- AHMED -

"You're not planning on eating alone again, are you?"

I looked up from my meager meal of pizza, milk, and French fries to see Irina, lunch tray in hand, staring down at me with puppy-dog eyes. It had been three days since we'd talked in the Chapel on Monday; and if I'm being honest, I was surprised to see her again. We didn't have any classes together, and I wasn't even sure we shared the same lunch wave.

"Can I pretty-please-with-cherries-on-top sit with you?" She stuck out her lower lip and twirled her hair.

I grinned. "I don't know, Irina. I mean, a guy like me sitting with a commoner like you?"

We both burst out laughing as Irina slid her plate next to mine and took the seat beside me. Just as she reached to open her miniature milk carton, a tall guy rushed up behind her and covered her eyes with both hands, his windswept hair shuffling softly as he chuckled.

"Ahh!" she screamed playfully. "Who is it?"

"That's confidential information, Miss Graverobber," the guy said in response.

Irina gasped. "SAM!?" she screamed as he removed his hands from her eyes.

She whirled around and flung her arms around his shoulders. "What are you doing here!?"

He laughed. "Nothing much—I was just picking up a few things from Chadwick's and thought I'd stop by."

"Awesome!" Irina screeched before turning to me. "Ahmed, this is Sam. I've known him since I was like five years old."

"Great to meet you," I said, extending my hand.

"Pleasure's mine, bro." His grip was firm. "You new here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's my first year."

"Man, first year's rough—Mrs. Alvin's biology class is no joke."

"And it definitely hasn't gotten any easier since you had her," Irina added.

"Wait," I puzzled, turning back to Sam, "what year are you? I thought you and Irina were both seniors."

Irina giggled. "Ahmed, Sam doesn't go here. He graduated seven years ago."

"Oh," I mumbled, glancing away as Sam shook his head with a light chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't know..."

"Don't worry, dude. It's cool." He reached across the table and gripped my arm.

"It's Sam's fault anyway for having such a baby face," Irina joked, pinching his left cheek.

He glared playfully at her, then turned to me. "So, besides all the classes, how do you like EdgeWay so far? You trying out for any sports teams?"

"Just basketball," I muttered, bowing my head. "But it's...not going too well."

"Hey, dude, keep at it. Sports can be really tough at this school."

I sighed. "Figured that out the hard way."

We kept on talking for about ten more minutes—and the more we did, the more inferior I felt to Sam. He'd somehow managed to become captain of EdgeWay's varsity basketball team as a freshman, and he'd led them all the way to nationals that year. He also pretty much wrote the book on spring conditioning—to this day, the coaches still mandate that incoming freshmen train using his athletic workout routine.

If Steven made me feel like a dog, Sam made me feel like an ant. And the worst part? He wasn't even trying.

I know it wasn't fair for me to be so jealous. Sam really seemed like a great guy. I guess I was just afraid—afraid that I wouldn't measure up, that I really wasn't good enough...and that maybe I'd made the wrong choice coming to this school in the first place.

But where else was I supposed to go? I thought. The Heavenstates were the only family that would take me.

I sighed as Sam and Irina continued to chatter away, unaware of the internal turmoil that was eating me alive. I glanced wistfully at the ceiling, as if perhaps something floating through the air might ease my anguish before—

Huh...what's that?

I titled my head as the clopping thud of swift strides sounded to my left, jumping with surprise as a hand clasped my shoulder.

"C-Coach Wells?" I puzzled, stuttering as he stared down at me with steel in his eyes. "Is...is something wrong?"

He was surrounded on both sides by members of the basketball team—among them, Steven.

"Nah, kid. Nothing's wrong." He paused, thin scowl faltering to a smile. "Me and the boys just wanted to be the first to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?" My face lit up. "Wait, y-you mean..."

Coach nodded. "Welcome to the team, Ahmed. You can pick up your official uniform and custom-fitted basketball shoes in my office at practice today."

"That—that's great!" I practically shrieked. "Th-thank you so much!"

