Kings of the Court

Kings of the Court — page 5 — Alison Hughes Whoops Sameer said into the mic you guys are such a great crowd that I almost forgot I’m supposed to call this thing Thanks Gracie Okay well the Bobcats blew that shot so we haven’t missed any scoring It’s 42 39 at the half and the Gladiators are close so close to their first win of the whole season after losing well after losing a lot From the sidelines on his left Coach Bosetti threw Sameer a dirty look Coach Boss had his game face on and it wasn’t pretty He was packed tightly into a gray Gladiators sweatshirt and he looked as usual red-faced and angry He paced the sidelines swinging his clipboard and bellowing at his team Boards Boards Do you understand BOARDS REBOUND Speak English You guys are PATHETIC Sameer ignored him Bobcats sit at second to-last place in the league so Gladiators this may be our game Block out BLOCK OUT NATE WHAT ARE YOU DOING Coach Boss’s scream ripped through the gym louder than Sameer with 4

Kings of the Court — page 6 — kings of the court the mic Nate a sensitive awkward redhead glanced nervously over at Coach Boss then flushed and skittered into the key like a young giraffe one of his long legs accidentally tripping a player from the other team who was driving in for a layup The ref blew a short blast on the whistle Nate had the misfortune of already being six foot five and not entirely in control of his arms and legs Foul on number 12 Nathan Schneider Sameer said quietly into the mic He glanced down at the score sheet and added quickly But that’s only Big Nate’s second foul folks which is really excellent for a big man in a tight game He’s been putting up monster rebounds this game too Sub SUB roared Coach Boss As Nate came back to the bench his face white and anxious Sameer gave him a thumbs-up and a quick closed-eyes headshake that meant Shake it off buddy don’t let him get you down Substitution Number 16 Kenneth Otombo coming in for Nate He may be their spark off the bench Sameer reported to the crowd This is Kenneth’s first appearance this game so let’s give him a big Gladiator salute 5

Kings of the Court — page 7 — Alison Hughes The people in the crowd jumped to their feet raised their fists above their heads and roared Charge Yeah that’s what I’m talking about Sameer grinned and stood raising his fists along with the crowd Play continued and the Gladiators best shooter Rochon started to get hot Rochon the Rockin Roch-Man raining down threes Burying them Shooting the lights out Sameer whipped the crowd into a frenzy Shooting three for seven from downtown Better outside shooting percentage than Kobe Bryant last night We’ll take it Oh yes we’ll take that three thank you very much Oh wait what’s this The Bobcats coach has just wisely called a time-out Yes sir smart plan Sameer nodded at the other coach who ignored him He’s gotta stop the bleeding Because these Gladiators your Gladiators are on fire The crowd cheered as both teams jogged in to their benches Great job guys he called after flicking off the mic Blaring music filled the gym and the cheer team ran in to execute a complicated routine 6

Kings of the Court — page 8 — kings of the court Vijay ran over to Sameer and Gracie His helmet wobbled perilously as he ran Hi guys he said looking only at Gracie Your helmet’s crooked there tough guy Gracie laughed and turned away to talk to a friend Vijay dumped his sword and shield on the ground and pulled off his gladiator helmet Sameer and Vijay had spent a whole evening making it covering an old bike helmet in duct tape and tinfoil and glue-gunning a yellow sponge-mop head along the top Vijay reached behind Sameer and grabbed Sameer’s hoodie to wipe his sweaty face Okay that’s disgusting protested Sameer looking up from studying the score sheet He snatched his hoodie back Vijay grinned showing gums and a line of big front teeth Hot in this thing Like hot hot He gestured down at the peeling silver tunic someone had donated from an old Halloween knight’s costume He was wearing it over his regular gym clothes Speaking of your gladiator costume Vijay Sameer said couldn’t you maybe wear black 7

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