Free Nothin But Net by Matt Christopher Page B

Chickasaw,” Tim said. “Or maybe it was before that, at practice. I’m not sure. He might
     have been mad at me over this girl Stephanie.”
    “A girl, huh?” Dick said, his lips curling into a sly smile.
    “Yeah, he’s kind of going with her, but she asked me to dance,” Tim said, letting Dick draw his own conclusions, and not bothering
     to tell him his own suspicions — that Stephanie had been egging Tim on from the start just for her and Mike’s amusement.
    “I see,” said Dunbar. “Makes sense, kinda. Anyway, he’s got even more to be mad about now.”
    “You mean his finger?”
    “You bet. He’s sidelined for the next two weeks at least. And because of that, guess who our new starting point guard is?”
    Suddenly, it sank in. “Me?”
    “You bet,” Dunbar smiled, ruffling Tim’s hair. “You da man. We’ve got another intercamp match day after tomorrow. Be ready.”
    “Who is it?”
    “Camp Woodbine. Should be easy pickin’s, but you never know. I think losing to Camp Chickasaw took a lot out of our guys.
     Killed the mystique, the aura, know what I mean?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Hang in there, Tim,” Dunbar advised as he got up to go. “Stay cool, and distribute the ball around. You’ll be fine.”
    “Thanks,” Tim said, but as the door closed behind Dick, he felt anything but fine. The weight of the world had just come crashing
     down on him. The whole camp would be watching him — the kid whotook Mike Gruber out of contention — to see if he could measure up to Gruber’s high standards.
    If he failed …
    Tim swallowed hard. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he let the team down, and they lost another intercamp
     games because of him.
    Tim had made up his mind. He’d had enough of getting revenge, on Mike Gruber or anybody else. It didn’t make him feel any
     better, really, and it just made the other guy madder. Sooner or later, Tim would find himself the victim of Gruber’s revenge,
     or whomever’s, and the whole cycle would go on forever, or at least until Tim and Billy’s last week here was up. No, revenge
     wasn’t where it was at. Tim had decided that the way to show Gruber was to become the best point guard Camp Wickasaukee had
     ever had.
    Of course, that was easier said than done. In his two-plus weeks here, Tim had already blown it big time by losing the game
     against Chickasaw. But from now on, as Dick Dunbar had said, he would be the Eagles starting point guard. He’d have a lot
     more minutes on the court to show what he could do. AndTim was determined to make the most of his opportunity.
    Camp Woodbine was supposed to be a pushover. At least, that’s what the veteran campers all said. But something about the way
     they said it made Tim wonder. They sounded as if they were saying it to convince themselves of something they didn’t really
     believe in their hearts.
    Tim knew why, too. It was because the loss to Chickasaw had shaken their confidence. No longer was Camp Wickasaukee invulnerable.
     Superman had met kryptonite, and now, nothing was a sure thing — especially not with the great Mike Gruber sidelined. And
     that, of course, was Tim’s fault, too.
    He heard the nervousness in Jody’s voice that morning as they prepared to take on Camp Woodbine. “This camp has never lost
     two intercamp games in one summer — never. And we’ve got the big rematch with Camp Chickasaw next week. So if you guys blow
     it today, and we get beat again next week … well, let’s just say it better not happen, okay? Every kid who ever went to this
     camp is counting on you guys to come through today.”
    Well, thought Tim, that’s easy for him to say. Hedoesn’t have to get out there and play. But he didn’t say anything. All morning, as they battled Camp Woodbine in soccer (a
     3–2 loss), swimming (a narrow victory), and softball (a lopsided win), Jody kept reminding them of what was at stake.
    The basketball game was set to begin at 4 P.M .,