Read Online Game by Walter Dean Myers - Free Book Online Page B

the coach and I was the player. So I was running up my little truce flag and I guessed he was running up his, but I still knew what I was going to do when I got on the court, and he wasn’t going to change that.
    The inside of La Taqueria was sharp. They had photographs on the wall of these old-time Mexican dudes with belts of ammunition around their chests and pistols in their belts. All the tables were darkwood with red-and-white place mats. I thought Jocelyn would have dug it.
    House ordered chicken enchiladas, salad, and rice, and I got tacos, refried beans, and salad. We also ordered iced tea.
    â€œSo how are things going?” House asked me.
    â€œOkay, I guess,” I said.
    â€œYou looking forward to the Warrick game?”
    â€œI look forward to every game,” I said.
    The waitress brought the iced tea, and House dumped sugar in it without even tasting it. I tasted mine and it was already sweetened. I figured the dude was nervous.
    â€œYou looking forward to the game?” I asked House.
    â€œI am,” he said, “but I was kind of puzzled about the way the team dynamics seem to be shaping up.”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œYou seem to be unhappy about something,” he said.
    â€œYeah, well, you know, you’re changing the way we play,” I said. “We were doing all right during the first half of the season, and we did all right last year. I don’t see why we’re changing now.”
    â€œWhy do you think we’re changing?” House was sipping his tea, and I knew it had to be too sweet.
    â€œI don’t know,” I said.
    â€œHey, you’re a man, I’m a man,” House said. “If you have something to say, you should spit it out.”
    What I figured was that he wanted to have it out with me. I was going to be cool with it, lay it out careful, but I didn’t like that “you’re a man” stuff.
    â€œYeah, okay—look, as soon as Tomas and Colin showed up, you started running the team around them,” I said. “Everybody sees it. The whole team is talking about it, even Tomas—but you keep running into your office like you don’t hear it. You want to get to square business, then you know the same thing I do.”
    House leaned back in his chair and looked around the restaurant. There were a few other customers, and the waiters were setting up their tables.
    â€œYou know what surprises me, Drew?” House turned back to me. “What surprises me is that you think you’re pushing yourself. You think that you’re out there trying your best to win because it’s the best thing for the team, right?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œBut do you know what every college coach asks me about every good black player who comes along?” House spoke softly. “He asks me if the player can be coached. In other words, can he fit into a college system. When I asked Fletch what he thought of your game…”
    â€œYeah, what did he say?”
    â€œHe said he didn’t want to talk about it that much,” House said. “But he did say you were a really good individual player. I got the feeling that he doesn’t think you can fit into a team plan.”
    The waitress brought the food and set it down. It smelled good. The busboy brought over a tray with little cups of sauces and a bowl of chips.
    â€œFletch said that?” I asked.
    â€œNot in so many words,” House said. “But word gets around to the scouts. You know what I mean?”
    â€œThe way you’re sounding is like I shouldn’t put too much faith in my game,” I said.
    â€œI’m not saying that you shouldn’t believe in your game, but I am saying that you need to look over your shoulder once in a while, too.”
    The food suddenly didn’t look too good. We talked a little more, mostly light stuff about schooland what was going on in the world, but my heart