Center Court Sting by Matt Christopher

guessing. Like this.”
    He bounced the ball off the driveway pavement to Gary, who caught it waist-high. Gary tried getting the ball back to Daren
     the same way but bounced it off Daren’s feet.
    “Whoa!” Daren said, grinning. “Take it easy on my toes — I only have ten of them.”
    Gary giggled.
    Daren explained how a bounce pass should be aimed to hit the floor several feet in front of the other player, so it bounces
     about waist-high and is easy to catch.
    They practiced bounce passes and morechest passes. Daren moved back a little bit when Gary showed he could throw the extra distance.
    All the while, Daren told Gary stories about his learning to play basketball. Like how he didn’t know how to tie his shoelaces
     when he first played and fell on his face a couple of times rather than asking other kids to help him out. Gary, who Daren
     had seen tie his laces, laughed. He was no longer nervous or anxious about making mistakes. He was having a great time.
    Daren realized that he was enjoying himself, too.
    Once, when he chased a ball onto the Parnells’ lawn, he noticed that Judy was watching quietly from her porch.
    After a while he forgot to notice the time. Then Judy came over and said, “Gary, it’s almost time for dinner. Come in and
     clean up.”
    Gary made a face. “Just a few minutes, okay? We haven’t done any shooting yet!”
    “Let’s leave shooting for another day, all right?” Daren said. “I had a hard practice today before I started with you, and
     I’m wiped out.” He tossed the ball underhand to Gary, and pretended to pant, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. “I’m
     not as young as I used to be.”
    “Okay,” Gary said, with a laugh. “Next time! See you, Daren!” He sped into the house.
    “I really am whipped,” Daren said to Judy. “He’s doing good.”
    “I know,” said Judy. She looked embarrassed and seemed to have trouble meeting Daren’s eyes with her own. “Urn… about yesterday…
     I just wanted to say…”
    Daren, who also felt bad about the day before, interrupted. “Hey, you don’t have to… I mean, I wasn’t…”
    “No, really,” Judy said, looking straight at Daren now, “I shouldn’t have said some of the things I said yesterday, and I
     want you to know that I’m sorry.”
    “You don’t have to apologize,” Daren replied. “I was a jerk with Gary, and what you said was right. And what you said made
     me start thinking about some stuff that I should have thought about before. So let’s say we’re even.”
    Judy nodded, smiling. “Good. So, when’s your next game?”
    “The day after tomorrow.” Daren sighed. “It’s a big one, too — against the Rebels. If we lose, we may be out of the tournament
     this year, and those guys are really tough.”
    “You guys are tough, too,” said Judy. “I’ll come to the game and bring Gary with me.”
    “Yeah?” Daren grinned. “That’d be fantastic. Well, I better get inside. See you.”
    Judy waved. “Bye.”
    When Daren sat down for dinner that evening, he was starved. His father smiled, watching him clean his plate.
    “Looks like you worked up a real appetite at practice,” he said, offering Daren a second helping of chicken.
    “Thanks,” Daren said, spearing a piece. “Yeah, Coach Michaels really worked us hard, and then I was helping Gary out for a
     while.”
    Mr. McCall also took more chicken. “But it was a pretty good day, wasn’t it?”
    “It was a
really
good day. And maybe tomorrow is going to be even better.”
    Daren’s mother spooned some more peas onto her plate. “By the way, Daren, how is Mrs. Bettman doing these days?” she asked.
     “What have you heard?”
    Daren stared at her. “Huh? Hear what? I didn’t hear anything!”
    “Something wrong with Lou’s mother?” asked Mr. McCall.
    “Yes, she’s very ill,” replied Mrs. McCall. She looked at Daren with surprise. “You didn’t know? I understand she’s been in
     the hospital for