Court of Honor
by Paula Blas Gorgas

Chapter 1

The basketball thumped on the sidewalk in front of Becky and bounced straight into the air. In one motion, she dropped her bag of groceries and reached out with both hands, snaring the ball. A bright November sun glanced off the orange rim ten feet up, and Becky found her target. Her arms reached up, her wrist cocked.

And then she froze.

She knew she could make the shot. Twenty feet out from the corner never bothered her. It was a pair of eyes that stopped her, deep blue eyes that locked onto hers and held her captive.

“Well, go ahead and shoot!” It wasn’t Blue Eyes talking, but his tall lanky friend, impatient to get on with their game.

His words broke the spell. Becky lowered her gaze reluctantly, aware of a strange fluttering inside her chest, like a tiny basketball being dribbled up and down a miniature court. The ball felt cold and heavy in her hands.

“Here, take it.” She flicked a bounce pass waist-high to Blue Eyes and stooped down to pick up the groceries.  She felt her face flaming. They must think she was a complete idiot, dropping everything and standing there with the ball like some hotshot, while her apples and eggs—. “Oh no! The eggs!”

Sticking her hand into the sack, she pulled out the white styrofoam carton. She had an awful feeling. Very gingerly she opened the lid.

“Yuck! What a mess!”

Becky whirled around. She hadn’t noticed the little boy before, but there he stood, a scaled-down copy of Blue Eyes, from the square little chin and tipped-up nose to those incredible eyes and a headful of light brown curls.

“I bet you broke more than half of ‘em,” said the boy, bending over to get a closer look at the sticky yellow mess. “Too bad we’re not closer to home. Our chickens are laying pretty good now and—.”

“That’s okay, Jason.” Blue Eyes’ voice was deep and strong. “Here, you and Rich shoot some baskets.” He flipped his brother the ball and reached for the egg carton. “It’s a mess all right, but only two of them broke. Not bad, considering.” He closed the box and grinned down at Becky who was on the ground again, hunting for stray apples.  “Got everything now?”

“I think so.” In spite of the whole terrible situation, one pleasant thought crossed her mind as she scrambled to her feet. He must be well over six feet tall because she actually had to look up at him. Which didn’t matter, of course, because the only thing he’d remember about her was how she had dropped her groceries to go after a loose ball. It was always like that with boys. Sure they noticed her. How could they possibly miss all five feet, twelve inches? The trouble was, that’s all they ever saw.

Becky’s eyes traveled down to her faded jeans and baggy sweatshirt. She couldn’t have looked worse if she had planned it. Sometimes life was just plain cruel. “I’d better go,” she mumbled, putting out her hand. “Can I have my eggs back?”

“Sure.” He shoved the carton into her sack. “You live around here?”

She nodded.

“Come on, Matt,” Rich called. “Let’s finish the game.”

“Okay, I’m coming.” Still watching Becky, Blue Eyes took a step backward. “Well, see you around.”

Becky nodded again and quickly walked away.

***

“What was that all about?” Rich Robinson asked, as he grabbed one of Jason’s rebounds. He lobbed the ball back, then shuffled across the parking lot toward his friend. Easing his lanky frame to the ground, he stretched out full length, his long fingers cradling his head.

Matt dropped down beside him. The air was cool in spite of the bright sun, and the hot concrete felt good to his tired muscles. They’d been shooting baskets at the Ridgemont Apartments for well over an hour, and he needed a rest. Besides, he wanted to think.

“Okay, who is she?” Rich seemed to read his thoughts.

Matt didn’t have an answer. He’d never seen the girl before, but she lived close by so she must be new to Summit. Probably she’d be at school on Monday. He liked that idea.

Something sharp rammed his ribs. “Ouch!” Lunging to one side, he grabbed Rich’s arm. “What are you trying to do, kill me with that bony elbow?”

“Just seeing if you’re awake.” Rich grinned. “That girl put some kind of spell on you?”

Matt felt his face grow warm, and he turned away quickly. He didn’t want to talk about her, not even to Rich, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way she’d snagged that ball and pivoted to shoot, she was no stranger to basketball. She wasn’t awkward either, like a lot of tall girls. And her hair, he’d never seen hair that reddish gold color before.

A small sturdy body plopped down beside him. “Hey, Matt, how come your face is so red?”

Matt acted instinctively. If Rich ever guessed what he’d been thinking, he’d never hear the end of it. His right hand pinned his little brother to the ground, while his left began a systematic and very thorough job of tickling. “We’ll see who’s red! Say when, you little critter!”

Squealing and kicking, Jason laughed till he was gasping for breath. “When! When!” he finally managed.

Matt released him and jumped to his feet. Rich watched in bored amusement as Matt grabbed the ball and started dribbling toward the goal. He’d seen the whole performance  a million times, with Matt teasing and Jason enjoying every minute.

“I’ll get you, Matt!” the boy shrieked, scrambling after his brother.

“Have to catch me first!” Matt raced across the court and pulled up about twenty feet short of the basket. He pumped and shot, and the ball slid through the net.