Three On Three by Eric Walters

you?” I asked.
    â€œLater than I wanted to be. It’s also pretty late for you to be awake.”
    â€œI guess so.” I hadn’t been able to get to sleep. I was feeling nervous about the games tomorrow. More than that, I was still upset about what Mom had said about Marcus.
    â€œI spoke to your mom. She’s sorry for blaming your friend without having proof.”
    â€œShe should be!” I said defiantly.
    â€œBut you have to remember that she might be right,” he said.
    â€œHow can you say that?” I protested. “He didn’t take the wallet!”
    â€œI didn’t say he did,” Dad said. “I just wish it hadn’t happened the night before the playoffs. You can’t play your best unless you’ve had enough rest. You don’t do well when you don’t get enough sleep.”
    He was right about that. I didn’t like to admit it, but I wimped out when I was tired.
    â€œSo your mom and I agreed that we won’t worry about it at all right now. Let’s just let things cool off for a few days.”
    â€œWhat do you mean ‘cool off ‘?” I asked.
    â€œI’m going to help your mom search the house from top to bottom.”
    â€œThat’s what she should have done in the first place before blaming people,” I said. “Can you come tomorrow and see me play?”
    â€œThere’s no place else I’d rather be … but I can’t. I’ve got an important meeting that I can’t miss. You can tell me all about it at supper.”
    â€œHah! What makes you think you’ll even be home for supper?” I asked.
    â€œAll I can do is try.” He paused. “And for right now I don’t want Marcus to come over to the house.”
    â€œBut … but, Mom invited him over after school tomorrow.”
    â€œHe won’t be able to come.”
    â€œWhat am I supposed to say to him?”
    â€œYou’re not going to say anything Nick. Your mom is going to drop into the school at the end of the day to either watch you in the finals or to pick you up. She’ll just tell him you’ve got someplace youhave to go.”
    â€œSo she’s going to lie to him?”
    He didn’t answer.
    â€œThat’s not much better than stealing,” I said. I flipped over, turning my back to my father.
    â€œNick …”
    I pulled the covers over my head.
    â€œNick . . . I know this hasn’t been easy. It’s not easy for us either. Just try to get to sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    â€œIf you get home before I have to go to bed,” I said through the covers.
    There was no answer. I felt a hand on my shoulder for a second, and then the bed groaned as he got up. I heard him walk out of the room.
    If I was having trouble sleeping before my father came in, now it was going to be impossible.

Chapter 13
And Then There Were Two

    â€œOkay,” Marcus said, “this is going to be no sweat. We just have to play the same way we did this morning in our first game.”
    Kia grinned. “Yeah, we were awesome.”
    â€œNick, try to be a little quicker on the in-bounds pass, okay? Okay, Nick?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThe in-bounds pass,” Marcus repeated. “Get it in quicker, okay?”
    â€œSure, no problem … quicker in-bounds.”
    â€œWake up, will you? This is important,and you look like you need a nap.”
    â€œI didn’t get much sleep last night.”
    â€œI’m always charged before a big game. I didn’t sleep so well either last night, so I know what you mean.”
    Actually he had no idea why I had so much trouble getting to sleep.
    Mr. Roberts blew his whistle to signal the end of the other game. Kingsley and Roy’s team had easily won. They were now in the finals and would play against the winner of our next game. Kingsley had been hot outside. Roy had eaten up everything that missed off the boards. He