Chapter 4 Hoop Dreams

Chapter 3 Hoop Dreams

    I knew my ability to hear the thoughts of other people was growing when I heard that next voice. One morning, it just came to me and it was like I was inside his head, seeing what he saw and feeling what he felt. It went on for so long, I couldn’t stop it, so I stayed in bed and made an excuse with Mum. You see, Alisa had still been recovering from her facial injuries and her boyfriend, Terry just happened to be one of the best basketball players in Chinese high school history, I only knew that because his so-called best friend was also on the team. This what I heard:

    I hear him moan and cry so much more recently. It has been so long but for some weird reason he has started up again. Nothing is going to change, I've come way too far to tell everyone the truth now. I've fulfilled so many goals and I am just beginning. When he gets worse and starts banging his head against the wall I just turn on the song “Come Fly With Me” and put my headphone on to block the sound out. You know that old video of Michael Jordan in his prime. He was the reason why I started playing basketball, and he said in that video, that he got cut from his high school basketball team and proved them all wrong the following year by showing them how much he wanted it. I know I could never compare to Jordan, but I was also cut from my basketball team. My spot was stolen away from me so I had to do something about it. I wasn't going to let him take away my dreams, my hoop dreams.

    Back in grade ten, I was finally starting to grow. I went from being the backup point guard on the team to the starting shooting guard because we had a few short guys and a few taller guys, that played center and forward. I was the only one who could shoot and dribble well enough too.

    My coach (I owe him so much) Mr. Li, was an old-fashioned American Chinese, who had big-time connections. He knew the staff at the Shanghai Sharks, he knew guys on college teams in the U.S. He was the perfect coach for me to take that next step. We had games every weekend back then, we played the Shanghai American school, the British school, and all the best Chinese senior high school teams. We were in division one and were on a six-game winning streak, mostly because of me and my outside shooting. I was hitting three-pointers, long-range twos and barely missed a free throw. No one could guard me, I was flying past guys, rising high in the air, flying like Jordan used to.

    After one game, where I scored twenty-five points, Mr. Li told me, 'Hey, great game Luke. You know some guys from the Sharks are interested in you. They might be watching a few of our next games, so remember, play defense and move the ball more!'

    I was so excited that night. I went down to the court in my apartment complex and played for hours. I was about to play in front of real professional basketball scouts, they were interested in me! I was on the road to success and as I shot free throw after free throw my dream seemed to get closer and closer. The ball spun through the net, swishing over and over again.

    I stopped to take a rest and he trotted onto the court. He dribbled his ball between his legs casually shot a three. It went in. He looked at me and smiled. I would watch him shoot a lot of those, but then I had no idea, I just thought he some guy living near me.

    The next day at school, he walked right into my Math class. He gave me that same smile. I noticed then how tall he was, almost the same height as me. He walked right past me and I glanced at his legs. Huge calves flexing each step. I wondered at the time if this guy could really play ball. Sure he was tall and strong and I had seen him shoot pretty well, but that was outdoors by himself. Boy was in for a surprise.

    He wasn't bad at math either. In that very first class I saw him, he was putting up his hand and answering really hard questions with ease. Girls were turning their heads wondering who he was, the nerds were looking impressed too. We all walked out of there with confused frowns on our faces and that was when he introduced himself to me.

    He nudged me in the shoulder and said, 'Hey I'm Terry, didn't I see you playing basketball yesterday?'

    I nodded. 'Luke, Yeah, you want to join our team?'

    Yeah, I asked him that. I set all that up, so it is all my fault.

    'Great! I was playing in Beijing, I need a team.' his eyes were wide.

    This guy was Chinese. He was fifteen years old and was almost one hundred and eighty centimeters. He was naturally athletic, strong, and annoyingly good-looking. Even then, I didn't like him. He was just like a better version of me. A bit taller, a bit smarter. It wasn't ever going to be good for me.

