Break Point by Kate Jaimet

wiped away her tears, I picked up the check and tucked it in my back pocket.
    I had a lot of thinking to do before the Monday deadline.

chapter sixteen
    The special meeting for the club’s board of directors was scheduled for ten o’clock Monday morning. I arrived to find a big boardroom-style table set up in the common room. Mrs. Sharma sat at the head of the table, with Mr. Hunter beside her. The directors sat around the table, and the ordinary club members were crowded into rows of chairs to one side.
    Some heads turned when I walked into the room. Taking a cue from the executor, I had dressed in a suit and tie. Maddy looked at me but didn’t smile. I took a seat at the table. No one said anything to stop me.
    Mrs. Sharma opened the meeting. She laid out the club’s financial troubles. She explained the vandalism. She said the police were still investigating but hadn’t made any arrests. Then she turned the floor over to Mr. Hunter.
    Mr. Hunter recapped the situation with the club’s debt. He said he’d held discussions with his management team about extending the repayment date.
    â€œRegrettably, in these troubled economic times, the decision was made that deferring the loan repayment is not a viable option,” he said. “This club means as much to me as it does to all of you. I’m very sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”
    The room was silent.
    Mrs. Sharma cleared her throat and said, “Unfortunately, this leaves the club little choice but to declare bankruptcy. I’d like to put forward a motion to the board—”
    â€œExcuse me!” I jumped out of my seat. My chair fell over with a clatter.
    â€œYes, Connor?” asked Mrs. Sharma. Everyone stared at me.
    â€œI just wanted to know…I mean, exactly how much is the payment? I mean, the one that’s due today?” My voice cracked. My heart hammered in my throat.
    Mr. Hunter smiled his fake smile. It was amazing how the guy could smile so much on the outside and be so rotten on the inside.
    â€œCertainly, Connor,” he said. He glanced down at a paper on the table in front of him. “The exact amount is ninety-nine thousand three hundred and fifty-six dollars and ninety-two cents.”
    He smiled again. “Though we could waive the ninety-two cents.”
    I reached inside my jacket pocket and pulled out the check. It seemed bigger than I remembered it, and somehow heavier. The number leapt out at me—$100,000.00. My hand trembled as I slid it across the table to Mr. Hunter.
    â€œI think this should cover it,” I said.
    Mr. Hunter’s smile froze for a second, then slowly collapsed. The fake-friendly twinkle dimmed from his eyes. He rose from his chair, took the check, sat down again and examined it.
    Finally, he looked up.
    â€œThis appears to be in order,” he said.
    Mrs. Sharma squealed. Someone shouted, “What? What’s this about?” The directors swarmed around Mr. Hunter. Everybody started talking at once.
    But then all the noise faded into the background. Suddenly, Maddy was in my arms, her warm body pressed against me, her face burrowed into my shoulder. I kissed her long, dark hair. I held her against me. And for once, I felt like the biggest winner in the world.

epilogue
    It’s funny how a summer that started so badly could end so well.
    The club paid for my trip to the nationals. Mrs. Sharma insisted on it after I gave my $100,000 check to Mr. Hunter. I didn’t win the championship, but neither did Rex. That honor went to a hotshot from Calgary. One thing I realized at the tournament was how much my game needed to improve if I seriously hoped to compete internationally. So, as it turned out, going after a college scholarship wasn’t such a bad decision after all.
    I got lucky. A scout from Florida State University offered me a scholarship for the following September, provided I kept my marks up in my last year of high school.