Hot Shot by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page B

leg.
    Grady was quiet for so long Julian that grew nervous. “He’s okay, isn’t he?”
    “Oh, yeah, Barry’s fine,” Grady answered. “He told me he gave you the candy before you left, by the way. Have you had any
     yet?”
    “Yeah, like a third of it,” Julian confessed.
    “Sheesh! I didn’t know you were such a pig!”
    The boys chatted a while longer and then Grady said he had to go finish his homework. “It was good talking to you, Jools.”
    It was only after Julian had hung up that he realized Grady had never really answered his question about Barry’s progress.
    Could Grady be hiding something from me?
he wondered.
And if so, why?
    He yawned suddenly. A quick glance at the clock showed him that it was near his bedtime. “I’m just imagining things,” he said
     as he changed into a T-shirt and flannel pants. “Grady said Barry was fine. So he must be fine.”
    Julian went to bed soon after that. He awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and determined to face head-on whatever challenges
     came that day.
    The hours at school passed without a problem; he knew where his classrooms were, who his teachers were, and knew a few of
     his classmates too. But when he walked onto the basketball court that afternoon, his determination faltered.
    Once again, Coach Boyd separated the team into two groups, one of starters, one of subs. Once again, Julian was put in with
     the subs. Even though he’d been expecting it, he couldn’t help resenting his placement with the less-talented players.
    That resentment grew whenever he watched the starters practice. There were some good players on that side of the court. But
     as far as he could tell, their skills were going to waste. The coach seemed to have designed nearly every play with one goal
     in mind: get the ball to Paul!
    Julian worked hard not to let his frustration get the better of him during that practice or the ones that followed in the
     next two days. Instead, he put his energy into the drills he and the other subs ran. But when it came time for his first game
     in a Warriors uniform, the cold hard reality of his situation sank in completely.
    He was a benchwarmer.

13
    L et’s go, Warriors!”
    The cheers rang out from the fans scattered throughout the bleachers of the gymnasium. Julian smoothed the slippery red fabric
     of his new jersey and then joined his teammates circling the court for a few warm-up laps.
    “Come on, Pryce, shake a leg! Or do I have to come down there and show you how it’s done?”
    Julian jerked his head around. He knew that voice—Barry! He searched the stands, looking for a kid sitting with his bound
     leg propped up next to a pair of crutches. That’s why he missed Barry at first; his old friend wasn’t sitting at all, he was
     standing on two legs!
    Julian’s jaw dropped. “No way!” he called. “Awesome!”
    Barry heard Julian’s cry and grinned from ear to ear. But when he moved to sit down, Julian noticed he still favored his left
     leg.
    Julian realized then that although Barry’s injured leg was better, it wasn’t healed completely. Still, he’d come a long way
     in the two weeks since Julian had last seen him! It made him wonder what else he’d missed back home—and what he’d keep missing
     every day.
    Paul Boyd drew alongside him then. “Got a fan in the stands, huh, Pryce?” he sneered. “Big deal. Seen my fan club lately?”
     He jerked his chin toward another section of the bleachers.
    Julian looked and saw two dozen middle school kids sitting together. Some of them held signs saying “Go, Paul!” When the team
     ran by them, they started chanting. “Paul Boyd, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!”
    I wouldn’t be so sure about that,
Julian thought.
Give me a chance, and I’ll give you someone else to cheer about!
    By then, the other team had arrived. The Suns wore yellow uniforms as brilliant as their team name. They took over one half
     of the court and began doing layup drills.