Read Online Step Up and Dance by Thalia Kalipsakis - Free Book Online Page B

feet and rolled away.
    â€˜Eyes on the ball, Saph,’ called Mr Sandown.
    But I wasn’t in any position to take advice. I was leaning forward clutching my chest with both arms, and moaning. My eyes were watering. Now I knew why Brooke was so grumpy all the time. Playing sport was painful.
    â€˜You okay?’ Faith had her hand on my back.
    I stood up and nodded, eyes still watering.
    â€˜You’ll be right. Keep at it,’ she said, and ran back into line.
    I blew my fringe off my forehead and glanced at the end basketball court. By now it was crowded with bodies – busy with balls and movement. A ball arced up in the air and bodies leapt to grab it. But I couldn’t see a red hat among them.
    Then I looked over at Summer. She was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, hiding her mouth. But I could see her shoulders shake as she tried to smother a laugh. Summer was enjoying this a lot more than I was.
    Dribbling was pretty much impossible. The first time I tried, I almost fell over. Up bounced the ball, forward moved my body, and my legs crashed into the ball. Who decided it was a good idea to run and bounce a ball at the same time?
    â€˜Long bounces, Saph. Keep trying!’ called Mr Sandown.
    But it was pretty much hopeless from there on in. By the time the team started playing a practice game, I was standing on the sidelines, stepping backwards whenever the ball came near me. Throwing around a loose cannonball was not my idea of fun.
    At one point, Faith ran up beside me. ‘Have you made your point today? Or are you coming back again for more?’
    I did a groaning kind of laugh and shook my head. ‘Don’t think I’m made of the right stuff.’
    Faith started to speak, then she trailed off to watch the play. Brooke charged past two Year Elevens, dodging and dribbling, then threw a clean three-pointer.
    â€˜I’ll never be like that,’ I said and flicked my hand at Brooke, trying not to be too dainty. ‘She’s amazing.’
    â€˜Yeah, maybe …’ said Faith uncertainly.
    â€˜Maybe what?’ I could sense her wanting to say more.
    Mr Sandown threw the ball up and players started scrambling for it.
    I nudged Faith on the hip. ‘Come on! Out with it.’
    She leaned in to me, talking low. ‘The way Brooke plays, it’s all about her, you know? She’ll try to score when she should pass to another player.’ Faith kicked at the court with an old runner. ‘I reckon she cost us the grand final last year.’
    We were quiet, staring at the movement of arms, legs and ball.
    Faith looked at me carefully. ‘You don’t seem selfish like that,’ she nodded at the play. ‘I’ll help you with the ball skills …’
    I shook my head. ‘Thanks, Faith. But . . . no thanks. I don’t think basketball’s my cup of tea.’
    But I couldn’t help smiling at the idea of Faith trying to coach me to throw a cannonball.

    After that I sat on the bench alone and watched the rest of practice. Summer had wandered off to talk to the drama group, and Mr Sandown pretty much ignored me for the second half of lunchtime. But there was something about the play that held me there, making me see the game in a new way.
    Faith was a solid player. She didn’t score much, but she had a natural instinct with the ball – a way of being where it was about to fall and knowing where the other players were about to throw. She was everywhere the ball was, in a way that I wouldn’t have noticed before. I started to see how she really might reach her dream and play professional basketball.
    It wasn’t until the end of lunch when I started heading back up the hill from the basketball courts that I ran into Jay. He was sitting on a shady bench, bony elbows resting on knobbly knees.
    Before I could stop them, my eyebrows raised automatically in an oh there you are kind of way. I quickly smothered that look in a