DURING lunch hour on Monday, Perry Webb ran up behind Rusty in the hall.
“Hi, Rusty. Heard you're afraid of logs.”
Rusty whirled. “Logs? What logs?”
Perry laughed. “You know what I'm talking about. You went along with Joby and Corny last Saturday, didn't you? You came to a log. They walked across it, but you didn't!”
Rusty blushed. “Oh, that,” he said.
Two other boys met him in the hall. They laughed and mentioned the log, too.
A knot formed in Rusty's stomach. He walked faster, hoping to get away from the boys. They walked faster, too.
Rusty reached the end of the hall, turned right and started down the stairs. Suddenly, he stopped. Coming up were Joby and Corny.
His eyes blurred as they bored into theirs.
“You — you told them!” he said angrily.
Joby's eyes widened. “Told them what?”
“You know what!” Rusty's voice rose sharply.
“Oh, forget it,” said Perry. “We were only kidding, Rusty. We didn't mean to hurt you.”
Rusty's gaze swung to Corny. Corny's face paled. “It was me, Rusty. I told them. But I didn't know they would —”
Rusty didn't wait for Corny to finish. He fled down the stairs as fast as he could. He stumbled, gripped the banister tightly, caught himself, and went on. He entered the gym and sat down, his heart pounding fiercely. He watched a scrub basketball game until the bell rang.
That afternoon, Rusty climbed off the bus in front of the Daws Grocery Store. He saw Alec carrying a garbage can around the side of the building. Perry, Corny, and the others stopped and spoke to the tall coach of their new team. Rusty heard them speak about their new uniforms, but he hurried past as if he didn't see Alec. Alec wasn't interested in him, anyway.
“Rusty! Wait a minute!”
Rusty turned.
Alec winked at him. “Be at the barn about six,” he said. “Can I count on you?”
Rusty looked at Perry, Corny, Joby, and the others who were regular players at the barn. They looked back at him as if they didn't quite believe that Alec would invite him, Rusty.
“Okay,” he said. He turned, and continued home by himself.
That night, at six o'clock, Alec Daws gave Rusty his uniform. It had a number 6 on the jersey.
“I had it for you last Saturday,” Alec said. “I was sure you'd like to have one.”
The lump in Rusty's throat was as big as a baseball. “I — I sure did!” he whispered.
“Be here for practice with the rest of the boys every night this week,” went on Alec. “I arranged a game this Saturday with the Benton Braves, a non-league team. Later on, there will be more. All right. Put that suit aside for now. I want you to get on the B team.”
Rusty saw that members of the A team were Joby Main and Mark Andrews at the forward positions, Corny Moon and Bud Farris at the guard positions, and Perry Webb at center.
For five minutes the A team showed strong power over the B team. Perry racked up three baskets himself, and Bud made one. The B team didn't get any.
Alec exchanged some of the players to make the teams better balanced. This appealed to the boys. Rusty didn't enter into the scrambles for the ball. He'd never have a chance, he thought. He played the corner, as Alec had told him to do.
But that evening he didn't sink a shot.
Just before the boys left for home, Alec had them choose a name for their new team.
They decided on “The Lakers.”
When game time arrived Saturday afternoon, Rusty was certain that Alec would not let him play. All he had sunk during that week of basketball practice were two baskets for a total of four points.
Several fathers drove their cars to the game at Benton, four miles away from Cannerville. The Lakers looked sharp and eager in their blue and red uniforms. The Benton Braves were flashy in their green ones.
The game started. The Braves took the tap from center. They dribbled quickly and surely. Their passes were swift and accurate. Within thirty seconds they sank the first basket. Before the minute was up, they sank another.
Rusty watched the game from the bench. The Braves looked as courageous as their name suggested. By the end of the first quarter they were leading, 17 to 9.
Rusty noticed how much more action there was in this game than the ones they had played in the barn. It frightened him. How could he, slow as he was, play with such fast players? He wouldn't have a chance!
And then he heard his name. He turned, his heart beating rapidly.
“Rusty! Report to the ref! Tell him you're going in in place of Mark!”