Nothing but Net

At the next Pioneers game, the crowd went crazy. The bleachers were packed and the team was on fire. Russ and I were out on the court together, right where we belonged.

It felt so good to have my brother back. I kept checking to make sure he was really there, but he’d already put sixteen points on the board to prove it.

After what happened on the court before, Coach hadn’t been too sure about putting the Evans brothers in together, but we were proving that it was the right move.

People had always asked me if my twin and I could read each other’s minds, and I’d laughed. But during that game, we were so in sync, it was scary.

And awesome.

When we got down to the last minute or so of the final quarter, the Pioneers were losing by just one stinkin’ point. I knew we could take the game if we just played smart.

I ran down the court.

Just one basket to win it!

I dribbled around one guard, then another, while the crowd cheered. It was the kind of moment I’d always dreamed about. I got into position and lined up the shot. Then I saw Russ out of the corner of my eye. He was wide open, just standing there.

I didn’t even have to think about what I did next.

I passed him the ball.

Russ looked surprised, catching it at the same time the two guards went after him. He went vertical to make his jump shot, but at the very last second, he twisted in midair and passed the ball back to me.

I couldn’t believe it! After everything that had happened, Russ was willing to share the glory.

I aimed for the basket and let go of the ball.

Swish.

The crowd were on their feet, screaming like lunatics, and so were the Pioneers.

We won!

I grinned as I ran over to Russ, and he grinned right back at me.

We’d won the game together, as real teammates, for the first time ever.

I lifted my hand for a high five.

As usual, my brother missed.

But that’s okay. It’s kind of his trademark now.