Hard Times

13

"Why hasn't the game started?" Stacie asked Nathan as he and Lucas approached the bleachers at the edges of the basketball court.

"Some of the team haven't shown up." Nathan said with frustration in his voice. "Coach is trying to work things out." He scratched the back of his neck.

Stacie bit her lip, she was pretty good at basketball and so was Hayley. "Do you think he'd let girls help?" She asked softly, shifting Alex on her lap. The little boy was trying to reach for Karen's hair.

"I think he's desperate." Lucas said, glancing over at the coach. "He'd let a monkey play if he thought we'd get this game started." Then he realised what he had said. "Wait! That came out wrong. I only meant he'd let anyone help."

Stacie laughed softly and stood up, passing Alex to Karen. "I'll need a uniform."

"Follow me, I'll show you where we keep the spare ones." Lucas nodded towards the door to the locker rooms.

Nodding her head, Stacie took the ponytail around her wrist and pulled her hair up as she followed behind him.

"What about you Williams?" Nathan said, nodding his head towards Hayley. "We could use you." He threw the basketball towards her and she caught it.

Hayley hesitated, rolling the ball in her hands. "I don't know." She said uneasily.

"You should do it." Taylor whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. "You'd be amazing."

Hayley glanced at Taylor, the ball still in her hands. She searched his eyes then nodded slowly. "Okay." She murmured, stepping off of the bleachers to follow Nathan into the changing room.

Lucas and Stacie were searching through a pile of uniforms for Stacie. They finally found a small one which would fit Stacie.

Finding an extra small uniform for Hayley was even harder, not many of the guys were that short.

"Found one." Stacie said after a moment, holding it out to Hayley.

Hayley took the uniform. She swallowed and looked at it. As she held it up, it still looked like it would be too big, but it was the smallest one they had so it would just have to do.

Stacie made her way into a cubicle and quickly changed into her uniform.

Once both girls were changed, Nathan and Lucas led them out to the rest of the team and the coach. Lucas explained to the coach that Hayley and Stacie would be helping them out for the game then warned the rest of the team to be on their best behaviour and actually pass the ball to the girls. Nathan led them through a warm up.

It was halfway through the game, Stacie and Hayley had both gotten three baskets each.

"Give the ball to Stacie." Nathan told the team in their huddle.

"Why?" Jake asked, a frown on his face. "Wouldn't it make sense to get the ball to the taller people on the team?" He asked, referring to himself and Nathan. "The girls got lucky, those baskets were flukes."

"Stacie is the tallest on the team." Nathan said, narrowing his eyes at Jake.

"The other team will expect us to pass to her then?" Jake narrowed his eyes at Nathan.

Nathan instantly shook his head. "They've been expecting you to pass to Lucas and me, they won't expect you to pass to Stacie."

Jake let out a huff. "Fine." He muttered.

The team made their way back onto the court. The final half of the game began. The other team was playing offensively but the score remained close. With five seconds left on the clock, Nathan had the ball. He couldn't get a clear shot and passed to Hayley. She caught the ball with ease and was able to throw the ball up towards the net. The ball spun around the rim and everyone seemed to freeze as they watched. The ball fell in just as the final buzzer sounded. Nathan and his team had won.