Long Shot (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1

"Put it up!" I screamed, as Clarissa drove past two defenders. She released a hook shot over the top of Tree Hastings. Tree was our close friend and the biggest guy on campus. Her rainbow arched high above his outstretched arms and passed through the orange rim. Swish! The sweet sound of nothing but net.

Pick-up games---that's all that remained of my final college season. Of course, these weren't just ordinary pick-up games. We played two-on two against some guys we were friends with. They weren't great, but they made up for a lack of talent with size.

"Shoot!" Clarissa and I yelled, trying to rattle Rob Coker. He always dribbled between his legs for no reason and smiled at us. I slapped the ball away from him. "Get real, Rob." He thought he could beat us. Plus, he'd ask me out after almost every game. It was really annoying.

My jumper kissed off the glass and dropped through the hoop. "Twenty-six, all!" I called out.

Rob was still talking trash. "Is that all you've got, Brit?" He shifted left at the last minute, expecting to leave me flatfooted. But I anticipated him and snatched the ball.

When I got to the three-point line, Rob jumped past me. This left me with a wide open look at the basket. I calmly flipped the ball toward the hoop; nothing but net. "That's three, Robbie."

"That's luck, Brit."

"That's game, guys," Clarissa laughed. "Good thing too, 'cause I'm getting pretty hungry."

When we played against the guys, the prize was always dinner. "I think I feel like burgers tonight," I said from the three-point line. I shot one more swish and looked over at Rob. "I guess that was luck, too." I knew how to handle these guys. I had an older brother and played plenty of basketball against the boys.

It was early April. March Madness was long forgotten. The World University Games in Mexico City were just a pleasant memory. Today was a big day for my basketball career. I was about to find out about the Olympic team, and whether or not I'd been invited to try out. I'd been nervous all day. All I wanted was a chance.

After four years, I was about to leave the University of Northern Virginia. What was next---I had no idea. My teammates all had their engines revving for the future. I was stuck in neutral. Ming was going to start graduate school at Long Island State. Andrea was getting married. Clarissa was headed to the WNBA. My other teammates had a year or so left before they graduated.

I was a twenty-two-year-old, five-foot-three-inch point guard. My jumper was great, but it wasn't enough to impress pro scouts. I hadn't been drafted, but I had hope. I would try out for a WNBA team even though no team had chosen me. I packed my stuff and left to pick up my camera for photography class. Clarissa stuck around to find out who'd been invited to Olympic tryouts.

I bounced a ball everywhere I went on campus. The more I dribbled, the better my handle was. As a point guard, your ability to dribble the ball is everything. You have to be in total control or your entire team will crumble. You're the leader on the floor, the eyes, ears, and heart of your team. I loved playing point guard. The choices I made on every play affected the game. If I wanted to run, we ran. If I slowed it down, we'd dig in our heels and bang inside. I was the captain, the lead singer, the quarterback, the pilot, the pitcher, the---

"Brittany, wait up!" A voice came from behind me, breaking my thoughts.

I slowed my dribble. Clarissa was racing up the walk to catch me. She was out of breath. "I got the word on tryouts," she shouted with a new burst of energy. "Los Angeles! Middle of June!" A player had to be specifically asked to attend the Olymipic trials. While I was sure Clarissa would be invited, I doubted that I would. "Come on," she said, tugging at my arm. "Coach has the list."

We raced back to the locker room and the invite list. Coach Hollins had tacked it onto the bulletin board. I was nervous as Clarissa quickly scanned it. She was always one to confront things head on. Me, I wanted it so badly that I was afraid to look.

"We're in." Clarissa shouted, giving me a hug.

"We?" I asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"We're going to LA!" she yelled. The purple beads braided into her dark hair bounced around as she shook her head. Clarissa read, "Los Angeles, California, June 15, to try out for," she paused for effect. "The United States Olympic Basketball Team!" she screamed these words.

I couldn't believe my ears. I snatched the list away from her so I could see for myself. Sure enough, there I was---Brittany Bristol, Northern Virginia. How about that?

"Who else made it?" Clarissa asked, looking over my shoulder. "Starling!" she gasped. I nodded. Sherry Sterling, my biggest rival since high school, would be trying out too. Clarissa was my closest friend, but even she couldn't resist being amused. "Better watch the room assignments, Brit. Starling'll be after you."

We called her "Starling" after a flock of pitch-black birds that had plagued our campus. We gave her this nickname during the fall of my junior year. Everything the groundskeepers did to discourage the birds seemed to entice more of them to come. They were everywhere, and the starlings got blamed for everything bad that happened on campus.

So when we heard the name "Sherry Sterling," "Starling" was just a natural. It helped that she had long, dark hair, too. On the court, Sherry would stoop to any dirty trick in the book. There was no reason for it either because she was a really good player. Still, Sherry would fake an injury the minute the momentum swung against her team. Or she would trip a player as she drove toward the basket. That kind of thing got to all of us, but most of all to me. It was probably because I'd known her the longest. I had to deal with Sherry when she played for our high school rival, Shenandoah.

