Chapter 1
“Myra! Wake up we are leaving now! Hurry up!” My older brother Ben yelled up to my room.
I rolled out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans. After scrounging around for a T-shirt I ran out into the kitchen to grab my backpack and a granola bar, the only thing I had time to eat before school started. “Ok! I’m here” I yelled at my brothers as I ran outside.
The only transportation to school available on our road was your vehicle or the Reed family train, also known as a regular sized truck. The bus did not come all the way out to the outskirts of town so we had at least two people needing a ride everyday.
I jumped in the truck and looked around to see who all we were hauling. The first person I see is my best friend, Callee. We had been best friends since we were three years old and we always did everything together.
The next person I saw was sitting up front with my brothers. His name was Ashton and he was the captain of the boys basketball team. Ash, as everyone called him, was not exactly my favorite person. We don’t like each other because he is always saying his team is better than mine. By the way, I am captain of the girls basketball team.
The only people we were hauling were Callee and Ash. Then of course two of my four brothers Jesse and Ben. Jesse was fifteen and Ben was seventeen. I was right in the middle at sixteen.
When we pull into the school parking lot me and Callee rush to class, but the boys take their time. I think they were hoping to be super late and miss most of the class. All of my brothers hated school, but I think they spent more time in detention than anywhere else
After plowing through a million hours of school work I headed to the basketball court. When I got there my girls were standing in the middle of the floor arguing with Ashton’s boys. I ran up to my team and just looked at them. The girls rolled their eyes and we went to the sidelines.
“What is goin’ on?” I asked them.
“Well...” One of the girls, Oaklyn, started. “The boys just started coming in! Then they said they had the court first.” Katie said.
“Stay here, don't talk to any of the boys. I will be right back.” I told my girls. I ran through the school and called Callee.
“We have a code Red! I repeat CODE RED!” I yelled into my phone. Now all the people in the hallway were staring at me. Then they realized what was happening, the boy and the girl basketball teams were arguing, again. This happened on a daily basis.
“Ok! I am on the way to the gym as we speak.” Callee responded. I ran to the detention office and went inside to see my nemesis.
“What is wrong with your team?” I shouted at Ashton, who was in the office because he was arguing with a teacher for the third time that week. He was actually right but got in trouble anyway.
Ash lazily turned his head toward me. When he saw the angry expression on my face his eyes got wide. “Are they on the court again?” He asked.
“What do you think? Of course they are on the court! Oh by the way it is the third time this week! Every single day they try to take the court first!” I yelled at him. Ash rolled his eyes.
“I told them to leave y'all alone, at least when you are practicing,” Ash replied. Well that stopped me in my tracks. Ash actually told them to stay off the court when we were practicing.
“Um, ok. Thanks. I think.” Ash nodded his head then got up to leave.
“I am done here, are you good to leave?” Ash asked me as he headed out the door. “I guess I would have to be,” I mumbled under my breath as I followed him.
When we got to the court my girls were staring at the boys. If looks could kill the boys would be dead by now. I walked over to my team and looked for Callee. She was at the back working on some homework. Callee heard me walking up and set her homework down.
“I am going to assume you went into the detention office, looked at him with an angry expression, he looked scared, and then y’all left to come over here.” Well she got that right in one breath. I didn’t answer because she knew she was right.
Ash went over to the boys who were goofing off on the other side. I guess he told them to get real because they lined up side by side on the edge of the court and looked at him.
I looked at Callee. “I am about to say something that will make you think I am going crazy.” I told Callee. She looked at me with a worried expression. “ I think we should offer to practice with-”
“Yep, you are crazy. We are not going to practice with the boys.” And that is why she is my best friend. She knows what I am going to say before I finish my sentence.
“Ok, I know what you are thinking. I think I am crazy too. But seriously, think about it. The reasons we hate the boys are one, we are girls, they are boys, we think girls are better, they think boys are better. Two, they are alway pranking us and making stupid jokes. And three, they try to take the court every time we are trying to have practice.
But think of what could get better if we share the court and practice together. One, they would not be trying to take it every day. Two, we could benefit from the different experience. And three, we would be the ones with the leverage so we could use it to bribe them to stop pranking us.”
Callee thought about my reasons. Then she looked at me with a pained expression.
“Ok, let's give it a try. And by the way, the boys better stop pranking us.” I smiled. This was going to be a day we all remembered.
I walked over to the boys and asked if I could talk to Ash, alone. The team stared at me like I had grown another head. I was confused. I asked them, “Is something wrong?”
One of the boys, Devlin, I think, Answered. “You just came over here and politely asked to borrow Ashton.” I looked at him.
“Um, yes I did” Boys are so stupid sometimes. The whole team was still staring at me.
“You don’t get it. You said it politely.” Devlin said. I just rolled my eyes. I then grabbed Ash’s arm and drug him a little ways away from his friends.
“I was thinking we could start practicing together on the court.” I started to tell Ash.
“That is a great idea! My guys could teach your girls some moves!” He exclaimed. I glared at Ash. He didn’t care.
“Excuse me? I was going to say we could learn from each other. But if you have that kind of attitude we won’t bother sharing.” I retorted. Ash looked a little humbled after I said that.
“Ok that is probably true.” Ash agreed. We went over to the teams. I believe Callee already told my girls what was going on because they did not act shocked when Ash said we would be practicing together. Callee looked at me with an expression that said, yo better tel the t no pran u anymor.
I stepped up next to Ash and stared at the boys. “Now listen here you little boys. If you plan to keep practicing with us girls there are a few rules. Number one, there will be no more pranking, at all, under no circumstances. Two, you will respect everyone here, whether it be me, my team, your captain, or your team. I understand you like to goof off ALL THE TIME and that is fine. But please! Do it to your own team not mine. And three, everyone please get along. I do not want to have to break up any fights.” I finished and surprisingly everyone was looking quite respectful. From them on everyone got along and both teams ended that year winning their State tournaments.
