Nothing But Net Read online

  “Nice shooting,” said Cam.

  Jasmine took a seat at the edge of the court. She watched Tyler score twelve points.

  Tyler sat next to Jasmine when he finished. Cam got the last rebound. Then he, Markus, and Brianna joined Tyler and Jasmine.

  The All-Stars sat and enjoyed the beauty of the park. The smell of the grass. The sound of birds. They watched the sun start to sink.

  New kids came and went. Joggers passed by. The last of the parents with strollers went home.

  Suddenly, the All-Stars were snapped out of it.

  A news truck had stopped by the park.

  Valerie Hart stepped out of the front seat. She checked her makeup in a little mirror. Then tugged the collar of her coat. “We’ll set up over here.” She pointed to a grassy spot.

  Cameramen got out of the truck. They carried wires, microphones, and lights on stands with them.

  A shiny black car pulled up behind them. The driver stepped out. He opened the back door. Mayor Stevens got out. He handed his coat to the driver. He walked over to where the cameramen were setting up.

  “Thank you for showing up so quickly,” said Mayor Stevens. He shook Valerie Hart’s hand.

  “Happy to do it,” she answered. “We’re almost ready.”

  The lights kicked on.

  “Coming at you live from the local park.” Valerie Hart spoke into the microphone. “We are joined by Mayor Stevens. He has exciting news about the new park plan.”

  Valerie Hart turned and faced the Mayor.

  “Thank you,” said Mayor Stevens. He looked right into the camera. “Helping businesses is my goal. Which is why I’m happy to say the parking lot project is going smoothly.”

  “What is he saying?” asked Markus.

  “Shhh,” said Tyler. “I’m trying to hear.”

  Tyler walked over the edge of the court. He leaned on the basketball pole.

  “At first, the plan was to start this summer. Wasn’t it?” asked Valerie Hart.

  “That’s right,” said Mayor Stevens. He stuck his chest out. “It’s taken a lot of hard work. But we now expect to start on the parking lot next month.”

  “You’ve heard it here first,” said Valerie Hart.

  Cam walked up behind Tyler. “Did he just say what I think he said?”

  Tyler knocked the ball from Cam’s hands. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

  Tyler walked away.

  “Wait up,” said Jasmine. She chased after Tyler.

  Cam, Markus, and Brianna followed her.

  “We can’t just give up,” said Jasmine.

  “Yeah,” said Brianna. “There has to be something else we can do.”

  “I’m in if you have any more ideas,” said Tyler. He stopped walking. “Well?”

  The driver closed the car door behind Mayor Stevens. The cameramen loaded up the truck. They drove away into the night.

  Cam, Markus, Jasmine, and Brianna all stood next to Tyler, with nothing to say.

  CHAPTER SIX

  OUT OF THE

  DARKNESS

  The All-Stars squeezed onto the bench at the park entrance. They weren’t talking. But they couldn’t bring themselves to leave. Not after what had just happened.

  The sun dropped behind the trees. The evening breeze was colder than usual. But they didn’t move.

  Jasmine lifted her head like she had an idea. The rest of the team waited. They held their breath. Then she went back to playing with her hair.

  Tyler stood. “We’re not going to figure something out like this.”

  “You’re right,” said Cam. “We need to get some rest.”

  “Like that’s going to be easy,” said Brianna.

  “If we even make it home,” whispered Markus. He pointed into the darkness.

  A small group of lights shined down the street. They moved closer and closer to the park. Toward the All-Stars.

  “Quick,” said Jasmine. “We need to hide.” She ducked behind a tree.

  “No! We should sneak out between the houses,” said Cam.

  “Wait!” said Tyler. “Where’s the ball?”

  “Forget about it,” answered Brianna. “We need to get out of here.”

  The voices behind the flashlights grew louder. “Hey!”

  Brianna grabbed Tyler’s hand and pulled.

  “Wait up!” The voice called out again.