    That week Terry put smiles on every one of my teacher’s faces. He answered question after question perfectly and breezed through a surprise quiz in history. I wasn't too worried at the time, seeing as I was on my way to basketball fame, or so I thought. Schoolwork was only secondary to me. I was only there for one reason and that was basketball. Everyone knew that and that was OK. Sure I wasn't too bad in any one subject, I was just passing pretty much every class. But that week it started bothering me watching this new guy impress everyone with his smarts. He knew everything, this school was way too easy for him.

    When he walked into our training session that Thursday, things started to get worse. I first noticed how fast he was. He ran up and down the court so quickly I could barely keep up and he wasn't getting tired at all. When we were doing shooting drills, he barely missed. His style was so perfect too, arching the ball high every time, in the air then swish, right in the hoop again.

    Mr. Li had eyes were double in size. He even said to me after training, 'Watch out Luke. This young Terry might challenge you for your spot. Now we finally have two scorers!'

    He seemed like he was just joking and at the time I just shrugged it off. How could some kid from Beijing change anything? Sure he was tall and could definitely shoot well but that wasn't going to change me reaching my dreams? Those guys from the Shanghai Sharks were going to see me play, not some new kid.

    Mr. Li looked excited before our game. I was looking up into the row of seats, hoping to see some guy in a suit holding a notebook, but there were just a few parents and one or two juniors. Our school should have been really supporting us more, seeing as we were the best team in the whole competition, but most kids were more into studying and turning into mindless robots.

    Terry was smiling away on the bench. We got started and I hit a three-pointer, Mr. Li was shouting at me to get back on defense. We were playing Livingston American School, they had a few good players but we had easily beaten them twice this season.

    The next three quarters I went on a shooting rampage. Every time I touched the ball, I shot it, scoring sometimes, missing badly other times. Paul, our point guard knew what was going on and kept passing the ball, so I shot and shot and shot. I didn't even look at the scoreboard and stood at the halfway line on defense in a hope to get the open pass. By the end of the third quarter, we were up by fourteen, so the coach decided to sub me off.

    He patted me on the back, 'Nice shooting Luke, too bad about the defense.'

    I was pretty exhausted anyway and needed a break. I looked up in the stands, searching for the scouts. But there didn't seem to be anywhere. I turned my head back to the game to see Terry block the other team’s center. He then stole the ball from another player, dribbled past two defenders and dunked the ball like some sort of freak NBA player.

    Everyone on the bench jumped up except me, cheering. But it didn't stop there. Terry seemed to be possessed by Lebron James and scored about sixteen points in five minutes. But he wasn't just scoring he was rebounding, blocking shots, stealing the ball, and assisting. The other players were cheering and laughing their way through the game, but Terry was like a silent assassin, not saying a word.

    Mr. Li wasn't even looking in my direction, he was too busy shouting out compliments like, 'Nice one Terry,' and 'Great Defence Terry.' I'd never heard him sound so happy before.

    I sat out the entire quarter and we won the game by twenty-three points, thanks to our new player, Terry. He gave me that smug grin again afterward and threw me a bottle of water.

    He said, 'Dude, what's with the teams in Shanghai? In Beijing, everyone is way taller than me, even the point guards.'

    I knew he was lying. I knew guys were taller in the north but not that tall. We were all barely one-eighty centimeters but we were the tallest team in the league. I wondered what he was trying to prove. Did he just want to embarrass us and make us all look stupid? I wasn't happy at all.

    So Terry followed me around school like a dog. People were soon smiling and waving at him, he had this natural magnetism, everyone wanted to be around him. He wasn't trying to make friends, they just gravitated to him. Soon we were being followed by a crowd of juniors like he was some star and we hadn't even played our second game yet.

    After school, we'd play one-on-one on the outdoor court near my place. I could barely score at all against him, he was such a good defender. He'd just block shot after shot, even if I pump-faked a few times he'd still block me, he was just too fast. He'd also score over me with ease, he had so much height on his jump shot and released so quickly I had no chance. We played every afternoon and I always lost.

