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anyway.”
    “You must’ve forgotten who sparked the team in that last game, Freddie,” Jerry said, standing up to Freddie without twitching
     a muscle.
    “If you ask me, you were just lucky,” Freddie said.
    “I’m not asking you,” said Jerry.
    The whistle shrilled and Coach Stull yelled, “C’mon, you guys! Let’s get the show moving!”
    Freddie gave Jerry a burning look before he turned and walked to his center position. Opposite him was the team’s alternate center, Pat Wilson, who was as tall
     as Freddie but who lacked the spring in his jump that Freddie had. Freddie out-jumped him, tapping the ball to Chuck Metz,
     who dribbled quickly upcourt, then passed to Lin Foo. Lin dribbled up closer to the basket, then almost fell as a couple of
     opponents swarmed over him. He passed to Jerry and Jerry took a shot. The throw looked perfect. The ball struck the boards
     and bounced into —
    No, it didn’t! It hit the rim and bounced off!
    “Tough luck, Jerry!” Ronnie cried.
    Freddie caught the rebound and laid it up. The ball dropped smoothly through the net, and Freddie, running downcourt, glared
     at Jerry.

    “Just pass the ball, Jerry,” he said. “If you keep on shooting we’re going to freeze you out.”
    Jerry stared at him. “Freeze me out? That shot just missed by a hair!”
    “A miss is as good as a mile,” Freddie grunted.
    Once, later on, Jerry had another chance to shoot, and took it. He was in the clear and all of his teammates were thoroughly
     covered. The ball struck the rim, bounced halfway to the ceiling, then dropped. It headed directly for the middle of the hoop
     — but suddenly, as if a string had pulled it, it struck the rim and bounced off.
    “Oh, no!” Jerry moaned.
    “Number two!” Freddie yelled. “Okay, Jerry! You asked for it!”
    Jerry was too disheartened to run in forthe rebound. Pat Wilson caught it, took it upcourt and shot a long pass to a teammate waiting near his basket. The kid caught
     the ball and laid it up for an easy two points.
    The whistle shrilled and Jerry saw Freddie walking over to the coach. Freddie said something, then both he and Coach Stull
     looked at Jerry.
    The rat!
Jerry thought.
Freddie’s probably told the coach to take me out!
    The coach said something to Freddie, and Freddie came trotting back onto the court, his face cherry red.
    “What’s up, Freddie?” Chuck Metz asked.
    “Nothing,” Freddie said.
    I bet
, Jerry thought.
“Nothing,” the way Freddie had said it, meant “a lot.”
    The scrimmage continued, but Jerrylacked the spirit and the energy that he had earlier. Knowing that Freddie Pearse was angry because Coach Stull was permitting
     Jerry to stay in the game sapped the strength out of him. Jerry didn’t shoot after that, nor did the guys pass to him as often
     as they had. They were already beginning the freeze.
    As the freeze continued, Jerry noticed the change in the first team’s play. Both Lin Foo and Chuck Metz, although fast runners,
     weren’t good dribblers. Twice the ball was stolen from them, each time resulting in a basket for the second team. Also, by
     freezing out Jerry, their pass patterns went awry. The team was disorganized. Only because the second team was inferior in
     every respect was the first team able to outplay them.
    In the locker room after the game Jerryoverheard Ronnie say to Freddie, “I don’t like the idea of freezing Jerry out. I think it’s mean.”
    “Why? Because he’s your friend?”
    “Because he’s my friend and because it’s mean, that’s why.”
    “What good is a guy if he shoots and never hits?” Freddie snapped.
    “Jerry’s the best dribbler we’ve got,” Ronnie countered. “And he’s good on the rebounds. Even better than you are, and he’s
     shorter.”
    “My eye,” said Freddie.
    Jerry smiled to himself. Nobody but a real friend would stick up for him as Ronnie had.
    He showered, dressed, and found Ronnie waiting for him near the door.
    “Thanks