There was Dave’s name too—right at the top of the list of centers!

This time Derek said “Yesss!” under his breath.

Of course, that meant another week of drilling, in advance of the next round of tryouts. And this time he really would have to spend time with Vijay, preparing for the talent show.

Well, at least tonight was the last night of test prep—that would free up some hours—unless, of course, Ms. Terrapin had some other awful project up her sleeve.

Derek scanned the list more closely. The kids were listed by position. There were five centers, ten forwards for two positions, and twelve kids listed under guards. The name at the top of the guards list was Sam.

No surprise there. Of course, if Sam didn’t score well enough on the big tests, his mom wouldn’t let him play on the team.

Sam really cared about basketball. If he didn’t get to play, it would be a crushing blow. It meant so much to him.…

“I hope he makes it,” Derek murmured under his breath. “Even if it means I don’t.”

Even as he said the words, Derek wasn’t really sure he meant them. Part of him did, anyway.

Of course, there was still room for them both. Derek wondered if the order in which they were listed meant anything.… Was it a ranking? Or was it just random… ?

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it anymore. He would just have to wait and find out, like all the rest of them. For now, at least, Derek felt relieved and happy. His and Dave’s dream of playing basketball together was alive and well.

He slipped into the dance classroom as quietly as he could. The teacher was counting out beats, while two rows of six girls apiece went through their routine under her gaze.

In the middle of the front row stood Sharlee, who smiled and waved. Derek waved back, sat down next to his dad, and pulled out his math book.

It was hard to study, though, because he had to keep looking up every few seconds. Sharlee expected him to pay attention to what she was doing, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, she really was kind of fun to watch.

In fact, at the moment, while the students were on a two-minute break, Sharlee was doing something that caught Derek’s attention in a totally different kind of way. She seemed to be standing still while gliding to her left using only her feet—zigzagging from heel to toe and back again.

It was a move he’d seen a few times in music videos. It was funky and cool. Most important, it was perfect for his and Vijay’s haunted house scenario!