Super Con-Nerd Page 7

  ‘I reckon Con-nerd should focus on shooting,’ Dazza says.

  ‘Nah, man, he should try to steal the ball from Squire,’ Stephen says. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Let’s do both.’

  ‘You’re the boss.’ Dazza takes me through some shooting drills, with Stephen charging at me. I fluke one shot through the basket but miss the other ten. I bet Andrew would have got more in.

  ‘Let’s take a break from shooting.’ Stephen grabs the ball and points to me. ‘Try to get the ball.’

  I try swiping the ball but they’re all air swings.

  Stephen turns his back to me and dribbles the ball. ‘Come on, Con-nerd, go for it.’

  I duck under his free arm and leap for the ball but run into his kneecaps instead, sending me sprawling to the ground.

  ‘Come on, Con-nerd. What happened to your skills?’

  ‘I dunno . . .’ My lips are trembling. I breathe hard and fast. ‘I’m doomed.’

  ‘Don’t sweat it,’ Stephen says. ‘Super nerds like him will be super bad at basketball too.’ He holds out his hand.

  ‘He’s getting trained by some hotshot senior kid at school.’ I grab Stephen’s hand and he pulls me up. I should have picked chess, it’d be a lot safer.

  ‘You for real?’ Dazza says.

  I wipe the sweat off my glasses. ‘Yeah, he’s much better than you guys combined,’ I say. ‘He’s also taller than both of you put together.’

  Stephen looks at me like I’ve chopped his legs off. He drops the ball and picks up his skateboard. ‘Hey, we were only trying to help, man.’

  I put my glasses back on. ‘Sorry, Stephen, I was just . . .’

  ‘Later, guys. I’m going home to skype Elena.’ He hits the driveway with a thud and zigzags down the street.

  I turn to Dazza. ‘I didn’t mean . . .’

  ‘Forget about it.’ Dazza pats my back. ‘But you can’t expect to be good at everything in one afternoon,’ he says. ‘It takes time.’

  ‘I don’t have much of that.’

  I say goodbye to Dazza and catch the bus back home. My chest still aches where it connected with Stephen’s knees. I wanted to power up my basketball skills. I wanted to find out if I had enough skills to beat Andrew. But more than anything, I just wanted to play with my friends, like the good old days.

  I missed all three goals by a long shot.

  Will things ever be the same again?

  At home, I’m reading Note Perfect next to Dad’s shrine in the living room. I put my book down and stare at Dad’s bushy eyebrows. ‘You’re cool with me doing a comic for the English assignment, right?’ I say. ‘I want to make you and Mama proud by beating Andrew and showing Mrs Cheney my versatile talents.’

  Sometimes I wish Dad would talk back and tell me that I’m doing the right thing. It would be nice to have someone on my side when Mama goes all tiger on me.

  I go back to reading about Gerald’s facial features and draw his kite-shaped face, revealing the sharp chin and bringing out his bony cheeks. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve done before. It’s something Mr Gardner would like.

  Maybe this is how I transform into a super nerd. If I can prove to everybody how good I am at art, then I’ll be Kentsworthy for sure.

  Mama comes back home and I quickly rush over to the dining table.

  She hangs up her keys. ‘How was your day?’

  ‘All right. How was yours?’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Good?’ I try to mimic Mama’s voice. ‘Good could mean anything. You always get annoyed at my one-word answers.’ I step back and look at her nurse’s uniform. It looks like a kindy kid’s artwork, with blotches and stains all over the front. ‘Did you have to take care of a baby today?’

  ‘It was an older man who vomited on me.’ She sits down next to me. ‘My poor intern, Aspen, couldn’t handle him, so I had to help her. He threw up on both of us.’

  ‘Are you okay?’

  Mama massages her cheeks with her thumb. ‘I’m kind of used to it now. I had to comfort Aspen afterwards. I told her that you can learn a lot from disasters.’

  I pat Mama’s arm. ‘I guess that makes me a lifelong learner.’

  Mama smiles. ‘It’s been a while since you asked me about my work.’

  ‘We should take turns, Mama,’ I say. ‘It’s only fair.’

  ‘Ai-yah, maybe you’re right. Thanks, Connor.’

  Mama goes to get changed and my phone vibrates.

  It’s Mandy. Connor, can you come over? I need your help.