    That Friday after losing again, I stormed into my room and threw down my ball. This Beijing boy was about to change everything, I could feel it. I glanced at my sliding door wardrobe mirror. Terry had shoulders twice the size of mine, it was time I put on some weight. I flipped on my laptop and looked up protein powder, I found loads of stuff for sale and ordered two buckets of muscle-building protein powder from the first site I saw. I had already memorized my Dad’s credit card number so money wasn't a problem. I then ordered some dumbbells and other weights. I was determined to bulk up, determined to be the best I could be. I then got down on the floor and did as many push-ups and sit-ups as I could. I did sixty-four and felt the burning in my shoulders.

    Not only did I need to bulk up, but I needed to get really fit. After the burning from my shoulders faded, I stretched and went for a jog. I ran out of my apartment complex, down the main street, and onto the highway, I passed huge trucks and loud buses. I ran and ran through the busy streets of Xujiahui until my lungs started to ache. I wasn't as fit as I thought. I had only been running for about forty-five minutes and I was heaving like an old man. There was much work to do.

    That weekend was the second game we played with Terry. I started of course and scored the first six points of the game, but when I passed the ball out of bounds, Mr. Li called a time-out and put Terry on. I walked to the bench and watched Terry dominate the game. He shot a three-pointer, swish then stole the ball and shot another three. He blocked a shot and passed the ball to John to score. He was too good.

    In fact, he was so good that Mr. Li kept him on the court until halftime. It was the longest I had ever sat on the bench. I looked up into the stands and saw three men in suits, writing on clipboards, they were the scouts. They were probably wondering why I was sitting on the bench and they were probably noticing how good Terry was too.

    In the third quarter, I was back on. I defended as best as I could and even got a steal but missed three shots in a row on offense. I looked up into the stands and saw the men writing more on their clipboards. Probably focusing all the things I was doing badly. I had to show them how much I wanted this. I had to show them how well I could play.

    I called out, 'Hey, I'll run point!'

    And took the ball from Jimmy, our point guard, dribbled up the court, and passed it back. I ran down the baseline and Jimmy found me open. I reversed a lay-up and scored, putting us up by four points. I then stole the ball off their team's point guard and ran down the court for an open layup. After that, their coach called a time-out. This just meant they needed to figure out how to stop me.

    I smiled sitting back on the bench, as Terry stood beside me.

    He patted my shoulder and said, 'Nice defense Luke! Keep it up!'

    But Mr. Li had different plans for us. He wanted to play his little mind games to keep us competitive. That was the first step. The first step leading to Terry's disappearance.

    He shouted, 'Terry, you get in there for Luke. Jimmy, you get the ball to him!'

    I was shocked, I'd just scored six points and stolen the ball three times and was being subbed off again. The three men in the stands were still busily writing away.

    Terry got the ball as requested in the first play and scored. He was also fouled by their tallest player in the process and went to the line to shoot the free throw. He hit the free throw and strolled backcourt to defend.

    Mr. Li walked over to me and squatted down. He said, 'Now Luke, you need to watch how Terry is playing. If you played with his energy, those guys up there in the stands would scout you for sure.'

    That didn't sound good. Sure I listened and watched him as best as I could. If Mr. Li wanted me to study how Terry played, then I was going to do it. Mr. Li was my coach, my teacher, and my pathway to success. I wasn't about to lose the opportunity of my life.

    For the rest of the game, I sat on the bench. Terry played so well, I thought I was watching an NBA superstar. I needed to learn from him, learn how he defended, and learn how he held that intensity for so long on the court without getting tired.

   We won again and I stood up and high-fived Terry. He almost finished the game with a triple-double: eight rebounds, nineteen points and ten assists. He was amazing. I wondered how he could be so good, so young. Was he really fifteen? I needed to find out.

    That weekend my protein powder and weights arrived. I mixed up a huge glass and chugged it down. Then I started lifting the weights. My muscles burned but I wasn't going to stop, I had to bulk up fast to show those scouts.

    I jogged again that Sunday, for hours. I collapsed in my room and fell asleep minutes later. The next day my whole body was aching from the weights. I took the pain as motivation, I was about to take the step into a professional basketball career and it was those steps that would guarantee my spot on the Shanghai Sharks basketball team.