Coach laughed. "Don't thank me yet, kid. Now that you're on the team, you're a part of my lineup. That means practice almost every day. And since our season's just starting, there'll be at least three games a week for the next month. Still think you're up to it?"

I nodded quickly. "When do we start?"

He grinned. "Tonight—it's our annual game against Hope County."

I froze. I'd heard about the guys from Hope County Catholic High, a team of almost all juniors and seniors notorious for slaughtering other schools.

"Now don't go wussin' out on me, kid," Coach berated. "It's not an official, on-the-books game. It won't affect our area record, but a lot of schools in the community—and a lot of talent scouts—place a hefty stock in this game. Hope County's been undefeated for years, and tonight's not gonna be easy."

I gulped slowly. "...Bring it on," I managed. "I-I'm not afraid."

****

When practice ended for the day, Coach Wells instructed all of us to meet up back at the gym that night no later than five-thirty p.m. to warm up for the game at six. I did my best to look tough—to push past the thrumming of my heart, the sweat slicking my palms. 

Coach blew his whistle and dismissed us all to the locker room as I still struggled to quiet the storm bubbling inside me. My fingers shook with trepidation as I twisted in my locker combination to retrieve my clothes, as I lifted my phone to check for calls and texts from James or Katherine.

Seeing none, I clicked off the screen and gave a long sigh, right before the thudding of heavy footsteps plodded out from behind me. 

I gulped hard, looked up tremulously from my phone.

"'Sup, Ahmed."

I winced. "Oh...uh, hey, Steven."

"Ready for tonight?"

"I...I guess so. I mean..."

"That's the spirit," he sneered. "Way to be a team player."

I bowed my head, eyes darting away as I faltered where I stood.

"Hey, lighten up, will ya? I was kidding." He reached out and patted my shoulder.

He seriously thinks this is a joke?

"Look, Ahmed. It's natural to be nervous at your first game, especially in varsity."

I could feel my rage building. "Yeah, well, I just hope I can manage to not get elbowed in the face again tonight," I spat, slamming my locker shut and pushing past him.

"Aw, come on, man. Don't be like that," he pleaded, rushing ahead. He placed both of his hands on my shoulders to stop me in place, staring down at me with probing eyes.

"Steven, get out of my way," I ordered. "Let me go."

"Hey, come on. Just hear me out."

I hesitated, crossed my arms as he kept both palms still firmly planted.

"Look, I know we kinda got into it on Monday," he offered. "But, like it or not, we're teammates now. It was a unanimous decision to bring you on, and I stand by it. I just want us to have a good season."

I sighed, uncrossing my arms and stuffing them in my pockets.

Steven smirked, releasing my shoulders. "So, what do you say?" he asked, extending a hand for me to shake. "Truce?"

****

That night, I headed to the locker room to grab my jersey and shoes. I was still a little jittery, but I wasn't feeling quite so nervous anymore. Oddly enough, I was a little excited, anticipating my chance to take the court—maybe even to prove myself.

As I prepared to open my locker, I felt someone grip my arm and spin me around.

"Irina?"

"Ahmed, take these." She held in her hand a bright, yellow-and-blue jersey with matching tennis shoes.

"What? Why? My uniform's already—"

"Ahmed, trust me. These are better."

"Huh? H-how?"

She smiled mischievously. "Because they're lucky."

I raised an eyebrow.

"They're Sam's, back from when he used to play for EdgeWay."

My eyes widened. "No way! He gave them to you?"

She smiled. "Well, I told him there was a lot at stake tonight. Steven's up to his old tricks again, and it's way past time we fought back."

"Old tricks? What—?"

"I don't have time to explain." Irina shoved the jersey and shoes into my arms, then checked her phone. "Hurry up. The game starts in seven minutes."

I changed quickly, and Irina scampered out the back, head swiveling left and right as she checked for any stragglers who might be watching. I bolted up the steps to the main court, trying my best to shake off my remaining nerves as I took the court alongside the other guys. 