  “Let’s go!” said Jasmine.

  “Not yet,” answered Tyler.

  He turned. He watched the lights reach over the grass.

  Cam joined Tyler at his side. “What do you see?” he asked.

  Tyler used his hand to block the lights from his eyes. “Nothing,” he said. “But that voice—”

  “Thanks for holding up.” It was T.J. behind the lights. And Steve, Jason, and the rest of the Golden Roots Prep team.

  Markus, Jasmine, and Brianna stopped walking away.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Tyler.

  “We saw you guys on the news,” said Steve.

  “On the news?” asked Jasmine.

  “Well,” Jason ran his finger along his gold chain. “When Mayor Stevens was talking, we saw you on the basketball court. In the background.”

  “Oh,” said Jasmine.

  “Which made us think,” said T.J.

  “There’s a surprise!” said Brianna.

  “That’s funny, coming from you,” said T.J. He frowned at her. Then kept talking.

  “We also saw your posts online. And we thought we might be able to work together to save the park.”

  Tyler took a step forward. “How?”

  “What if we had a rematch. Here. At the park,” said T.J.

  “We’ll help spread the word and everything,” said Steve.

  “You guys really think you can beat us?” asked Brianna.

  Tyler blocked Brianna from moving closer to the Golden Roots Prep team.

  “It’s not about winning or losing,” Tyler said. “It’s about showing how important the park is. Not just to us. To everybody.”

  “Right.” T.J. nodded at Brianna. “Not that we think we’ll lose again.”

  Tyler didn’t wait. It was the best idea they had. It was the only choice.

  “You’re on,” said Tyler. Then he shook T.J.’s hand.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  YOU NEVER

  KNOW WHO’S

  WATCHING

  Mrs. Avery stopped at Tyler’s table. “I need to see you five after class,” she said.

  Jasmine bounced her leg under the table. Markus ate one last gummy. Then put his stash away. This seemed important.

  “What do you think it’s about?” asked Brianna.

  “I don’t know,” answered Tyler.

  “Don’t forget to support our very own All-Stars, and the park, tonight at the game,” said the school secretary. Her voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

  The class clapped.

  Cam waved his hand like he was at a parade. The last bell rang.

  The All-Stars waited at their table until everyone left.

  “You wanted to see us?” asked Tyler.

  Mrs. Avery took a seat at the kids’ table.

  “Did we do something wrong?” asked Markus.

  “Not at all,” said Mrs. Avery. She held the tablet to her chest. “But I have something to share with you.”

  “What is it?” asked Cam.

  “Valerie Hart read your email and wrote back. And I wrote back to her for you.”

  The kids watched as Mrs. Avery turned the tablet toward them.

  “She wants to meet us?” asked Jasmine.

  Someone knocked at the door.

  A woman with long brown hair came in. She carried a notebook. It had a pen sticking out of the top. And a man with a video camera followed her.

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” said Mrs. Avery. She got up and shook Valerie Hart’s hand.

  “Happy to meet you,” said Valerie Hart. “Is this them?” she asked, pointing to the kids.r />
  “Sure is,” answered Mrs. Avery.

  Valerie Hart walked over to the table. “Hello.”

  Cam and Markus looked to Tyler. Brianna watched Jasmine fix her hair.

  “Do you mind if I have a seat?” asked Valerie Hart. She held her hand over the back of an empty chair.

  “Don’t be rude,” said Mrs. Avery, when none of the kids answered.

  Valerie Hart put her purse and notebook down on the table. Then she took a seat.

  Jasmine stopped playing with her hair. Just long enough to ask a question. “Can I ask you something, Mrs. Hart?”

  Valerie Hart smiled. “Just call me Valerie,” she said. “And of course.”

  “Are you always dressed that nice?” asked Jasmine.

  “I only get dressed up like this when I’m working,” she answered.

  “I hate getting dressed up,” agreed Markus.

