Athlete vs. Mathlete: Double Dribble by W. C. Mack Page B

it.
    â€œ
Especially
not Dante Powers.”

    When I got to school, the clock stopped.
    Well, it felt like it, anyway.
    Every class seemed twice as long as normal and even study hall dragged. By the time the lunch bell rang, I felt like I’d been sitting in social studies for six weeks solid.
    â€œSo,” Chris said, “you guys ready for the game?”
    â€œDefinitely,” Paul said, nodding. “I think we can take them.”
    â€œI’m with Paul,” I told him and the rest of the table. “It’s our time. We’re having the best season ever and a bunch of hype isn’t going to mess that up.”
    â€œDante Powers isn’t hype,” Nate said. “He’s a legend.”
    â€œHe’s a twelve-year-old, just like us. And he’ll need a break sometime,” I told him, thinking about what Russ had said. “That’s what we need to concentrate on.”
    â€œI wonder what Coach has planned for a starting lineup,” Chris said.
    â€œI think he should stick with what we’ve been doing,” Paul said. “It’s working for us, isn’t it?”
    â€œNot for all of us,” I muttered.
    â€œWhat?” Chris asked.
    â€œNothing,” I lied, concentrating on my sandwich.
    And thinking about being stuck on the bench was all it took to bring on a bad mood.

    After lunch, Russ walked with me to my locker.
    â€œYou’ve got to snap out of it, Owen,” he said.
    â€œSnap out of what?”
    â€œThis funk. Your attitude about the game.”
    â€œLook, I already know what’s going to happen, and I can’t help feeling crummy about it, okay?”
    Russ frowned. “You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
    â€œCome on, Russ. You’re a smart guy. You know we’re going to warm the bench while Mitch and Marcus wow everyone again.”
    He shook his head. “You can’t think like that.”
    â€œYeah, I can.”
    â€œOwen,” he said, grabbing my arm to stop me from walking. “I’m serious.”
    â€œSo am I. I’ve been looking forward to this game all season and it’s already ruined.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t. In a couple of hours, the ref will blow his whistle and anything can happen. If you don’t start, you’ll still play at some point. And whenever you’re out there, you have to play as hard as you can to make those minutes count.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œAnd when you’re on the bench, you’ve got to do the things you’ve always done, like cheer the guys on and show your Pioneer spirit.”
    Come on
.
    â€œRuss, I—”
    â€œI’ll see you on the bus,” he said, walking toward the stairs.
    My brother’s words stuck with me for the whole afternoon.
    At first I thought he was out of his mind and tried to forget the whole conversation, but then I realized that Russ was right.
    I couldn’t predict what was going to happen when the ref blew his whistle.
    And if I started on the bench, that didn’t mean I’d stay there for the whole game. I’d have my chance at Dante Powers and it was up to me to make it count, no matter how many minutes I had on the court.
    After all, ESPN highlights were only a few seconds apiece, max.
    And that meant that any time I had on the court could be enough to make something awesome happen.

    I finally made it through the afternoon, and the next thing I knew, the Pioneers and I were on a yellow bus, heading for Hogarth Middle School.
    It was time to attack the mighty Huskies and hope we didn’t get bitten.
    It was time to take on Dante Powers.
    â€œWe’re going to make history,” I told Russ and the rest of the guys. It felt good to have my “Pioneer spirit” back.
    â€œOr we’re going to
be
history,” one of the guys said.
    â€œCome on,” I said. “We can totally do this. We’ve won four games in a