  ‘Hey, Mama, I’m going off to Mandy’s for a bit.’

  Mama sticks her head out of her room. ‘Be back before dinner. Does she need help with homework?’

  ‘Yeah.’ It feels nice to be needed again.

  Mandy sits me down in her chair. ‘If you tell anybody, I’ll kill you.’

  I zip my lips and give her a thumbs up.

  ‘So there’s this guy I like . . .’

  I turn my thumb upside down. My head sinks like somebody’s stepping on my head. ‘What!’

  ‘Shhhh.’ Mandy rolls up a magazine and hits me. ‘My mum might hear you. So, James and his friends are planning to go to the 500 Years of Winter concert in the city.’

  My face is a blank screensaver. ‘Huh?’

  ‘The free gig.’ She looks at me. ‘The one that the breakfast TV show’s been advertising for ages.’ She paces up and down past me. ‘The one where a few lucky fans will be chosen to come up on stage . . .?’

  She sighs. ‘When I snap my fingers, you’ll wake up and start being my friend.’ She snaps her fingers near my ears. If only it was that easy for us to be friends again.

  ‘Whoa, where am I?’ I say, looking all around then grinning at her.

  She raises her magazine in the air and I hold up my arms. ‘Okay, okay!’

  She puts the magazine down. ‘So, a bunch of us are catching the train into city, and I need to leave at 5 a.m. to get good spots.’

  ‘5 a.m.?’ I say. ‘Why don’t you just sleep there overnight?’

  ‘I wish, but my mum would kill me.’ Mandy touches my shoulder. ‘Can you come? It sounds more believable if you’re there with me. We can just tell our mums that we’re going to some study breakfast thing.’

  I take off my glasses and rub my eyes. ‘When’s it on?’

  ‘Next Friday.’

  ‘I can’t, my English assignment is due that day.’

  ‘Just hand it in the day before,’ Mandy says. ‘You would have finished it by then anyway.’

  I lean forward on Mandy’s chair. ‘How about Tina?’

  ‘We don’t talk much these days,’ Mandy says. ‘We’re in different schools now and she lives too far away from here, it’s just too hard.’

  It’s like she’s put my heart through a shredder. ‘Then what about me?’

  ‘Look, can you help me or not?’

  I run my fingers through my hair. ‘I dunno, Mandy.’

  Mandy bounces up and down on her bed. ‘Remember when I helped you to impress your ooh la la, Tori, last year?’ she says. ‘I took you out shopping and everything.’

  ‘Yeah, but that was on the weekend.’ I leap out of her chair. ‘You’re asking me to go on a school day.’

  ‘The concert will be finished by 8 a.m. You can still make it to your precious school on time,’ she says. ‘I’ll be going to school as well.’

  It would be great to hang out with Mandy again, even if I have to get up when it’s still dark. And even if it’s for some major crush. ‘As long as we leave at 8 a.m.’

  Mandy pounces on me and squeezes me tight. ‘Thanks, Con-nerd.’

  I turn into a hot water bottle.

  She quickly lets go. ‘Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to cut off your circulation.’

  ‘Huh?’

  Mandy looks me up and down. ‘You’re looking red and flustered . . .’

  ‘You don’t know your own strength, Mandy.’ I stare into her eyes – they’re bright red
too. ‘What’s with your eyes?’

  She drops her smile and shoos me away. ‘See ya later, Con-nerd.’

  ‘Seriously, have you been crying or something?’

  She closes the door on me.

  I leave her place, with a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s the same feeling I got when I found out Tori had a boyfriend in Korea. Mandy has crushes all the time. But this is the first guy that she’s actually met in real life. A part of me wants to protect Mandy, but I’m no superhero, just a friend who cares about her.

  I get home and Mama’s in her bathrobe, freshly out of the shower. ‘Is Mandy okay?’

  ‘Yeah, she’s cool,’ I say. ‘She’s invited me to a study breakfast thing next Friday.’

  ‘Oh, wow!’ Mama’s wraps a towel around her dripping wet hair. ‘You both can be study buddies again.’

  ‘Yeah . . .’ I can’t believe Mandy talked me into this. She always finds a way to hack into my brain and make me do things, like I’m an app on her smartphone. It’s funny how she still has that effect on me. I think about what she said about Tina. I know we’re in different schools, but it might as well be separate galaxies. I don’t want us to be like superheroes in Marvel and DC comics, standing side by side on the shelves but never existing in each other’s worlds. Have I lost Mandy as a friend for good, or is there a chance for us?