    The following week I jogged every morning. I got up at five-thirty in the morning, drank my protein powder, did my weights, and jogged. Everyone at school had heard about the game so they were all praising Terry like a god. I just took that as extra motivation. I had a plan to improve every part of my game and Terry was going to help.

    I played him for hours every after-school one-on-one. Every time I lost and he easily scored over me. He kept blocking me and stealing the ball away. I couldn't get by him, he was just too fast. I needed to train harder, eat more, lift more weights and jog more. I started jogging at night and did sit-ups and push-ups three times a day. I ate only rice, meat, fruit and vegetables. I made a promise to myself to quit all sweets and junk food. I needed to be in top condition to show those scouts.

    The next game I felt a little more energized. I had to show them how dedicated I was, how much I could improve. I put everything into that game, everything. But it wasn't enough. I was so intense, the other team was scared. I dived so hard for the ball, catching it, tossing it behind me that I hit the ground and slid across the hardwood. I looked around to see John dribbling the ball across the court.

    He scored two points and then lifted me up. He said, 'Nice hustle Luke.'

    And that was how I played for the whole next quarter. We were winning by eight points when Mr. Li subbed me off. In went Terry and I was shocked at what I saw. He went on a scoring spree, not passing the ball once. He hit seven three-pointers in a row, even with two players defending him. The other team called a time out and everyone was high-fiving Terry.

    Mr. Li shouted, 'Nice shooting Terry!' then he looked down at me and said with a smile, 'Hey Luke, it looks like your starting spot is on the line.'

    Sure it sounded like a joke at the time, but it wasn't at all. He was warning me, trying to send me a message to step up my game. I was stepping it up every game, it was just Terry was just playing like a basketball god. I couldn’t compete with seven three-pointers in a row. The most I had ever hit was four.

    I needed to step up the training and become a better three-point shooter. We won that game easily and I had to sit on the bench again because Terry was on fire. The three men were once again in the stands, scribbling down on their clipboards. They must have noticed Terry by then, he was just too good to miss. My dreams were beginning to slip away so I needed something more. I needed a plan to counter this or my dreams would disappear. They'd vanish.

    I continued with the extra training, the push-ups, the sit-ups, the weights and the protein powder. Every night my body burned in pain. I endured it all because I knew that was just the beginning. I had to be stronger and faster. Terry was taking over my team so I had to show everyone how good I could be.

    But that weekend Terry started. He was the starting shooting guard and I was on the bench. He was stealing away my team and my dreams along with it. He played so well again too. He scored twenty points in three quarters and I sat and watched. Finally, Mr. Li subbed me on and I did my best to show those scouts. I missed my first two shots but connected on two free throws after being fouled after that. We were winning again, but winning the game was the least of my worries, I had to score and defend like my life depended on it to stay on the court.

    I was playing pretty well mid-way through the fourth quarter when Mr. Li subbed me off. Terry leaped back on the court and did his magic. I kept watching his ankles, hoping he'd slip and twist them. Maybe he'd hurt his knee or sprain his wrist shooting that perfect jump-shot. He was like a Chinese Jordan, so gracious and efficient. That's when my plan hit me. I needed to get back on the court and the only way that was going to happen if Terry wasn't around. Terry needed to get injured soon.

    That night the plan grew in my mind. It was my only hope of reaching my dreams. Terry was destroying everything so I had to stop it. The next day I invited Terry to play one-on-one with me again. It was my first chance to put my plan into swing.

    He said, 'So Luke, do you really want to lose again?'

    Sure I lost, but I changed my game to suit my plan. I hit his arms whenever he went for a shot, kneed his legs and pushed him whenever he posted up.

    He shouted, 'Hey Luke, easy. Why are you so angry?'

    But I wasn't angry, I was just trying to injure him. I was trying to get my starting spot back on the team. I even kicked his leg and he let out a yelp and hit the ground. I hope he was really hurt but he just got back up again.

    The rest of the time I tried to hurt him more, but he was too strong. My little taps and pushes weren't going to give him anything but a few bruises and scratches, I needed to really hurt him somehow. He eventually stormed off, frustrated with my fouls.

