Summer Ball Read Free Page B

McFeeley near the back entrance to the park. Every once in a while, Danny would talk to Tess online, but it wasn’t every night the way it used to be. And it wasn’t as fun, or funny, as it used to be. Nothing was the way it used to be when it was just the four of them—Danny, Will, Ty, Tess—when they were the Four Musketeers.
    Before Scott Welles had to move to town.
    On the grass at McFeeley, the afternoon stretched out in front of them like an open court. It was the kind of afternoon that made Danny wonder sometimes why he wanted to go anywhere this summer. He said, “She’d just rather be with him than with us, is all.”
    Back to Tess. Whatever kind of conversation they were having lately, somehow it always came back to that.
    â€œI actually think she’d rather be spending more time with you ,” Ty said.
    â€œCaptain Cool on the court,” Will said. “Captain Klutz off it.”
    â€œWhat’s that mean?”
    â€œIt means,” Ty said, “that you and Tess used to be able to read each other’s minds, and now you can’t even talk to each other.”
    Before Danny could say anything back, to either one of them, Will said, “Dude, can we get real serious for a minute?”
    Will didn’t want to get serious too often. But when he did, you had to pay attention. Danny knew how smart Will was once you got past all his jokes, like you were breaking a full-court press. In school, he got straight As even though he studied about half the time Danny did.
    â€œTalk to me,” Danny said.
    â€œYou know Tess is just hanging around with Scooter because of tennis,” Will said. “When we get back from camp, and for sure by the time we’re back in school, the two of you will be as tight as ever.”
    â€œYou don’t know that.”
    â€œYeah, I do.”
    Nobody said anything. They each had their own ball, and there was a moment when all three balls were being spun toward the sky.
    â€œOkay, now you answer me a serious question,” Danny said.
    â€œAbout Tess or camp, those’re the only things we talk about these days. Especially now that you and Tess aren’t talking.”
    â€œCamp,” Danny said. “Are you really all that fired up for it?”
    Will grinned. “Doesn’t matter whether I am or not. You know the only reason I’m going is because you guys are going.” He acted like he was talking to both of them now, but Danny really knew he was talking to him. Will had known Danny longer, and better, than he knew Ty, no matter how much they hung with each other now. “If you’re there, I’m there,” Will said. “I got your back, dude. In everything. Forever. That’s the deal.”
    The only thing you could do when he said something to you like that was bump him some fist. Danny would never tell it to him this way, but the coolest thing about Will Stoddard wasn’t the way he made him laugh. It was that Danny already knew he had the best friend he was ever going to have in his life.
    â€œI’m happy you’re going with me,” Danny said. “And that Ty’s going, especially since he could go to any camp he wanted. I just wish I was happier I was going.”
    â€œC’mon,” Will said. “Basketball always makes you happy. It’s who you are, dude. Your whole life, every single time you need to show somebody new that you have game, you show them. Big -time.”
    â€œYou sound like my father.”
    â€œOkay,” Will said. “That hurt.”
    â€œAll I’m trying to say,” Danny said, “is that it’s been a while since I had to go through all that first-day-of-school crap. And don’t tell me it’s not gonna happen, because you both know it is. We’ll be there about ten minutes, and somebody’s going to tell me I’m not supposed to be up with the older kids. I just don’t need that