  I spend the week practising my basketball skills in the lead-up to the showdown with Squire. In between study breaks, Mama lets me go downstairs to the driveway with my basketball. I go through a few dribbling drills and shoot my ball up against the wall. Dazza messages me tips every night. I’m still too scared to message Stephen since I last saw him.

  On the morning of the basketball showdown, Dad gives me a pep talk at his shrine. Well, I imagine what he would say to me. I’m feeling tense and nervous.

  ‘Mama used to tell me that you would do tai chi before a big match.’ I get up to stretch, creaking my bones. ‘I wish I could grow a few centimetres taller now.’

  I touch Dad’s picture. ‘I’m doing this for you and our family.’

  On the train, Stephen messages me. Hope you wipe Andrew off the court.

  I hit him back straight away. Thanks, sorry for bagging you out last week.

  We’re cool, Con-nerd, don’t worry about it.

  I lean back and smile. Stephen and Dazza have my back.

  My phone vibrates again and it’s Mandy. Friday, 5.30 a.m. Don’t forget.

  Okay. I press reply and look out the window. Mandy’s forgotten about my challenge. I’ve only messaged her about it a million times. What planet is she living on?

  In rollcall, Wilson walks over to my table. He’s a kid in my class but we’ve never crossed paths until now. He’s crouching down to tie his shoelaces. ‘Good luck with your basketball challenge today.’

  It’s the first words he’s spoken to me all year. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘Everyone in 7G knows.’ Wilson stands up. ‘We’re cheering for you, Con-nerd.’

  A few more kids come up to me throughout the day, wishing me luck. ‘We’re tired of him hogging the spotlight,’ Cyndi says. ‘You can beat him.’

  At lunchtime, I change into my sneakers and walk down to the basketball courts in the far corner. Andrew’s already there with a basketball. He’s wearing a shiny sports shirt and shorts, like he’s ready for a professional basketball match.

  There’s a small crowd of Year 7 kids sprinkled around the court.

  Vinh’s standing in between Wilson and some other boys. ‘They’re here to see you, man,’ he says.

  Andrew’s jumping around like he’s a kangaroo in a sleeping bag. He looks ready for the Olympics. Maybe I underestimated him.

  Roshan meets me on the sidelines. ‘Hey, Con-nerd. So Andrew told me about your match. He asked me to ref this game.’

  I nod my head. ‘I want a fair game too.’

  ‘Cool, man.’

  Andrew pretends to yawn. ‘Let’s get this over with. I want to be back in the library by the second half of lunch.’

  Roshan goes through the rules for the game. ‘The winner will be the first to eleven baskets with a two-point lead. If there’s a foul, the ball needs to go back to the free-throw line.’ He holds up his ball. ‘Or if you’re fouled while you’re shooting, you have a undefended shot from the free throw line.’

  Andrew swings his arms around like hedge-clippers. My limbs shrivel up like dead weeds.

  Roshan takes out a coin and steps between us. ‘Let’s see who goes first. Con-nerd, heads or tails?’

  ‘Heads,’ I say.

  Roshan flips the coin in the air and it lands on tails. ‘Andrew gets the first possession.’

  Andrew checks the ball, bouncing it at me so I can pass it back to him to start play. He quickly bounces the ball and goes for a shot. It’s a perfect swish. Wow. Did he just download basketball skills straight into his brain?

  Now it’s my possession. Andrew checks it to me and I try to get around him but he blocks me off and slaps the ball out of my hands. Then he rushes up to the net and shoots before I can reach him. 2–nil.

  Irene yells out from the sidelines. ‘Come on, Con-nerd!’

  Andrew circles around me like a shark going in for the kill. ‘Seriously, you should have picked something that you were good at. Oh right, you don’t have anything.’

  ‘You learnt a few tricks,’ I say.

  ‘I mastered this sport,’ Andrew says. ‘It’s like anything in life, if you have the brain for it.’

  I close my eyes and imagine Stephen yelling at me. He would tell me to use my size and speed to my advantage. Andrew’s lumbering around like a T-Rex, with tiny arms.