    My plan grew and grew that night. I went online again and bought some things that would help me get back on the court. It all depended on our one-on-one games. I was pleased when all the things I needed arrived on the same day. One great thing about living in Shanghai was the speedy delivery. It would come in handy for many things I needed.

    The next day at school I said, 'Sorry about yesterday. I owe you a real game of one-on-one this afternoon.'

    He gave me a smile. He wouldn't be smiling after we played.

    You see, I had bought loads of laxatives and was about to empty them all out in a drink to Terry. I knew he liked Gatorade, he wasn't going refuse a full bottle of his favorite drink. I bought two bottles at school and emptied half the bottle in the sink. Then, I took them both back after school and filled one of them with all the laxatives. I then took the two bottles to the outdoor court, making sure to remember which one for intended for Terry.

    I shot around for awhile while and Terry soon turned up with a new Spalding basketball. We played for a while. I tried my best but he was once again too good, easily scoring his way over, around and even under me. We then took a break, this was my chance.

    I handed him the Gatorade, 'Hey, I got you this for being a jerk yesterday.'

    He smiled, 'OK, thanks, Luke.'

    He opened the bottle and took a sip, then took another. It was a pretty warm day, so I guess he was really thirsty. I took two more big gulps and stood up.

   'Well, let's play some more.'

    I nodded looking at his bottle. It was half empty. That should have been enough. I emptied out three packets of the stuff earlier.

    So it didn't take long. I was driving past him when I heard his stomach growl. He stopped and I finally scored. The first open layup I'd ever scored against him.

    He bent over, holding his stomach and murmured, 'I've got to go home.'

    He ran off forgetting his ball. I picked it up, it was probably the first time he'd ever used it, it was brand new. I bounced it home wondering how Terry was doing. I hoped the diarrhea was so severe that he'd miss a few weeks of training and games. I had used so much of those laxatives; he'd surely be damaged for a while.

    The next day, there was no sign of him. He was obviously spending a lot of time in the bathroom, but just how long? He had basketball training the next day and he wasn't there. I was just thinking about our game, which was on the following day. I kept looking at the doors, thinking he would burst in and impress Mr. Li like he always did, but he never showed. He was still recovering.

    Our game was at ten in the morning, which was rare. We stretched, warmed up and started doing drills.

    Mr. Li asked me, 'Hey, do you know if Terry is better?'

    I replied, 'Is he sick?'

    He shrugged his shoulders. 'Heard he had a bad stomach virus. You're starting tonight. Those scouts are, here again, so you've got a big chance to show them seeing as Terry isn't here.'

    So I played like it was my last chance. I scored, I passed and I played the best defense I possibly could. I did everything and even felt like I had enough energy to go harder. The jogging was paying off, I wasn't tired and my jump shot was as smooth as Jordan's.

    It was the best game I had ever played and it was all because Terry wasn't around to spoil things. The scouts were busily scribbling down notes and I could barely contain myself after winning the game. We were all walking out of the stadium when we saw Terry walking up to us.

    Mr. Li asked him, 'Hey Terry are you OK, you just missed us win again.'

    He nodded, 'Yeah, I'm OK now, should be fine for next week’s game. Sorry about that coach.'

    It had only taken him a few days and he was fine. This guy was just too healthy. He could have been a marathon runner or a gymnast, but no, he had to be a basketball player, a shooting guard at that. I had to take my plan to the next level. I had to take bigger risks to get him off the court for longer because my time was running out.

    The following week I bought some more things online. When they arrived it took a while for me to figure out all the pieces. But after a few hours, I had it all together. I then attached it to Terry's ball, it was a good thing he had forgotten it. When I was finished, I placed the ball carefully into the steel box with the gloves still on.

    I then wheeled the ball out on the trolley and pushed it down to the elevator outside my apartment. Then I pushed the trolley onto my outdoor court. I sat and waited. I peeled my gloves off and threw them in the bin. I nudged the ball off with my foot and it rolled slowly onto the court. Steam started to drift off it. I had to hide the steel box and the trolley. I pushed them out of the court behind a car on the side of the road.

