"Hey, Jim, pass the ball to me!"

Greg knew very well that Jim wouldn't do that. As usual, he would throw the ball and in one shot would get it in the basket. Jim never missed a shot. He was the best. Why wouldn’t Jim let him have the ball?

Alex gave a whistle. Jim had scored.

"Bravo, brother!" Steven said completely breathless. "Well we played very hard; Richard and I are tired and can’t run any more."

"OK," Greg said fixing a lock of his blond hair

"Well, with Jim on your side, you don’t have to worry about sweating a lot!" Richard said.

Both roared with laughter. Alex came over to join them.

"Hey, guys, I’m gonna go home. I have to do my homework and study."

"Are you talking about studying for the exam tomorrow?" Greg asked.

"I would like to look over my notes about economy again. I’m sure that

Costeley is going to ask us a question about the Common Market."

"Hey, nobody wants to play anymore?" Jim asked by joining the small group.

"We were just talking about our homework for tomorrow," Alex answered.

"Tomorrow? I don't understand." Jim said

"You know, the exam in economy."

"Ah... I completely forgot. What’s the problem? Are we gonna play or not ?" Said Jim.

Jim was impatient. Studies were not his favorite topic of discussion. If he studied economy, it was only to please his father. Really,

Jim hated this topic. He usually attended classes only when there was bad weather, when the basketball court was impracticable. Only physical exercises motivated him. To sit down behind a desk to listen to a guy talking about theories was like torture.

"Well, Richard and I have to go home," Steven said with a faltering voice. "His mother asked him to be home at 6 pm."

"You guys go," Greg interrupted. "I’ll stay with Jim. Just to sweat a little."

"Yeah, you go home, Steven. I believe that it's enough for today,"

Jim said by making a friendly tap on his brother's shoulder. "I should be home before one o'clock. Go on, Alex! Don’t feel like you have to stay with us if you prefer to study."

As Alex left, Steven and Richard collected their things. They were tired and their bags seemed very heavy to carry. The health of Steven worried Jim. He had tried many times to get Steven interested in the joys of basketball. Anything to get his nose out of books and into the fresh air. So Steven had finally accepted but on one condition that Richard, his best friend, would also able to play. That decided, all three went to the stadium on the campus. Besides being the nearest, there had been new basketball nets set up just two days ago. Jim had the firm intention to come and inaugurate them as soon as the sun appeared.

Earlier, when Greg and Alex were coming back from the library they had seen Jim, Steven and Richard had gone into the stadium. They had, of course, joined the small group. Together, they had decided to create two teams. Steven and Richard on one side, Greg and Jim on the other. Because Alex did not have his basketball clothing with him, he had insisted on playing the role of referee. When had they ever seen a basketball player in a suit? Alex always got dressed liked that. His parents thought that his integration into student life would be easy, that his previous history would pass unnoticed. But it didn’t. Unnoticed, but Alex knew it well. He loved his parents too much to disapprove of the suits.

Jim threw the ball to Greg who was distracted and missed it.

"You were thinking about Sam, I bet," Jim said by smiling.

"Not exactly," Greg answered blushing.

The ball had rolled to the other end of the court. Hands in his pockets, Greg left to look for it. He whistled as he walked. He also didn’t have much interest in his studies. It was just too bad if he failed the exam tomorrow. The night wasn’t for studying, but for sleeping...unless Samantha was with him in his bed, of course.

"Here’s your ball," a little voice said.

Two small hands stretched out the ball to Greg who took it. Surprised by the appearance, he didn’t answer. A child about seven years old looked up at him with admiration. She had long brown hair and big eyes that were a beautiful transparent blue. Greg observed her noting that she wore a Lakers t-shirt.

"Can I come play with you?" she pleaded.

"I don’t know. You seem a little too small."

"Please, sir."

Greg looked at his watch. Samantha would be at his place before seven o'clock. If he didn’t want to arrive late, he should leave right away. This worked out very well because he hated being a babysitter.

The girl waited hopefully. Greg felt sorry for her so he took her hand in his and led her to Jim. Since he was used to watching after his younger brother, he should know how to take charge of this situation. During this time, Greg would take advantage of it and join sweet Samantha. Her charms allowed no delay.

"Jim, I brought you back the ball and the person who found it. I have to go study. See ya!"

Greg quickly turned his back to Jim avoiding any discussion that would thwart his plans. Jim did not react even though he had observed the scene from afar. His particularly fine hearing had also allowed him to know the intentions of the girl. Knowing his friend well, Jim knew that Greg would quickly come to look for him to find a solution that would avoid him getting his hands dirty. His "love" for the young wasn’t very unusual.

"Hey, sir, do you want to play with me?" the child asked again. No doubt this kid was really stubborn.

"I don’t think so, it’s late and your mom's probably waiting for you."

Jim said.

The child looked hurt. Why didn’t anybody want to play ball? Jim knelt down and looked at the girl.

"I have to get home. But to make you happy, I agree to help you throw the ball in the basket. OK?"

The child accepted nodding shyly. Jim slipped his arms around her waist, lifted her and put her on his strong shoulders. The kid held the ball that Jim had given her, squeezing it tight against her heart. Arriving a few feet from the closest basket, Jim stopped.

"Now, throw the ball with all your might," he ordered. The girl obeyed. The ball stayed on the orange circle of metal and rocked a little, hesitating to fall into the basket. After a few seconds, the ball went in the net.

"Hurray!" Jim applauded. "You are a champion!" Jim gently put the child on the ground. He fingered a small pendant which hung around his neck.

"What is that?" The child asked.

"A present from my mom. It’s a lucky charm."

"To score baskets?"

"If you want."

"I, too, would like to be able to score baskets. My mom says that I have to wait to grow a bit more."

Jim didn’t answer. His mother had said the same thing to him, a long time ago. It was before... The child looked at Jim with interest and wondered how many years it would take to become the same size as him. Jim untied the necklace.

"Because you are a champion, you need a medal. Take good care of it."

"You’re giving it to me? Won’t your mom be mad?"

"I think she'll be glad that a champion wears it. And your mother will be happy to know that her daughter is a champion." The kid looked at the present with great pride. Then a shadow passed across her face.

"A daughter is a girl? I am not a girl, I am a boy. But thank you for the necklace!"

The child turned abruptly and ran as fast he could in case Jim changed his mind. But Jim didn’t move. Far off, the kid stopped suddenly feeling guilty. This pendant had to have a lot of value. He looked at it once again, completely bewitched. It was a small silver wolf that had a strange brightness. The kid turned around and looked at Jim who was watching him. The child backtracked. Arriving back at Jim’s side he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"This is for you."

"What it is?"

"A picture my teacher gave me for working well in school. Well bye, my mom is waiting for me and you have to go home before your mom worries."

Jim said goodbye then looked at the image which the child had given to him. It showed a magnificent panther with turquoise blue eyes. Was it just his imagination or did the animal seem to come alive? Jim shook his head and was about to put the paper in his pocket, when a word on the back of the picture caught his attention. It was the name of the kid.

"Thank you, Blair!" Jim said with a smile.

***

The End