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guy named Howard Sturgis.
     He's the coach of my old team — you know, the
real
Wizards. They want you to come to practice when they start up.”
    Lou turned to Seth and slapped him on the back. “Hey,
fantastic!
You'll make it, too!”
    “That's what Wes and I told Howard,” said Danny, looking closely at Seth. “You look like you're not so sure. What's the problem?
     I figured you'd be happy about this.”
    “Huh? Oh,
sure
I'm happy,” Seth said. “I … What about Pete? Could he come, too?”
    Danny nodded. “We recommended him. Both of you guys can help that team. Seth? You don't look like a man who just heard a piece
     of very good news. How come?”
    Seth shook his head. “No, no, I know it's good. Really. I guess I just hope I don't let you down, that's all. Plus, I'm going
     to miss you when you go away.”
    Danny looked up at Lou, and back to Seth. “Well, first of all, I don't think for a second that you'll let me down. I know
     you sometimes aren't sure of what you can do, but
I
know, and so does my man, Lou here. Right?”
    “Absolutely,” Lou replied. “Seth can do whatever he has a mind to.”
    “And Wes knows, too,” Danny went on. “He had you spotted as a corner from day one, last year. Why do you think he gave you
     such a hard time? He didn't want you to sell yourself short, was all. And you didn't.
    “As for me going away, that isn't going to be until the fall. I'll be around for months, playing ball withanother team. I'll be checking out your practices and seeing your games, too. You're not getting rid of me yet.”
    “You can sit with us, in our rooting section,” said Lou. “I plan on seeing every Wizards game, me and our buddies. We know
     that Seth is going to do the job.”
    Danny smiled at Lou, but his expression turned more serious as his eyes met Seth's. “Understand, you're going to have to work
     hard with these new guys. Just the way you did last year. It's a new challenge. But you can meet it. Just remember, the toughest
     tests are the ones you want to pass the most. That's the way it ought to be. That's what life is all about: taking on challenges
     and meeting them. Right?”
    Seth stared into Danny's eyes and nodded. “Right.”
    “Okay!” Danny looked at his watch. “I have to get going. Listen, I'll be seeing you soon. You all right with this?”
    “Fine,” Seth answered. “And that's great about the scholarship.”
    Danny smiled. “Lou, save a seat for me in the rooting section. Take it easy, guys.”
    As he drove away, Lou turned back to Seth. “You
are
all right with it, aren't you? Danny's right. You're ready. You'll make the team.”
    “Yeah, I … I will. I
will
.” Seth turned his chair toward the intersection. “We'd better get moving.”
    “Okay.” As they crossed the street, Lou sighed.
    “What's the matter?” asked Seth.
    “I just hope Phyllis can help me with this math stuff,” Lou muttered. “But I have my doubts.”
    “Sure she will,” Seth said, grinning. “Hey, look at it like a new challenge. The toughest tests are the ones most worth passing.
     Right?”
    “Right!” said Lou, and both boys laughed.

12
    T omorrow's the day I have my first workout with the Wizards,” said Seth, whose eyes remained fixed on the carpet as his fingers
     tapped restlessly on the arms of his chair. “Howard, the coach, called over the weekend. That's the major news.”
    Brian Murtaugh smiled at the boy. “I'd say it's pretty big! Exciting, too, I think. But never mind how
I
feel about it, how do
you
feel?”
    “Me?” Seth looked up at the therapist. “How
should
I feel? I feel great!”
    Brian's eyebrows raised in a look of surprise. “Really? Great, huh? That's why you're doing a drum routine with your fingers
     on your chair, to show how great you feel?”
    Startled, Seth pulled his hands into his lap. “I didn't even know I was doing that. But I really dofeel great. My family think's it's great, Danny thinks it's great, my best friend,