    I then waited more. I wondered how much court time I would get once Terry was injured again. I wondered how much the scouts would love how I played. I would be the best player again and things would be back to normal for a while.

    Terry waved, 'Hey is that my ball?'

    I nodded, 'Yeah, you must have left it here. I just got here.'

    Terry walked straight up to the ball and picked it up. He screamed as the basketball burned into his hands. He even put his other hand on it, trying to take it off. I stood and watched, hoping the burns were deep.

    I shouted, 'What's wrong?' trying to sound as surprised as I could.

    He shrieked, 'It's my ball, it's burning my hands! And it’s sticking to my hands!'

    I had to make a move. If I stopped and watched any longer he'd know it was me. I ran to him and kicked his hand hard. The ball went flying into the air and hit the ground, rolling away. His hands were red.

    I yelled, 'Quick, let's go to my place. I have some burn cream.'

    This was the second part of my plan. I had also bought some chemicals, some sulphuric acid to help make those burns more severe. I had mixed some of that acid into a tube of cooling cream and when we rushed back to my place, I squeezed out the yellow ooze onto his hands and he screamed again.

    'Oh my god, that stings!' he yelled.

    Mum ran in shouted, 'What have you done?' and called an ambulance.

    Before it came, I threw the tube of creamy acid in the bin. No more need for that.

    So Terry moaned his way to the hospital and I tried to look concerned. Secretly, I was excited. Excited and pleased that my plan was working. His hands were all wrapped in white bandages. The doctor asked me what happened and I told him the story minus the part where I heated up the ball and added the acid. He didn't cry at all even though his face was bright red. I hoped the injuries were permanent.

    We didn't see Terry at school that week. I went to class after class without Terry walking in. He was probably too busy getting over the shock of the burns. In the afternoon, I did my weights, took my protein powder and jogged. I was getting closer to my dreams and no one was going to get in the way.

    At training, I shot every time I got the ball, trying to show Mr. Li how much I had improved. I had so much energy, running up and down the court, I felt invincible. I was an unstoppable force, a raging bull, storming up and down the court.

    Mr. Li waved his head after training. He said, 'What's wrong with you Luke. That's no way to play basketball. It is a team sport. Now I am going to give you a chance to play this week, seeing as Luke is out again. Prove to me you can play a team game!'

    I couldn't believe he had missed all that energy I had spent on the court. I had done so much and he was still obsessed with me passing more and sharing the ball. Well, I didn't care that much anyway. Surely the scouts would realize I was better than that. They knew a real player when they saw one, that's why they were there to see me in the first place.

    The rest of the week, I focused on the game. I did six hundred push-ups and four hundred sit-ups and felt the pain surge through my body. I jogged late into the night, sipping water maintaining a decent speed. I was ready, ready to show them all and Terry wasn't going to mess things up either.

    Before the game, I stretched and jogged up and down the court. The three scouts were there, busily writing, probably impressed with my dedication.

    We started the game and I shot a three straight away, it missed. The second shot I took went in on the following possession. John passed me the ball again and I missed. There was no way I was going to share the ball this time. I was going shoot and shoot all night if I had to. The opposing team soon figured this out and started double-teaming me. I still shot over them and missed four threes in a row. Mr. Li called a time out.

    He shouted, 'Luke, what are you doing? Pass the ball!'

    But I wasn't listening. John passed me the ball on the next play and I shot again. It went in. I smiled back at him. I wasn't going to change my game for anybody, not with those scouts watching my every move. I shot again and missed, shot another and missed again.

    Mr. Li then subbed me off. He yelled, 'Aren't you listening to a word I am saying!'

    I shook my head. What was he worried about? We were winning, I was scoring. Just let me play my game!

    But he wasn't going to. I watched John try desperately to carry the team. He passed to Jacky and Jacky missed an open lay-up. I watched as the other team slowly got the lead and scored with ease. The fourth quarter came and Mr. Li didn't even look at me. We were once again trying to make a statement. It was our first loss of the season. How could we possibly win without me? Or Terry. We had no chance without us.

