Long Shot by Eric Walters Page B

tried to do a quick count. There were seven standing by the doors … and two over by the fountain, and one just coming in … and then L.B. and me. That made twelve and he said there were going to be twelve spots on the team. So that meant that everybody who was here had made it! Kia, and Jamie, and D.J., and Mark and Jordan and Brian and me! I’d made it. I was on the team. That was great … wasn’t it? For some reason I didn’t feel that excited … or relieved. Shouldn’t I feel both of those emotions? Or at least one of them?
    I wondered if anybody else had figured out that we were all on the team? If Kia had she would have said something to me. Judging from the expressionsof the others, nobody else had worked it out. If they had they would have looked at least a little bit more excited about things.
    The door opened and Coach Barkley appeared. He motioned for everybody to come in. There was a crush as everybody rushed the door. I wasn’t going to be telling them anything now.
    I turned around. L.B. was still standing off to the side. Maybe he hadn’t seen his father call us in. I trotted over to him.
    â€œAren’t you coming in?” I asked.
    â€œIn? Oh, is it time?” he asked.
    â€œEverybody else is already inside so we better get going or we’ll be late.”
    â€œWe wouldn’t want to keep my father waiting,” he said.
    â€œThat’s for sure. Come on,” I said as I started for the door. Even if I was right and was on the team, I didn’t want to get him mad at me.
    Just as I got to the gym door I glanced over my shoulder. L.B. still wasn’t coming. He was just staring off into the distance like he was looking at something.
    â€œL.B.!” I called out. He looked at me but didn’t move.
    There was a strange look in his eyes. He looked scared. But what did he have to be scared of ? Maybe he didn’t know he was on the team. Maybe his father hadn’t told him?
    I jogged back to his side. “There’s nothing to worry about,” I said.
    â€œWhat?” he asked.
    â€œThere’s nothing to worry about. I’m completely positive that everybody who’s here is on the team already.”
    â€œYeah,” he said absently. “That’s what my father told me last night.”
    â€œSo you already know that you’re on the team, right?”
    He nodded his head. “Everybody here will be offered a spot on the team.”
    â€œThat’s great,” I said.
    â€œIs it?” L.B. asked.
    â€œYeah … sure … of course … I guess.”
    â€œLet’s get inside,” I said, grabbing L.B. by the arm to start him moving with me.
    We entered the gym and everybody else was already sitting in the middle of the floor by the coach’s feet. He looked over at us and scowled.
    â€œNice of you gentlemen to join us,” he said. “You’re both lucky this isn’t our first try-out or it could have been your last.”
    â€œSorry,” I mumbled as I grabbed a piece of the floor beside Kia. L.B. sat down beside me.
    â€œI’d like to start by stating the obvious,” Coach Barkley said. “You’ll notice that there are only twelve of you sitting in here today.”
    A number of heads spun around trying to quicklydo a head count to confirm what he’d said.
    â€œAnd as some of you may recall there are twelve spots on this team. So those of you who aren’t math-challenged will quickly come to a realization about why we’re all here today.”
    â€œWe’re … we’re on the team?” Jordan asked.
    Coach Barkley smiled. “Close. You are all being
offered
a spot on the team.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Kia asked.
    â€œIt means that I’m going to outline what is expected of you if you decide to accept a spot on this team, because I want to make it perfectly clear that I’m going to demand a lot out of all