Nancy Screw and the Coming of Age (18+) Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Liar Liar Balls on Fire

Billy got the lay-up. The score was now 51 to 53. Riverside was behind. The pressure was on. They had fought Cliff High many times and had won. Maybe this time the tables would be turned. They were hoping that wasn’t the case. The Riverside Raptors were undefeated and they wanted to stay that way.

“Come on, play some defense,” Coach Manning shouted from the sidelines.

“Let’s show some support, girls!” Allie was full of enthusiasm. The other girls stood up. “That’s it! They need us!” She pointed out to the struggling players behind them. Nancy stepped up with the rest. She put on a valiant smile. “Do it for Billy. Do it for us,” she thought. Billy ran by and Nancy called to him.

“Go Billy, go. You can do it!” Billy looked at her with admiration and then carried that look over to Allie, who stood cheering nearby. Nancy caught that glimpse between them as well. Billy almost seemed more lost in that moment then the moment of the game. He nearly missed the ball that was passed to him, but recovered in the nick of time. He was about to shoot when a Cliff High adversary threw his arms up forcing Billy to pass the ball to another player. The coach shook his head.

“Keep your head in the game, Branson!” Billy replied with a nervous smile and refocused as his coach instructed. Nancy looked over once more and saw that that glee that had risen in Allie’s eyes hadn’t yet diminished. The buzzer sounded and the final quarter was just ahead. This was the Raptor’s time to prove themselves and maintain their streak. From where Nancy sat, she was just out of earshot of Coach Manning’s final motivational speech of the game; the one that could drive them to victory. Despite Nancy’s suspicions, she had her fingers crossed that her Billy Bear, and their team would pull through.

“You think we can do it,” Beth asked as she came to Nancy’s side. She hadn’t said much to her for most of the game because they had been split off into two cheer sections. Beth was obviously more interested in cheering than Nancy. Nancy had that book to blame. It had made her start to think, to suspect, to investigate.

“I hope so, Beth” Nancy encouraged. “I’m crossing my fingers.”

The crowd cheered as the teams re-entered the court. There felt a moment inside every Riverside player and fan alike a calm that could only be attributed to one felt inside the eye of a hurricane. What would the remainder of the storm look like? Who would survive? By the time it sunk in the score was still neck and neck and there were only a few more minutes in the game. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Riverside scored another two points, bringing theirs to 68. The Cliff High scored, staying ahead in the last few precious moments that they needed to. But it wasn’t over yet. Riverside tied it up. The clock was clicking, the timer was counting down. Every bounce of the ball and every smack and squeak of shoe could be heard now as everyone grew silent to see if Riverside could pull it off. One calm had replaced the other. Even Nancy couldn’t turn away. She and Beth held hands, and even started to sweat. Cliff High had the ball. One pass. Another pass. A third pass came but was interrupted by Billy. Billy Branson had intercepted the pass and now Riverside was driving it home. Their defense was at full charge alongside Billy, who was red from perspiration and determination. His face was focused as he closed in to take the shot; the shot that would win the game. History repeat itself. That same Cliff High adversary came in to take the ball back. Billy anticipated it and, unlike before, didn’t have to pass it to another player. There were none present, anyway. He shot. The world stood still and the entire crowd got on their feet. The buzzer counted down: 3….2… The ball hit the backboard and fell in.

… 1…0.

Riverside 71. Cliff High 70.

The crowd filled the ominous silence with a mighty roar. The court flooded with ecstatic fans and endless cheering. Billy had done it. Billy had maintained Riverside’s winning streak. He was the hero of the day.