[CHAPTER 1]

THE FLASH

Joe took a deep breath. He glanced down at his expensive basketball shoes.

Still shining, he thought. Now it’s time to turn up the heat.

Joe looked up at the scoreboard. The game was tied, with one minute left.

This is my time, he thought.

From out of bounds, Joe’s teammate passed the ball to him on one bounce.

Right away, Joe could tell there was a defender behind him. He had to move fast.

He faked left, then spun right, pounding the ball on the floor. Whoosh. He was past the first defender in a flash.

Joe sped up the court. Three teammates waited for a pass near the hoop, but Joe didn’t care. All he saw was the bright orange rim.

As he crossed the half-court line, a defender ran over. Joe saw an open teammate out of the corner of his eye. Instead of passing the ball, Joe decided to take on the defender himself.

He dribbled right at the defender, almost too close. Then he quickly put the ball between his legs and moved left past the confused other player.

The lane was open for a second. But in the blink of an eye, two more defenders stepped into the lane.

Adam, one of his teammates and friends, was alone under the hoop. Joe could pass to him. But Joe’s blood was pumping. He wanted to make the layup.

He faked his way past one of the defenders. Then Joe decided to challenge the last one. He leaped straight into the other player’s path.

Joe was so close to the bucket. If he could shoot, he was sure he’d make it. He bumped into the defender’s chest. Then Joe turned his body to the right, letting the ball roll off his fingertips up toward the rim.

Bleet! The official’s whistle blew. Joe fell to the ground in a heap.

As he landed, he saw the ball drop through the net. He turned to the official. Just as he’d hoped, the official was pointing at the defender Joe had bumped into.

The crowd of parents and kids at courtside went crazy. “Way to go, Joe!” they called.

Joe hopped up and put his arms in the air. Some people cheered.

But not everyone was impressed. “There he goes again,” Adam said to Brian, another one of Joe’s teammates and friends. “He’s always showing off.”

Joe headed to the free throw line. He made the shot, bringing his team to a three-point lead. There was still plenty of time in the game, but Joe wasn’t about to slow down.

On the next possession, Adam stole a pass. Joe moved away from the player he was guarding and broke down the court all alone. Adam passed him the ball.

Without a defender in sight, Joe could have easily just laid the ball up on the rim for the easy basket.

Instead, he drove hard to the hoop and jumped. He put the ball between his legs in midair before he finally reached up and put it in the hoop.

The crowd went nuts. They all cheered and clapped.

“That’s why they call me The Flash!” Joe yelled.

Moments later, Brian grabbed a rebound. Joe sped out to the wing to catch the pass Brian threw him.

Joe brought the ball to the middle of the court. He had a teammate on each wing. One defender stepped in front of Joe to challenge him. Two teammates were wide open on the wings.

Everyone thought that Joe would keep the ball and go to the basket. Instead, he threw a behind-the-back pass to Adam, who was on his left.

The pass startled Adam, but he was able to catch it. He dribbled once and laid the ball in for a basket just before the final horn sounded.

In just one minute, Joe had helped his team score seven straight points for the victory.

Joe raised his arms in the air. “Oh, yeah!” he yelled. “The Flash strikes again!”

“We’re both going to be hearing about this game for a long, long time,” Adam whispered to Brian.

Brian rolled his eyes. He whispered back, “That’s what we get for being best friends with The Flash.”