Box Out Read Free Page A

it was.
    Grandma is the reason they moved here in the first place. After she fell and broke her hip, she couldn’t live in her house anymore. Then she had a stroke and started to have memory problems. It was difficult for Dad to keep flying out to see her. So when a job opened up at the elementary school, he applied and they moved. Now Dad visits her every day and bugs Liam to stop by more often.
    9:32. Too late to see how she’s doing. Besides, what would he talk about? Blowing the game? Missing those free throws was huge. He choked on that first one, but that second shot felt good. That would have tied it and sent the game into overtime. They’d still be playing. They’d still have a chance to win.
    Liam drives past the Athletic Building at Borton College, where three guys wearing shorts are carrying basketballs as they walk back to their dorms. Are they crazy? Don’t they realize it’s freezing?
    The team needed Darius on that last possession. He would have made the shot with the game on the line. But he wasn’t there because of Liam’s stupid turnovers. Liam would give anything to have another chance to catch those passes. His phone breaks the silence.
    â€œThat game sucked big time,” Seth says in his deep voice.
    â€œTell me about it.” Liam turns the heater down to hear better. “I blew it.”
    â€œDon’t take it all on,” Seth says. “Lots of guys missed shots.”
    Liam brakes at the four-way stop. “Darius quitting sucks, too.”
    â€œWhat? I thought he got hurt. What happened?”
    â€œI don’t know. He walked out while Coach was ripping into him for trying to do too much.”
    â€œWell, he was hogging the ball,” Seth says. “He didn’t pass to anyone.”
    â€œHe passed to me twice. I dropped it both times. I wouldn’t have passed to me after that either.”
    â€œWhere are you?”
    â€œRight by Connie’s Cafe.” The car rattles as Liam bumps over railroad tracks.
    â€œWe’re at Burger King. Come on over.”
    â€œNah. I don’t feel like it.”
    â€œI’ll buy you a Whopper.”
    â€œNah. I want to get home.”
    â€œBig baby.”
    â€œLater.” Liam flips the phone shut as he drives past the turnoff to Mackenzie’s house. If she were here, she’d hold him tight and whisper that it’s all right. She’d make him feel better. But he can’t call her now because it’s the middle of the night in France.
    He stops at the red light by Lonetree Elementary, Dad’s school. No other cars are around and this light takes forever. He could run it. But with his luck tonight, a cop would show and he’d get nailed.
    So he replays the dropped passes and missed free throws as he waits and waits and waits for the light to go green.

03
Never the Same Twice
    Wednesday morning, Liam finds a parking place in the back lot and turns off the engine. The last thing he wants to do is walk by Jock Corner, where all the senior basketball players hang out. So he pulls down his stocking cap and hikes all the way around the school in the whipping wind.
    He hangs his coat in his locker, grabs his books, and shoves them in his backpack. Down the hall, Pelke’s locked in a kiss with his girlfriend, Chloe Keenan from the girls’ basketball team. Sixteen long weeks until Mackenzie gets back.
    â€œBergie.” Seth’s voice rumbles. “Cookieees.” Seth rips open a package of Oreos. He’s wearing another tight shirt to show off his weight lifting. “Me love cookieees.” He has the Cookie Monster voice down.
    â€œThanks.” Liam takes one.
    â€œHow you doing?” Seth grabs three.
    â€œHanging in there.” Liam unscrews the top of an Oreo and scrapes the frosting off with his teeth.
    â€œDon’t give me that. You’re on varsity hoops and going out with Mackenzie Kost. You’ve got it made.” Seth