  “You hate getting ready every morning at all,” joked Brianna.

  “I can’t blame you,” said Valerie. She leaned back in her chair. Then crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees. “On my days off, I like to hang out in my PJs.”

  “Me, too,” said Jasmine. She crossed her feet under her chair.

  “Your email caught my attention,” said Valerie. “Would you mind telling me more about it?” She opened her notebook on her lap.

  “We grew up playing there,” said Cam.

  “And now it’s where our team practices basketball,” said Brianna.

  “It sounds like the park means a lot to you,” said Valerie.

  Tyler leaned forward. He put his arm on the table. “It’s not just us. It’s a part of our neighborhood. Everyone uses it.”

  “Yeah,” said Markus. “Even the kids from Golden Roots Prep go there.”

  “We had a park like that where I grew up,” said Valerie. “Until the town turned it into a mall.”

  “That’s awful,” said Tyler.

  “Sadly, there wasn’t much we could do,” said Valerie. “It was a small town that wanted to grow. Which is one of the reasons I look up to you kids so much. For standing up for what you believe in,” she said. “It’s never easy fighting for something when you feel like you won’t be heard. It takes guts.”

  Valerie looked at her watch.

  “I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” she said. “I know tonight is a big night for you. But before I go…do you mind if I take a picture with you? I’d like to run it in my story about the park this evening.”

  “Sure,” answered Jasmine before anyone else could say anything.

  Mrs. Avery smiled from her desk.

  The rest of the team nodded.

  “I don’t see why not,” said Tyler.

  “Great!” said Valerie.

  She stood with Jasmine and Tyler on one side of her. Cam, Brianna, and Markus were on the other.

  The cameraman took their picture. Then Valerie shook each of the kids’ hands. “Thank you for meeting me.”

  “Thank you,” said Cam.

  The kids watched Mrs. Avery talk to Valerie for a minute.

  “Good luck at the game tonight,” she said on her way out.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  BLOCK

  PARTY

  The Alton Heights All-Stars met the Golden Roots Prep team at the park early.

  “Hope you guys are ready,” said T.J. He opened his dad’s car. He took out a box.

  “Let me give you a hand,” said Tyler. He picked up one of the other boxes.

  So did Cam, Markus, Jasmine, and Brianna.

  “What are these for?” asked Brianna.

  “You didn’t think we’d let you do all the work, did you?” answered T.J.

  T.J. set his box down. Then started pulling T-shirts from it.

  “We should group them by size,” said Cam.

  “Good idea,” said Jason.

  “I love the color,” said Jasmine. “It matches the grass.”

  “Thanks,” said Steve.

  Save the Park was written in darker green over the top of a giant tree. And Our Community was written at the bottom. There was a giant basketball on the back of the shirt.

  “We have new shirts for our teams, too,” said T.J. He opened up one of the smaller boxes.

  They had the same kind of shirts but in different colors. T.J. threw the All-Stars red shirts. And he and the Golden Roots Prep team put on gold.

  It was still two hours before game time. The park had started to fill with people.

  “Thanks for coming out,” said Cam.

  He and the other All-Stars, along with the Golden Roots Prep team, handed out green shirts to people as they came into the park.

  “Hope you enjoy the game,” said Steve.

  The DJ from the Golden Roots pep rally set up near the court. Then he started playing music.

  “Let’s get this party started!” he said.

  The park filled with more and more people.

  “Glad you could make it,” said Tyler. He gave Chuck and Hank shirts.

  “Wouldn’t have missed it,” said Chuck.

  “Looks like a great turnout,” said Hank.

  And it was.

  Students from both Center Park Elementary and Golden Roots Prep were all around the court. They danced to the music.

  Teachers from both schools showed up.

  “Can I help hand out shirts?” asked Mrs. Avery.

  “Of course!” said Markus.

  Parents with kids met up at the playground. Cam’s little brother was on the swings.

