Nothin But Net Read Online Free Page A

just passing it to their friends, ignoring the kids they didn’t know. All the more reason to make new friends fast, he
     thought.
    Billy actually blocked a shot by Bob Last’s replacement — Rich Dauer, one of the three kids who’d pulled the prank the night
     before — and got a round of applause and amazed laughter, both from his teammates and from the Shirts. There were whispered
     comments and giggles, but Tim was proud of his buddy. He only wished he had the chance to show the other kids what he could
     do, too.
    Determined to make an impression, Tim decided that if he got the ball again, he was going to make the most of his opportunity.
     Not two seconds later, he saw an opening. He leaped into the passing lane to steal the ball from one of the Shirts. He raced
     downcourt, ignoring the shouts of his teammates for him to pass it to them. Two Shirts came over to double-team him, but Tim
     didn’t care. He tried to force his way through and lifted a long jumper that caught nothing but air. He felt his face get
     red at the sound of the groans he heard, but did his best to ignore them.
    Tim touched the ball exactly once more that morning, picking up a loose ball. But instead of passing it upcourt like he normally
     would have done, he maniacally kept dribbling around the defenders who swarmed him. Before he knew it, the whistle hadblown — he’d failed to get the ball up to half-court in time. He’d turned the ball over!
    The scrimmage ended with the Shirts ahead 21–17. Nobody came up to Tim afterward to say, “Hey, you’re really good,” or “Nice
     game,” or anything like that. He found himself walking back to the bunkhouse thinking that he had to improve in a hurry if
     he was going to meet the standards of Camp Wickasaukee. This place meant business!
    “This camp bites,” Billy muttered over his tuna casserole — not loud enough to be heard by the rest of the kids, but only
     by Tim, who was sitting next to him. The seat on Billy’s other side was empty. Apparently, none of the other campers had seen
     fit to sit next to the big, unathletic kid who was scared of mosquitoes and headless campers wandering around in the night.
    “Give it a chance, Billy,” Tim urged him. “It’s just the first full day, man — things are bound to get better.”
    Billy snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
    “You’ll see, bro. Once they get to know you, they’ll see what a great guy you are.”
    Billy made a face. “This tuna fish tastes like metal,”he said, shoving it to the far side of his plate with his fork. “Probably full of mercury.”
    “Billy. …”
    “Man, I could have been in Rome right now, touring the Vatican. Instead, I get basketballs dumped on my stomach at night,
     and by day, I get to run around till I puke or faint. What a fun experience — not.”
    “Hey, we both need to get in better shape,” Tim said, meaning it.
    “I still say this camp bites,” Billy said, a little louder this time.
    Looking around, Tim saw that Brian Kelly was staring right at them. He could tell at a glance that Brian had overheard Billy.
     Tim felt a sudden surge of alarm go through him. If Brian Kelly knew, soon everyone in the bunk would know that Billy hated
     Camp Wick-asaukee.
    What worried Tim most of all was that they would think he hated it, too. And if they did, what would they do about it?

4
    T he afternoon was hot, and Tim was just as glad as everyone else that they had swimming scheduled next. The campers all dove
     into the lake to cool off, and were splashing around having a good time when a big, beefcakey guy with a shaved head blew
     his whistle, and they all stopped where they were.
    “Okay,” he said. “Hi, everybody. I’m Max. And it’s time for you to get certified. Everybody out of the water and onto the
     dock.”
    They spent the next hour doing laps, treading water, and hauling their fellow campers out of the lake in rescue exercises.
    Tim was tired from the morning of basketball.