I place my right foot down so that it almost touches the center court line and bend down, ready to leap. Shannon does the same. I give her the hardest look I can muster—eyes squinted, nostrils flared, upper lip raised up. But her face stays calm, like she’s unfazed. So, when the ref makes the toss, I take it back to first grade and shout, “Copycat!”

When I tap the ball to Jordan, Shannon’s hand is nowhere in sight.

After I land, the ref gives me a cautionary look, but doesn’t blow his whistle.

“Let’s go!” I shout, and run back to get on the block. Time to teach this Shannon girl that she could never be me. Not even the girl I no longer want to be.

REX

Carli has been on fire the whole game. Jump shots, hook shots, bank shots—all dropping. She even had the nerve to drain two threes. Dang, and another one! I stand up and shout, “That’s my girl! That’s my girl right there!”

The rest of my team is looking at me like I’m lame, but I don’t give a damn. It’s the fourth quarter, and Allen High is twelve points up. Carli is about to take home the state championship! And as soon as she wraps up her game, your boy is about to snatch his championship up, too. We’re out here doing it like Jay-Z and Beyoncé!

Cole sits down beside me. He’s been rotating between me, his dad, and his mom the whole game. We’re all spread out in the arena behind Allen’s bench. “Did you see that?” he asks.

“Hell yeah, I saw it! I mean, I knew your sister could ball but damn. Threes? I didn’t know she could shoot like that.”

“Oh yeah. Carli can do it all,” Cole says. Then he stands up and joins the cheerleaders clapping their hands and chanting, “D-E-F-E-N-S-E, go defense!”

The girl Carli’s guarding, also sporting number twenty-two, misses another turnaround jumper. Carli snags the rebound, makes an overhead throw to Jordan, and sprints up the court. Jordan passes it back to her near the basket. Another two points for Carli, and the other team calls a time-out with six minutes and twenty-one seconds on the clock.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Cole shouts before sitting back down.

Man, I love having Cole around. He stays coming with the good vibes. “You know you’re like the little brother I never had,” I say, and put my arm around him.