”

  “Not songs—song. This is going to be the one, Vij. Check it out.”

  He popped the CD into his player and put the phone up to it so Vijay could hear. He let it play for half a verse, then paused it and put the phone to his ear. “Well?”