Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
At every game a spectator is given the chance to win a prize. It is usually the signed game ball or some South Harmon merchandise, but tonight they’re offering lifetime tickets to every Hawks’ game.
“I’d be more excited if it wasn’t Cash’s last year at South Harmon,” I say to Jasmine when I notice how nervous she is. She can barely sit still.
I understand when the MC announces the chair number. It is one chair away from hers.
It is my seat.
“You should go,” I say to Jasmine. “It’s your seat.”
“No. You’re sitting there tonight. That means you need to get your butt onto the court.” She snatches my coat out of my hand before pushing me toward the Hawks’ mascot waiting for me at the end of the bleachers.
I almost lose my footing on the stairs but right myself before he has to catch me. “Sorry. I’m a bit of a klutz.”
I stare past his massive beak when he replies, “It’s all good, Einstein.” His voice sounds familiar, but it is muffled by his costume and the cheers of the crowd, so it could be my hope assuming that instead of my brain.
After guiding me to the circle in the middle of the court, the mascot fetches a ball from the rack while the MC announces the rules.
“To win lifetime tickets to every South Harmon Hawks’ game…” He waits for the crowd to stop mimicking the Hawks’ infamous crow before finalizing, “All you need to do is hit the net.”
“The net?”
He doesn’t hear my question over the shouted encouragements of the crowd.
“Did he say the net?” I ask the mascot when he hands me the ball.
It must be the night of ignorance because he misses my question as well. Once he twists me to face the hoop that looks miles away, he steps back to give me room to move.
The crowds’ chants are inspiring, and they amplify why Cash loves to play here, but they’re cheering the wrong girl. Not even the giants who play basketball hit this shot every time, and their legs are double the length of mine.
A different type of hope trickles into me when the same muffled voice from earlier says, “Remember to jump a little forward when you take your shot. Your legs are so short, you need all the leverage you can get.”
A million bees buzzing around my head couldn’t conceal his identity this time around, not to mention the playful gleam of his eyes through the mesh in the middle of his beak.
Cash is in the mascot outfit, and the knowledge has me wanting to win more than anything.
If only I could cheat, then I might be in with a chance.
“I can’t do that. It’s too far.”
“You can, Einstein. You just need to have faith in yourself like you have had in my family the past four weeks.”
With his reply brimming with honesty, I put all my faith in his teachings. I bend my knees, line up my shot, then with more than my reputation on the line, I leap forward before releasing the ball from my grip.
It sails through the air for almost four feet before its descent commences.
Too disappointed to watch, I spin away from the massacre.
I only get half a pivot away when Cash bands his arm around my shoulders and spins me back around. “Having faith in yourself doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. You taught me that.”
When I shift my eyes in the direction Cash’s are facing, my mouth pops open. The ball hasn’t flopped on the floor. It’s still sailing through the air, its movement somewhat stiff and robotic.
“What the?”
A mammoth grin stretches across my face when Cash nudges his beak to the far-west exit doors. Benji is standing under the bleachers, his concentration on a homemade remote control he’s commanding.
“You were right,” Cash murmurs, drawing my focus back to him. “He is a genius.”
Before I can respond, Benji directs my ball through the hoop, which sends the crowd into an uproar. They cheer. They shout. Then they surge onto the basketball court like they’re aware the number one player on their team is the mascot.
Their eagerness to celebrate my win separates Cash and me, but I don’t mind. I get caught up in the euphoria that lasts as long as it takes for Cash’s team to claim the victory and for celebrations to start all over again.
“Are you coming to Mama’s?” Jasmine asks after gathering up the hoodie she removed earlier tonight and handing it to me. “It’s yours,” she confesses to my bemused expression.
The heart rate I haven’t been able to settle for the past forty-five minutes kicks up again when I pull open the hoodie. It is the one Cash was wearing the day he asked me to be his tutor. It even has the same pizza sauce stain on the left cuff.