Читать книгу Basketball and Bullies - T. K. Valentic - Страница 5

Jake looked at his watch and frowned; he was late. He was supposed to go straight home from school or at least call home; he’d forgotten to do either. With any luck, his mom would be too busy to notice. Oh well, at the worst, she would ground him for a day.

Jake couldn’t help thinking about Arthur on the way home. Jake knew that a lot of kids whispered about Arthur behind his back. They called Arthur a loner and weird, but Jake knew Arthur was shy and self-conscious about his birthmark. There was no reason Arthur shouldn't play for the team. In fact, if Arthur could shoot under pressure as well as he did today, then he would be a big asset to the team. Arthur certainly had skill with the ball, and he was tall, very tall. Arthur would make a great "Big Man." All he needed was to learn the rules and to get some practice playing with a team.

A few minutes later Jake bicycled into his driveway. "Cole! What are you doing here?" he asked. Cole was Jake's big brother and a college freshman. Cole had moved into the dorms at the beginning of the school year and now only came home on weekends.

"Hey, Runt. Did you forget? I live here," Cole quipped. "By the way, you're in big trouble. Mom’s been stressing about where you've been for the last hour. Better get in there and grovel."

"I ran into a potential 'Big Man' for the team, and I forgot to call," Jake said.

"Whatever, you play and you pay. Hope the dude is worth it," Cole teased making a lazy lay-up that circled the rim of the basket finally dropping in.

Jake rolled his eyes and went inside hoping to make it to his room before encountering his mom.

"Jake! Where have you been?" His mom called from the kitchen where she was working on dinner.

"Sorry, Mom, I got distracted at the park," Jake said. "I think I found a new 'Big Man' for this year's team."

"Isn't that the coach's job?" she asked. "Nevermind, who is it?"

"The Smith kid; Arthur. You know, the one with the birthmark? You should see him shoot hoops."

"Well, I'm glad you found someone for the team, but you really should have called," she said. "You know I worry. So, you said the Smith kid? The one whose father died?"

"Yeah, He's tall, and he can shoot, but he's shy. I want him to try out for the team, so I stopped to talk to him."

Jake’s mom suddenly sneezed, "Have you been around a dog?" She asked suspiciously.

"Arthur has a dog. Its name is Ragmop. She's part Komodor and looks like a mop."

"Ugh! Dog hair! Hurry up and get a shower. Put your clothes in the laundry room and then start your homework. Let's see how much you can get done before dinner," she said sneezing a few more times.

"Okay Mom," Jake said thankful that she hadn't grounded him.

"Before you go, tell your brother to come in and set the table," Mom said.