Read Hoop Crazy for Free Online

him. “It ends with everybody living happily ever after,” she said. “Now get up and play.”
    Reluctantly he rose to his feet. He just towered over Kia. Somehow I’d almost forgotten just how tall he was. Tall and goofy. I’d seen him stumble and trip and bump into things more times than I could count.
    â€œWe’re going to try to run a few plays,” Kia said.
    â€œDo you want me to go high post or low post?” Ned asked.
    â€œWhat?” Kia asked, reflecting my own shock at what he’d said.
    â€œDo you want me to go high post or low post? Am I using those words wrong?” Ned asked.
    â€œNo, not at all. I just didn’t know you knew about stuff like that,” she said.
    â€œI didn’t until I reached chapter seven in the book. It stated that the center, also known as the big man, or the number five, should always set up in the post. I just assumed I’d be the center because I’m so much bigger than everybody else.”
    â€œSure, you’re the center.”
    â€œSo do you want me to set up high post or low post?”
    â€œI think low post would be better. Just go over to —”
    â€œAbout here,” Ned said, taking up at just about the correct spot to the right of the hoop. “There were diagrams in the chapter,” he explained.
    â€œGood. Now what’s going to happen is that I’m going to set up a play. I’m going to send the ball out to Mark. He’ll send it back to me and then I’m going to send a chest pass in to you. Understand?”
    He nodded his big head.
    â€œAnd then you have two choices. You can either put the ball up for the net, try to score, or you can pass it back out to one of us.”
    â€œDepending on whether the other team doubles down on me and who they leave open,” Ned said.
    â€œYeah, that’s right,” Kia said.
    â€œChapter five described the double team and how to break it up by searching for the open man,” Ned explained.
    â€œDid you read that book or memorize it?” I asked as I got up from the ground.
    â€œUsually I do both. I have a photographic memory. I remember everything I read or see or hear.”
    â€œEverything?”
    â€œPretty well.”
    â€œNed, it looks like you’re going to be quite the player,” Kia said.
    She was saying those words to Ned, but she was actually looking at and talking to me.
    â€œOkay, shall we try it?” Kia asked.
    Mark broke around Ned, using him as a screen, and went to the top of the key. Kia shot him in the ball. He faked a shot — making his invisible man jump up into the air — and then passed to Kia. She grabbed the ball, turned and passed to Ned and the ball hit him squarely in the middle of his face! He toppled over backwards, like a tree being chopped down, his glasses flew through the air, and blood exploded out of his face!
    â€œOh my goodness!” Kia screamed.
    â€œNed, are you okay?” I yelled.
    He was sprawled out on the driveway, his hands covering his face, blood just flowing out frombetween his fingers.
    â€œI’ll get some ice!” Kia yelled and started to run for the house.
    â€œGet lots of ice!” I yelled after her. His nose looked even bigger than it had been a few minutes ago.

    â€œYou feeling any better?” I asked.
    â€œA little bit,” Ned said. He was still clutching an ice bag to his face.
    â€œI’m so sorry,” Kia said. “Especially about your glasses.”
    They had split in two, right down the middle on the bridge.
    â€œThat’s okay,” Ned said. “They were already broken and I had them held together with Crazy Glue.”
    â€œWe have some of that,” I said. “Maybe we can fix them.”
    Even better, maybe we could fix them and get the ice bag off his face before our mothers came back from their walk. I hadn’t thrown the ball, and it certainly wasn’t my fault that he was