wasn’t about to admit it, not the way he was feeling. He matched Shawn’s glare with one of his own. “That
ref was the pits!” he said. “If he hadn’t swallowed his whistle, Mantell would’ve fouled out! First the ref gets on me, and
now you! You must be glad I got benched so you could get some playing time. What a team player!”
Shawn looked disgusted. “It’s all about you, huh?
You
talk about team players! A
real
team player doesn’t blow up like you did, and he doesn’t hassle a teammate just because the guy’s game was a little off.”
“A
little
off!” Daren laughed. Lynn came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Daren shook it off. “Right! And the Grand Canyon’s
a
little
hole in the ground!”
“Quiet, everybody!” Coach Michaels stood in the doorway and looked around the suddenly silent room.
“That’s better,” the coach said. “I think you all know we didn’t give a hundred percent today. We could just as easily have
lost it at the end.
“We play the Blazers next, and you’d better be ready. If you don’t pick up your game, those guys will walk all over you. We
have our work cut out for us, so be ready to sweat at practice tomorrow. I’ll go over the things we need to work on. That’s
all for now. Daren, come with me.”
Uh-oh, Daren thought. As he stood up, Lynn whispered, “Be cool. Hang in there.”
In the hallway, Daren faced Coach Michaels but looked away fast. The coach’s eyes were cold, and his lips formed a thin line.
Daren braced himself to get chewed out.
But the coach didn’t say anything at first, and when he did, his voice was soft.
“What happened out there? What did you think you were doing?”
Daren looked up. “I — I guess I sort of blew it, huh?” Daren tried a little smile, but he got no smile in return.
“‘Sort of’? You
totally
blew it, big time. Sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking.”
Daren stopped smiling. “Well, it’s just that… Coach, didn’t you see Mantell shove me around and foul me all game long? That
ref was —”
The coach cut Daren off. “So it was all Mantell’s and the ref’s fault?”
“Well…” Daren shrugged. “No, not
all
their fault, but —”
“That technical wasn’t anybody’s fault but yours,” said Coach Michaels. His eyes bored into Daren. “It was that temper of
yours — again. We’ve talked about it before.”
Daren looked down. “I know. But —”
“No, Daren. No ‘buts.’ If you can’t learn to control that temper, you’ll wind up hurting the team more than you help it. I
won’t have that. Next time you go ballistic in a game, you can expect to spend a lot more time on the bench. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Daren muttered.
The coach nodded. “All right. Just as long as we understand each other. Now, let’s put it behind us and get ready for the
Blazers.”
When Daren went out to the team bus for the trip home, he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He found a seat alone at the back.
“How you doing?” Lynn sat down next to Daren, who shrugged.
Lynn peered at Daren for a moment. “Got chewed out, huh? Well, Coach doesn’t hold a grudge. Tomorrow it’ll all —”
Daren cut him off. “He doesn’t like me. He’s going to kick me off the team soon.”
Lynn shook his head. “No way, Dar. He likes you as much as he likes any of us. It’s just that he —”
Daren hunched forward. “Look, I’d rather be by myself, okay?”
Lynn blinked. Then he shrugged.
“You got it.” He moved to another seat, leaving Daren alone.
A few seats ahead, Lou Bettman also sat by himself, staring out the window at nothing.
For a team that had won a game, the trip home was very quiet.
3
A fter games, Daren and Lynn usually rode their bikes home together. The ride, and Lynn’s easy-going chatter, usually calmed
Daren. But today Lynn had a challenge on his hands.
“The Blazers are pretty hot this season,” Lynn said, “but we can take
ref was the pits!” he said. “If he hadn’t swallowed his whistle, Mantell would’ve fouled out! First the ref gets on me, and
now you! You must be glad I got benched so you could get some playing time. What a team player!”
Shawn looked disgusted. “It’s all about you, huh?
You
talk about team players! A
real
team player doesn’t blow up like you did, and he doesn’t hassle a teammate just because the guy’s game was a little off.”
“A
little
off!” Daren laughed. Lynn came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Daren shook it off. “Right! And the Grand Canyon’s
a
little
hole in the ground!”
“Quiet, everybody!” Coach Michaels stood in the doorway and looked around the suddenly silent room.
“That’s better,” the coach said. “I think you all know we didn’t give a hundred percent today. We could just as easily have
lost it at the end.
“We play the Blazers next, and you’d better be ready. If you don’t pick up your game, those guys will walk all over you. We
have our work cut out for us, so be ready to sweat at practice tomorrow. I’ll go over the things we need to work on. That’s
all for now. Daren, come with me.”
Uh-oh, Daren thought. As he stood up, Lynn whispered, “Be cool. Hang in there.”
In the hallway, Daren faced Coach Michaels but looked away fast. The coach’s eyes were cold, and his lips formed a thin line.
Daren braced himself to get chewed out.
But the coach didn’t say anything at first, and when he did, his voice was soft.
“What happened out there? What did you think you were doing?”
Daren looked up. “I — I guess I sort of blew it, huh?” Daren tried a little smile, but he got no smile in return.
“‘Sort of’? You
totally
blew it, big time. Sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking.”
Daren stopped smiling. “Well, it’s just that… Coach, didn’t you see Mantell shove me around and foul me all game long? That
ref was —”
The coach cut Daren off. “So it was all Mantell’s and the ref’s fault?”
“Well…” Daren shrugged. “No, not
all
their fault, but —”
“That technical wasn’t anybody’s fault but yours,” said Coach Michaels. His eyes bored into Daren. “It was that temper of
yours — again. We’ve talked about it before.”
Daren looked down. “I know. But —”
“No, Daren. No ‘buts.’ If you can’t learn to control that temper, you’ll wind up hurting the team more than you help it. I
won’t have that. Next time you go ballistic in a game, you can expect to spend a lot more time on the bench. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Daren muttered.
The coach nodded. “All right. Just as long as we understand each other. Now, let’s put it behind us and get ready for the
Blazers.”
When Daren went out to the team bus for the trip home, he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He found a seat alone at the back.
“How you doing?” Lynn sat down next to Daren, who shrugged.
Lynn peered at Daren for a moment. “Got chewed out, huh? Well, Coach doesn’t hold a grudge. Tomorrow it’ll all —”
Daren cut him off. “He doesn’t like me. He’s going to kick me off the team soon.”
Lynn shook his head. “No way, Dar. He likes you as much as he likes any of us. It’s just that he —”
Daren hunched forward. “Look, I’d rather be by myself, okay?”
Lynn blinked. Then he shrugged.
“You got it.” He moved to another seat, leaving Daren alone.
A few seats ahead, Lou Bettman also sat by himself, staring out the window at nothing.
For a team that had won a game, the trip home was very quiet.
3
A fter games, Daren and Lynn usually rode their bikes home together. The ride, and Lynn’s easy-going chatter, usually calmed
Daren. But today Lynn had a challenge on his hands.
“The Blazers are pretty hot this season,” Lynn said, “but we can take
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