And then there was the matter of Brian, my brother Eric's best friend. I adored Brian from the time I could do nothing but tag along after him. By junior year, he was the great love of my life. He didn't know this, of course. I was nothing more than Eric's kid sister to him. Anyway, Sherry and Brian, well -

I was brought back from my daydreaming again by Clarissa, "Time to celebrate, Brit."

I left Starling and Brian in the back of my head. We sat down in Everett Hall, the cafeteria I'd been eating in for the past four years. Clarissa and I were going to be trying out for the Olympic team! At least fifteen others joined us in our celebration.

The University of Northern Virginia is a small school outside of Washington, D.C. It wasn't too far from Oak Grove, Virginia, where I grew up. I've had a lot of great times here. I've had some tough times too and I've grown up a lot. That happens no matter what, I suppose, but UNV was the place it happened to me.

We ordered the Special, a campus favorite. It was twelve scoops of different kinds of ice cream smothered in hot fudge. This would be our last splurge before getting into our trainingfor tryouts. Everyone hovered around to get a bite. Jen and Andrea leaned in from one side, while Tree and Rob reached in from the other. Rob nudged in so close he nearly knocked me off my stool.

I spaced out, daydreaming again, while everyone around me talked and ate. I fantasized about competing in the Olympics. I even imagined winning a gold medal for my country. "Wake up, Brit!" Clarissa hit me on the wrist with her spoon. "Strawberry's about gone."

I dug back into the ice cream quickly. Strawberry ice cream was my favorite, while Clarissa's favorite was vanilla. Like good buddies, we looked out for one another. Looking back, it's pretty amazing that we ended up best friends. We certainly didn't start out very friendly when we came to UNV. I came in just hoping to be on the team. Clarissa came in expecting to be the star. Or at least that's what we all thought. It took her a long time to warm up to people when she first arrived.

We've always been very different, especially on the basketball court. Clarissa is tall. She plays center and has an incredible hook shot. Coach says her hook is as good as anyone's, college or pro, male or female. I'm a little point guard, a playmaker, more than a pure shooter. I'm not big, and I don't have much speed or a wide variety of shots. In fact, people are always amazed when they discover that I'm a basketball player.

My one great beauty is my long reddish-blonde hair. It took me a while to grow it out just perfectly. I finally got it right during my junior year. Not that I'm a cover girl, but guys are surprised to learn that I'm an athlete. (Why do they always think cute girls can't play sports?)

What I have going for me is that I "keep my head in the game." And hey, I'm a good foul shooter, an underappreciated skill. During my last season I hit one hundred and three free throws in a row. That set a new school record, a new conference record, and even an NCAA record.

Of course, my brother Eric claims he and Brian should get credit for my skills. They let me practice with them when I was younger. If I missed a foul shot, I couldn't touch the ball for the next five minutes. They took turns driving at the basket, making me work to stop them. In the beginning, I think it was their way of trying to get rid of me. But I was too stubborn for that. So I became an excellent free-throw shooter, and got pretty good at defending.

I glanced at my watch. "I've got to run. Photography class." I stood and Leesha thrust a basketball at me. "Don't waste time, Brit, dribble everywhere."

I hesitated, but Clarissa made a comment that changed my mind. "You know Starling's dribbling somewhere right now." She probably was.

I took the ball and bounced my way toward Patriot Hall, the fine arts building. I probably spent as much time there as I did in Hamilton Gym. I came to college wanting to be a great painter like Georgia O'Keeffe. I was fascinated by those big, beautiful flowers that filled her canvases. I spent hours copying her works and drew hundreds of flowers myself.

Unfortunately, I wasn't very good at drawing. My teacher suggested I try photography. Since I still loved flowers, I photographed hundreds of them in gardens. In the end, Idiscovered that I loved photography, and not painting. It's funny how life happens that way sometimes. You think you know what you want; then you find out what you really want by accident.

I guess I became a basketball player in the same way. I spent so many hours playing basketball with Eric and Brian. But it wasn't because I loved the game, I just wanted to be included. I didn't care about basketball half as much as I cared about them noticing me. Who would have guessed it would end up being so important to me?

I passed by the fountain in the center of campus. Students would always toss in a coin and make a wish. I looked in my pockets. The only coin I had was my lucky Washington State quarter. There was no way I could throw that one away. It had been bringing me good luck since high school. I walked past the fountain without dropping any money in. Oh well, I was going to Los Angeles to try out for the Olympics! What more could I wish for anyway?

Looking back on my life from where I am now is really strange. Sometimes, I think about how I got here. This whole thing started back in high school, out in front of Brian's house.