Hoop Crazy by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online

loosy-goosy,” I said.
    Mark started with the ball. “Loosy-goosy,” Mark called out in his quiet way.
    We’d been asking him to yell out the plays, but yelling just wasn’t part of Mark. My father said that Mark was so polite and quiet that if you hit him in the face with a shovel, he wouldn’t yell ‘ouch.’
    â€œWhat play was that?” I asked.
    Mark shot me a little smile. He knew what I meant.
    â€œLoosy-goosy!” he called out a little louder.
    I broke to the ball and Mark bounced a pass to me. He cut toward the hoop and brushed past Ned who was in the high post, heading for low post. I took the ball and lobbed it up in the air to Ned. I had visions of the ball hitting him in the face in front of his mother so I tossed it as lightly as possible. Ned caught the ball, turned and threw it up at the basket. It clunked off the backboard.
    â€œRebound!” I yelled out.
    Ned jumped up in the air, grabbed the ball and —
    â€œAAAAAHHHHH!” Mark screamed as Ned came down on top of him, tumbling over backwards as he landed.
    â€œMark, are you okay?” I yelled.
    â€œOf course, I’m not okay!” he screamed.
    I’d never heard Mark yell like that before — heck I’d never even heard him raise his voice. He was definitely not okay. He rolled around on the ground, holding onto his left ankle.
    â€œLet me look at him,” Debbie said. “I’m trained in first aid.”
    She kneeled down beside Mark. Gently she removed his shoe. As she started to take off his sock, he grimaced in pain.
    I wanted to look away, like I was afraid that when she removed his sock there’d be a bone sticking out or something. Instead I kept looking. There wasn’t a bone, but it looked like he’d swallowed a balloon and it had sunk down to his foot. It was swollen and getting bigger before my eyes. She continued to examine Mark’s foot, feeling it with her hands, moving it around andasking Mark questions.
    â€œI don’t think it’s broken, but it’s definitely sprained,” Debbie said as she held his foot in her hands.
    â€œIt hurts like crazy!” Mark exclaimed. “Like crazy!”
    â€œYou’ll have to go to the hospital to be checked out, but I’m certain it’s only a sprain,” she said. “I’ve had training, not to mention all the practice I’ve had treating Ned for his falls, bumps and sprains and strains.”
    Ned was now standing by the pole holding up the backboard. He was craning his neck to see around his mother without getting too close. In his hands were his glasses. They were in two pieces again. When he’d landed on Mark, they’d flown off and hit the pavement. He looked both worried and confused.
    â€œLet me help you up,” Debbie said.
    Mark got up hesitantly. He tried to put a little weight on his injured ankle, but couldn’t.
    â€œWe need some ice,” Debbie said. “Can somebody come and hold Mark’s foot and keep it elevated.”
    â€œI will,” Kia said. She moved over and took Debbie’s place.
    â€œMaybe somebody else too. Ned come and hold him on the other side,” Debbie suggested.
    â€œI’ll do it,” I said, coming over before Ned could even move.
    Debbie rushed into the house to get the ice.
    I looked right at Ned. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve already done enough for today.”

    The phone rang.
    â€œI’ll get it!” I said, jumping up from the table.
    â€œJust let it ring and the machine will get it,” my mother said. “We’ve all just sat down for dinner.”
    â€œIt might be Mark,” I said. “I want to know how he is.”
    â€œGo and get it,” my mother said.
    I rushed out of the room, into the living room and grabbed the phone just as it started to ring for the fourth time.
    â€œHello!”
    â€œHi, Nick, it’s me,” Mark said.
    â€œHow