  Roshan blows the whistle and Andrew checks the ball to me and I go for a shot at the ring straight away. The ball goes over Andrew’s head and he chases after it. The ball hits the backboard hard and I grab the rebound. I take the shot and it tips into the net. I jump up and nearly touch the backboard. ‘Yes!’

  The crowd roars. I skip back to the middle of the court. Andrew wipes his forehead. ‘Lucky shot.’

  I laugh. ‘Yeah, it was, actually.’

  I bounce the ball to him and he thunders down towards the net. I watch the ball, waiting for my chance to strike. Andrew bounces the ball between his legs. What a show-off. The ball hits his sneakers and I scoop it up for a shot underneath the net.

  Now it’s 2–all. I’m warmed up. Andrew cracks his knuckles. I think he’s ready to go all super nerd on me. He has the ball and charges at me. I try to swipe the ball but he shoves me off. I fall backwards to the ground and watch Andrew shoot.

  Roshan blows his whistle. ‘Foul! That’s rough play.’

  ‘He just got in the way,’ Andrew says.

  Roshan holds up his palm. ‘That’s your warning, Andrew. Con-nerd has possession.’ He flicks the ball to me and points to the free throw line.

  Joseph and Naveed burst out laughing but they quickly get stared down by Irene. Andrew grinds his teeth. He’s ready to play dirty. Should I be ready to play rough too?

  Roshan blows his whistle after another basket. It’s neck and neck. ‘10–9 to Andrew. Con-nerd’s ball. Remember you need a two-point lead to win.’

  I have my hands on my knees, sucking in big breaths and aching from the rough play. Andrew’s soaked from top to bottom and has a few bruises of his own, as much as I’ve tried to play fair.

  ‘How long have we been playing?’ he asks between breaths.

  ‘About five minutes,’ Roshan says.

  Andrew’s curly hair is now straight and damp, dangling limply past his ears. ‘Oh, man.’

  ‘Least we’re not playing to twenty-one points,’ I say.

  ‘I’d still beat you.’ Andrew checks the ball to me.

  Okay, Con-nerd, time to score and get yourself back in the match. I turn my back to him, shielding the ball. Andrew runs around but I keep the ball from him. It’s something that Stephen used to do. I see an opening and leap towards the net. Andrew
rushes up to try to clobber me. I stick my elbow out and strike Andrew in the neck. He goes down, wheezing like a punctured tyre.

  I look up at the net. Roshan mustn’t have seen my elbow action, so he hasn’t called a foul.

  ‘Go for it,’ Vinh yells.

  The crowd follow his lead, telling me to shoot. I hold the ball above my head and watch Andrew clutching his neck. I sigh. I think about Dad in his badminton days. What would he do if he saw me here? What would Mama think? I drop the ball and rush over to him. ‘Are you all right?’

  Andrew splutters and sits up. I hold out my hand and Andrew pulls himself up and drags me down to the ground.

  ‘Are you serious?’ I yell.

  He collects the ball and shoots. The ball slips through the net.

  Andrew lifts his hands in the air. ‘I did it,’ he wheezes.

  Everyone is on mute. Even Joseph and Naveed have their mouths wide open but nothing’s coming out.

  Irene starts booing. ‘What a cheater!’

  People boo Andrew off the court. Andrew tries to dodge the crowd but he can’t get past Roshan.

  ‘At least shake the other guy’s hand,’ Roshan says.

  Andrew walks over and gives me a limp shake. ‘It was a foul anyway, I would have been given the ball.’

  ‘You played pretty good,’ I say.

  Andrew gives me a surprised look then covers it with a scowl before hurrying off the court.

  Roshan shakes his head. ‘The guy is all brains and no heart.’

  Vinh passes me a water bottle. ‘Yeah, you got rorted hard.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ I gulp down my water, trying not to think about it.

  ‘Don’t you care that you lost?’ Vinh says. ‘Now you’re one bad result away from being his slave.’

  ‘Your English assignment better be good,’ Irene says. ‘Make sure you hand it in at the start of third period tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll finish it off tonight.’

  With an effort, I pull my shoulders back and lift my head up to the clouds. I might have been a loser this time but I know Dad would be proud of me.

  Friday smacks me with the alarm blaring at 5 a.m. I could have sworn I’ve only been asleep for five minutes. I stayed up late, finishing my comic for the English assignment. I still have lead stains all over my fingers. I peek through the curtains and the moon’s still out. Mama must go through this every time she has an early morning shift.