A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

I can see how important this game is to Julie, and I don’t want to hold her back from playing, but there’s no way she’ll win against the boys with me on her team, no matter how good she is with a basketball. I suggest to Julie and Stinger that we play HORSE instead, so Julie can still show her skills with the ball without relying on me. Everyone agrees, and Stinger tells Julie to take the first shot.

Julie steps up to the free-throw line, bounces the ball a few times, and focuses on the basket before she jumps and releases the ball in a smooth arc. Cheers erupt from the other side of the court.

Julie grins and waves at two teenagers watching from the sidelines with tennis rackets, telling me they’re her sister, Tracy, and Mike, Stinger’s brother.

Stinger steps up to the free-throw line, and Mike calls over that Stinger can’t let a girl beat him. Tracy punches his arm. With his big brother watching, Stinger looks more determined than ever. He bounces the ball, jumps, and the shot grazes through the hoop. He taunts Julie, who presses her lips together but doesn’t take the bait.

It’s my turn. I’m not very good at free-throws, especially with an audience watching, and my feet feel like concrete. I jump for the shot, but the ball hits the rim. I’m disappointed, but relieved I decided not to play on a team with Julie.

Julie tells me not to worry. I can make the next one.

We watch T.J. go for the free-throw and miss, too. Now T.J. and I both have an H.

It’s Stinger’s turn to pick the shot. He steps back from the free-throw line, holds both hands over his head, and lets the ball fly with a nice backspin. It arches through the air and goes through the net. I’ve never even seen this official shot before, but I’m not about to let on.

Julie makes the shot, and I’m impressed. So does T.J.

I take a deep breath, raise my arms above my head like the others, and let the ball go. It doesn’t go anywhere near the net.

Stinger calls out that it’s an airball, and tells Julie her sidekick is as rusty as the Tin Man. She retorts that at least I have a heart. I’m fuming inside, but I stay quiet as I decide what shot to do for the next round. I dribble down the middle of the court, and when I’m almost under the hoop, I spin around and release a fadeaway at the top of my jump. It goes in.

Julie asks where I learned the shot, and I blush and say Dad taught it to me. Chloe, my best friend, calls me Hula Hoop whenever I do it. Julie giggles and says Hula Hoop is a good one.

Julie tries the Hula Hoop shot, but she spins too far and sends an airball sailing over the backboard. She laughs at herself as she goes after the ball.

T.J. is laughing so hard his shot doesn’t even reach the backboard. Stinger smirks, then turns serious for a running start, but trips over his own feet and falls on his face. Now he has an H, just like us.

I’m proud my Hula Hoop shot cost Stinger a letter, and my confidence starts to come back. I make the next several shots in a row while Tracy and Mike cheer us on.

T.J. spells HORSE first and is out of the game. After the next round, I’m out, too. But I don’t mind because Julie still has a chance to win. It’s down to her and Stinger, and both have one letter left.

Stinger chooses the shot and walks up to the free-throw line. With a sly smirk, he turns his back to the hoop, dips the ball between his legs, and sends it over his head. He makes the basket.

Julie bites her lip and steps forward to take her turn. She lobs the ball over her head and closes her eyes. The ball bounces off the rim.

Stinger pumps his fists in the air. Julie has spelled HORSE. He says she should stick to girly stuff, like painting her nails.

T.J. tells Stinger to give it a rest, since they had a good game. But Stinger takes it one step further, nudging T.J. and saying he told him girls shouldn’t be Jaguars.

Julie’s shoulders slump. I run after her as she shuffles off the court.

Tracy calls out that Julie shouldn’t listen to Stinger. I hope she’ll come over, since Julie could use her sister’s support, but Tracy gets distracted by Mike showing off with Stinger’s basketball. It’s up to me to make Julie feel better.

I tell Julie that Tracy is right. Julie played a great game and came so close to winning.

Julie waves her hand and says she doesn’t care about losing an old HORSE game. But maybe Stinger is right. Maybe girls, and her, are not good enough to be a Jaguar.

I can’t believe what Julie’s saying, and ask if she really thinks she doesn’t deserve to be on the basketball team just because she’s a girl. Julie shrugs.

I ask Julie if Coach Manley called tomorrow and said she could try out, would she try out or give up? She stands up a little straighter and says she wouldn’t waste her chance to prove herself. She narrows her eyes at Stinger, who’s passing drills with T.J., and marches toward him. She squares her shoulders and declares they should play a real game, one-on-one.

Mike calls a time-out, saying they already had their time on the court and now it’s his turn with Tracy. Stinger dusts off his hands and picks up the ball, adding that Julie had her shot. He and T.J. head off the court.

I didn’t have the courage to join Julie for a real game before, so the least I can do is help her now. I call out for the boys to wait. They freeze and look at me. I’m not sure what I’m asking them to wait for, but I know I have to do something.