Marcus Frazier (big_baller) wrote in new_directions, @ 2010-06-28 18:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | marcus |
[Tuesday afternoon, Pecan Park basketball court, Marcus/OPEN]
Marcus stood alone at the top of the key, bouncing a basketball with both hands. He was supposed to be practicing his mid-range jumpers, but it was summer - his mind was wandering. The thud of rubber on concrete was comforting.
Last weekend, he had watched his best friend graduate from McKinley. Nate's limp was barely noticeable when he went up onstage to receive his diploma and student-athlete award. There had been proud grins on his and his folks' faces during the celebration afterward.
Marcus had apologized for not being able to carry the basketball team in Nate's absence, but the other boy had smiled and told him not to be so hard on himself. "I know you wanted to do well," Nate said, "but these things are never completely in your hands."
He thought about it after he went home, and concluded that Nate had been right. He was part of a team, and while they had all tried their best, sometimes things just didn't click and it had worked against them. It was probably too early to think about it, but Marcus was already wondering what to do about the team next year.
The team would have to be tighter, that was for sure. Things had gotten messed up because of Babygate, among other things, and if something like that happened again, Marcus was going to make sure everyone sat down and talked it out before it got too bad.
He still had to try out like everyone else next year, but in Marcus' heart there was no question that he was going to keep his spot. He was going to try harder to do right by his teammates instead of just get pissed off about it.
He was going to be a leader next year. If he hadn't been able to make Nate proud this past season, he was damn well going to do it next season.