    After the game, the worst possible thing happened. Mr. Li walked up to me, touched me on the shoulder and said, 'I'm sorry Luke but you're off the team. I can't have you playing this way, ruining everything.'

    I pleaded with him, 'I'm sorry coach. Give me another chance.'

    But he just waved his head and left me there. I was being cut from the team, just like Michael Jordan. It was all a test, he just wanted the best for me but why was he doing it at the worst possible time? I stormed home, trying not to cry.

    I rushed into my room and did push-ups. I did so many my shoulders and chest felt like they were on fire. I wasn't going to give up, I was so close. I had to get back on that team. I had to prove to the coach that I could play the way he wanted.

    The following week I tried to sneak into training. Mr. Li stopped me. He took me into a corner and whispered, 'Luke, you know you are off the team for a reason. Now I am giving you a week off. Next week you can come back to training, and I'll keep an eye on your game.'

    I had never missed a training session. I walked out of the gym feeling strange. There was only one thing I could do. I had to change my game. I had to get better. I had to show them all I was worth it.

    The next few days I felt like a ghost. I was all empty inside knowing I couldn't go to training or play in the game on the weekend. I jogged more, jogged all over the city for hours. I thought about Terry, wondering how his hands were and how long they would take to heal. I felt so alone that the following week until finally, training arrived. I was pleased not to see Terry there. When he did game drills, I didn't take a single shot unless I was totally open under the basket. I dived for the ball, I grabbed rebounds, I passed and passed and passed. Mr. Li was smiling afterward.

    I asked him, 'So can I still play this weekend?'

    He shook his head, 'I'm affraid it is going to take more than one good training session to get back onto this team, but you've taken a step in the right direction.'

    I wasn't satisfied with his response. I stormed out of the gym and jogged right out of the school. What did he think he was doing? It was just madness holding me out for a game just to prove a point.

    Two days later I saw Terry, hands still in bandages back at school. He had the same smile on his face as nothing had ever happened.

    He said, 'Hey Luke, I just wanted to thank you you for taking care of me last week.'

    I just nodded, 'No problem, I'm glad you are OK.'

    He replied, 'Yeah, my hands are so itchy now. They should be better in a week. I'm dying to play some ball!'

    It was harder to force a smile after that. He had healed so fast, he was like some sort of superhero. Did he have a weakness? I had to find one because my chances were running out to impress those scouts.

    I needed another plan, a plan that would help me get back on track. I was already playing the best basketball I had ever played in my life, was healthier than ever and was starting to put on a bit of muscle from all the protein powder and weights. But it wasn't enough, Terry was about to creep back onto the team and I was struggling just to get on the bench. Something had to be done. I wasn't going to let my hoop dreams slip away.

    That night, after jogging, I found some interesting websites online that fueled a new plan. I downloaded an application for an exchange program in Birmingham England. I printed it out and filled it in right away. I signed my name as Terry Wang.

    The next day at school I smiled putting my plan into action.

    I told Terry, 'Hey, you want to come over to my place this weekend to study for final exams. I've got an extra mattress you can sleep on, not that I am going to do much sleeping, I need to study so hard.'

    His eyes widened. 'Yeah, I'd love to help.'

    That night I ordered more equipment for my plan. I needed tools, chains, wooden beams and steel bars. I got them all on one website. I also ordered forty-eight liters of water and seven big bags of rice. I stared at my wardrobe, imagining my masterpiece. Everything was coming together, I knew exactly what to do.

    I cleared out everything in my wardrobe. All the clothes and boxes of junk had to go. I dumped them in the big bin outside and set them alight. I watched them burn, smiling.

    The next day I took the day off school to finish my plan. The drugs arrived. The needles were all sterilized and the syringes cleaned. I tucked them under my socks draw and got to work on my wardrobe. I sawed and drilled, attached bars, linked up chains and padded the inner walls with soundproof foam. I sweated away drilling in screws and hammering in nails. Soon after I was finally done. I slid the wardrobe shut and took a sip of water. It was time to rest.