  Brianna’s big brother showed up with his friends. Brianna and Markus’s parents were there, too. Tyler’s mom got off work. She came with Jasmine’s mom.

  Before tip-off, people of all ages had shown up. As they came, it got harder to tell anyone apart. They looked like one big group. Partly because of the matching shirts. But it was more than just that.

  Everyone had come together. Adults, kids, and teens. Neighbors and strangers. They were all there for the same reason. To save the park.

  Some people were close friends. Others had met for the first time. It didn’t matter.

  People talked. Some played catch. Others shared food they had brought. It was like a big party before a football game. Only friendlier.

  “Look who’s here!” said Brianna. Valerie Hart showed up with her camera crew.

  “Filming live, from the park,” she said into the camera.

  “No way!” said Steve.

  “To save the park, the whole community has come together. They’ll watch a rematch between the Alton Heights All-Stars and the Golden Roots Prep teams,” she said.

  “I’ve talked with the Alton Heights All-Stars,” said Valerie Hart. “And heard their message myself.”

  “They said the park is not just a place for them to practice basketball. It’s a place for kids to run around and have fun. Somewhere safe they can grow up. A place where adults can enjoy the outdoors. The park is somewhere everyone can come together.”

  The cameras looked over the park.

  “And it looks like they aren’t the only ones who feel that way.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE

  REMATCH

  “Are you ready for the game?” called the DJ from his table.

  The crowd cheered.

  “Let’s try that again,” said the DJ. “We’re here to save the park. ARE YOU READY?!”

  The crowd went wild.

  Both teams circled around center court. The ref tried to blow his whistle. But the crowd was so loud he couldn’t even hear it. He looked at it to make sure it wasn’t broken. Then set it back down on his chest.

  The ref stepped between Tyler and T.J. at center court. He gave the ball one bounce and tossed it in the air.

  Markus threw the ball to Cam for a layup.

  Brianna stole Jason’s pass to Steve. She dribbled the ball over. She waited for her team to set up. Then she called out one of the plays they had practiced.

  “
Up.”

  Tyler and Cam both ran toward the left wing. They set a double pick on Jason. Brianna passed it to Jasmine. She knocked down the open jump shot.

  The crowd cheered after every basket. When Steve made a layup. When Cam passed the ball to Markus in front of the hoop.

  Which team scored wasn’t important. Everyone was part of Team Green. They were all there to save the park.

  The DJ played music at halftime.

  The game went on. The energy in the park grew. It made both teams push harder and harder.

  Tyler fouled T.J. while blocking one of his shots. Right after, Tyler gave T.J. a hand and helped him off the ground.

  “Thanks,” said T.J.

  Both the Alton Heights All-Stars and Golden Roots Prep teams wanted to win. But more important was what they had done together. They had brought everyone to the park.

  “Ten, nine, eight,” shouted the DJ.

  Up five, Brianna picked up her dribble at the top of the key. The All-Stars had won the game!

  Both teams started to shake hands.

  “Great game,” said Steve.

  “You too,” said Cam.

  “Thanks for all your help,” said Tyler.

  “No, thank you,” said T.J.

  Brianna handed the ref the ball.

  Mayor Stevens made his way through all the green shirts. He stopped at the DJ’s table. Then he walked to the center of the basketball court. He had a microphone. The crowd booed.

  “Mayor Stevens now has something to say,” said Valerie Hart into a camera. “And it doesn’t look like anyone is too happy about it.”

  “What are you doing here?” shouted someone from the grass.

  The camera guy looked at center court.

  Mayor Stevens tapped the microphone. That got everyone’s attention. “First off, I want to thank both teams for their hard work. And all their work putting together this event.”

  Mayor Stevens clapped his hands. The crowd went quiet. Except for a few people that clapped.

  “Second,” Mayor Stevens continued. “I want to thank everyone for coming out today. It is truly a great day.”