Under the blitz of towering lights, the stadium was packed. The bleachers were filled to capacity with proud parents and younger siblings hoping to fill their older brothers' shoes, some loyal to EdgeWay and others pulling for Hope County.

Dang, I thought to myself, when Coach Wells said the town put a lot of stock into this first basketball game, he wasn't kidding.

The bright, glaring lights overhead mixed in with the roar of the crowd, a bleary wave that felt almost to be shimmering through my brain. Pull it together, Ahmed...You can do this.

Once both teams had formed one big circle at the middle of the court, the referee blew the whistle and hurled the ball into the air.

Steven jumped with lightning speed, tipping the ball forward and dribbling away within an instant. Two of the Hope County guys were on him in a flash, but he faked a front-step then sprang back and spun around, passing to Ray who lunged for a lay-up. Just as the ball was leaving his hand, another of the Hope County guys blocked him and stole the ball in the same motion, hustling back up the court in seconds.

Steven didn't miss a beat. He was at that Hope County guy's heels in the blink of an eye, swiping the ball from between his hands. Two more guys from Hope County rushed up on either side of Steven as he turned to me, briefly considering passing the ball.

"I'm open!" I yelled, waving my hands.

Steven flicked his head away, did another trick step; he bounced forward on his left leg, then swiveled around to go for an open two-pointer. But just as he leaned forward and started to jump, the sole of his right shoe snapped apart, giving way beneath the weight of his body as the rubber and fabric ripped to pieces in under a second.

A chorus of gasps rang out and filled the air as Steven Hall fell face-first into the wooded gym floor, everyone too shocked by his fumble to even move—well, almost everyone. As Steven's face smacked to the ground, I sped forward and knocked the ball backward, saving it from bouncing out of bounds. A guy from our team, Ken, caught the ball and passed it back to me, hopping over Steven as he tried propping himself up against the sheening wood flooring.

The two guys from Hope County were in front of me before I knew it, but I managed to dodge the first and twist away from the second with an around-the-back dribble, making two 180-degree turns and then whirling back to my left to make a jump shot.

"No way," I heard one of the Hope County guys whisper as the ball soared, bouncing off the backboard and swirling around the rim before falling through the net with a perfect, thumping swish.

The crowd erupted, some cheering and screaming my name, some hugging each other and jumping in the air. I smiled as I looked out at them, their bright and happy faces bursting with excitement. And for the first time since I'd come to EdgeWay, it felt like maybe, just maybe, I belonged.

****

The game finally ended at about eight-thirty. We played hard, but EdgeWay still ended up losing fifty-two to forty. Steven looked really ticked, but several of the other guys on the team congratulated me.

You did your best, I thought to myself, sighing in relief. I had stayed on my feet, and I'd managed to score thirteen points—even two free throws and a three-pointer! I guess Sam's jersey really was lucky after all.

After Coach dismissed all the guys from the locker room, Irina caught up to me outside. "Hey, cutie," she teased. "Great game. You were on fire out there."

I laughed. "Sam's lucky jersey came in handy, I guess."

She smiled at me, a big and genuine smile. And for a moment, it felt like everything just stopped, like all the noise and chatter of everyone moving around us had hushed to a whisper.

"Irina," I mused. "I'm...I'm really glad I got to—"

"AHMED!" came a high voice that trilled out from behind me. 

Jolted, Irina and I both turned to see a tall woman moving toward us.

"So, you're the Ahmed Heavenstate?"

I chuckled uneasily. "I guess I am." I paused. "It's nice to meet you, Miss..."

"Caroline. Madam Caroline," she drawled, hand rising to her hip. "I write an editorial in the town's newspaper. Every October, I do a special on the EdgeWay basketball boys, and I am so thrilled to have met you! I can't say I've ever seen anyone with so much skill and finesse."

I smiled. "Well, um...thanks. I really appreciate the support."

"Don't worry," she smiled. "There's a lot more where that came from."