    Friday morning I received an email from Birmingham University. They had the application and it was being processed. I jogged to school leaving everything ready. I shook with anticipation. I was so nervous. My final plan was about to be put into action, all I had to do was guide it. Guide Terry into my trap.

    I watched him all day at school. He raised his hand in every class, answering questions perfectly. He had no idea that it would be his last day at school.

    After lunch, I tapped him on the back and asked him, 'So are you ready to study hard all night?'

    He replied, 'Yeah sure, but we have the training to get through first. My hands are all healed up so I'm dying to get back on court.'

    I gave him another fake smile. His hands had healed up. He wasn't even wearing any bandages, and the skin on his hands was all white and flaky.

    At training, I continued the unselfish effort. I passed to Terry for an alley-oop and he caught the ball and dunked it. Too bad that was the last time he'd ever dunk the ball. Mr. Li looked impressed after training.

    He said, 'OK OK, I will give in, you’re back on the team, but if I see any more of that hero basketball you'll be off again. By the way, one of those scouts wants to meet you this weekend after the game, he also wants to see Terry.'

    I was really smiling after that and so was Terry. We changed our clothes with wide eyes and walked out of the gym arm in arm. Everyone was probably thinking we were the best of friends. Terry was probably thinking the same.

    As we walked back to my place, I focused on my plan. Each step was vivid in my head as I opened the door. He walked into my room and sat at my desk. I handed him the drink. He took a sip, he coughed.

    He said, 'God, what's in this?'

    And fainted. Well, that was easy.

    I pulled off his clothes and changed him into my shirt and shorts. I dragged him into my wardrobe. I took out a syringe, filled it with the drugs and injected it into his arm. I lowered him onto the small space in the wardrobe and closed the door.

    The next day I played the game of my life. I even had a triple-double, twelve points, ten rebounds and ten assists. That was what impressed Mr. Zhang, the Shanghai Sharks scout the most.

    He asked me, 'Hey where is Terry Wang?'

    I replied, 'Oh Terry just left for England. He enrolled in a university prep program.'

    He shook my hand. It wasn't the last I saw of Mr. Zhang.

    It just took a few phone calls to Terry's parents to smooth things over. I even impersonated an English man pretty well in explaining his acceptance into the University preparation program. The funny thing was, two weeks later Terry actually got accepted into that course for real. I sent the documents to his parents and the school and the job was done. No one was going to come looking for him. I got a try out for the Shanghai Sharks that summer and made the development squad. Now I have three personal trainers, a personal doctor, a chiropractor an assistant following me around.

    Sure, Terry's moans get bad at night and I have to inject him with stronger drugs every week, but I am on my way now. I am on my way to achieving my hoop dreams.

    I got my starting shooting guard position back on the high school for the remaining games too and became the school's highest-ever scorer by the end of the year. It was easy without Terry hogging all my minutes. He was getting in the way and no one was going to take my dreams away from me. No one.

    Finally, it stopped and all I could do was cry. I mopped to the fridge and saw a bottle of Mum’s white wine, I opened the bottle and took a swig. Then I understood why adults drink, when they felt helpless, like me, drinking alcohol kind of soothed the pain. I didn’t go overboard, just sipped a glass slowly, thinking about Terry in his bedroom, he must have been so scared.

    That deep voice came back to me soon after and said:

    You don’t see the full picture here, Jimmy, these young people are the fallen ones, damned into this horrible existence that you think is somehow still governed by some sort of ancient moral code. That fairytale never existed and now all that is left is greed. This greed drives these young ones to do what they do, but the hell that live in adds fuel to their flames. Their forbearers have bred this into them, and it is the essence of who they are, so there is nothing you can do. Do not interfere or you will be severely reprimanded.

    When he finally stopped, I realized I was shaking and dripping with sweat. I took a shower and tried to calm down. This voice was trying to convince me to stop even though I hadn’t actually done anything yet. So you know the natural way of a young adult, you rebel and challenge any kind of thing like this and that’s what I did. I wasn’t going to let some deep, dark and scary voice bully me, no that wasn’t going to stop me. But it should’ve. I should’ve listened to the voice, but it’s too late now.