Free Fast Break by Mike Lupica Page A

happy so you can feel better about yourselves?” he said. “I’m not happy!”
    â€œWe know you’re not,” Mrs. Lawton said. “But you could be if you can find a way to give us a chance. And I have to tell you, because you need to know this, that if you run away again, Child Protective Services might be forced to relocate you. It would be out of our control—and yours. And that might mean you end up in a group home.”
    Jayson had heard horrible stories about group homes from other kids around the old neighborhood. From what he’d heard, they made the Pines sound like a luxury hotel.
    Jayson felt tired all of a sudden. Boxed in. Trapped.
    â€œI won’t run again,” he said.
    â€œGood,” Mrs. Lawton said. “Then that’s settled. And from now on, Ms. Moretti has requested that you spend at least an hour a week together.”
    Jayson groaned. “More talking. Great.”
    â€œRemember what I told you,” Mrs. Lawton said. “It’s yourchoice whether or not you make the most of this situation.”
    Same thing all the adults in his life had been telling him lately. That he had a
choice
.
    â€œWhatever you say. Anything else?”
    Mrs. Lawton shook her head.
    Jayson went up to his room, stood at the window, and looked out at the Lawtons’ basketball court, its lights turned off now. He sat back, lying in his new, comfortable bed, thinking about all those nights at the Pines, worrying about getting
the
knock on the door that would ruin his life. Thinking how, now that the knock had come, he’d gotten off pretty lucky, even if he didn’t feel like he belonged here with the Lawtons. Then Jayson remembered the terrible stories he’d heard about group homes.
    Thought about how he wouldn’t let himself end up living in one.
    The next morning Jayson took the new sneakers out of their box, put them in his gym bag, and left for school.

12
    HE HADN’T BEEN LYING TO the Lawtons; he wasn’t going to run again and end up in a group home.
    It didn’t mean he was going to trust them. It didn’t mean he was going to let them in. He didn’t have to let anybody in if he didn’t want to, didn’t have to let anybody get close to him.
    Why would he? So they could die like his mother had? Or leave like Richie and every other guy had in the middle of the night?
    He would focus on one thing, from now until the end of the basketball season: winning.
    He was going to come out ahead in something. He was going to help the team from Belmont Khaki Day win the league championship and make it to the middle-grade tournament at Cameron Indoor. He wasn’t going to let anybody or anything get in his way. But to do that, he knew he had to stop getting in his
own
way.
    He’d made every team he’d ever played on in his life better. He was determined to make this team better, too.Everyone kept saying he had a choice. But he didn’t look at it that way—he had no choice but to make the best of things.
    The next day at school, Jayson saw Bryan Campbell by his locker before lunch. Jayson could see that the side of Bryan’s face was still swollen from where the ball had hit him.
    â€œSorry about yesterday,” Jayson said. “Hope your face is okay.” It sounded kind of lame, but it was the best he could do.
    â€œAll good,” Bryan replied. “Really was my fault not keeping my head up to catch that pass.”
    Bryan closed his locker.
    Jayson was about to leave for class when he called out to Bryan. “Can I ask you something?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œWhy are you still being nice to me? Especially after the way I acted at practice.”
    â€œYou want the truth?”
    â€œAlways,” Jayson said.
    â€œThen I’m not gonna lie,” Bryan said. “I’ve never met anybody who needed a friend more than you do. And if we’re going to be on the same team, might as well