Rebound: A 2nd Chance

Ms. Yuller and the rest of the guys on the bench jumped to their feet after seeing Jason run into the screen at full speed.

The referee blew his whistle before shouting "Number 3 illegal screen! Jefferson gains possession!"

Kyle was the closest one during the play so he ended up being the first to reach Jason as he ran over to him as he laid on the floor.

He didn't move him but he knelt down beside Jason "Hey you okay? Can you hear me? Jason?"

Jason wasn't able to respond right away. He was a bit rattled after the impact. He also had some difficulty breathing as he felt the wind get knocked out of him during the collision.

Trell was about to run on to the court and give the screener a piece of his mind but he was stopped by DJ.

He shook his head at Trell "Cool it bro. It might have looked bad but that was still a basketball play. It ain't like he socked him in the face."

Trell shook DJ's hand off of his shoulder "Hell it was. How in the world did that look like a clean play to you? The bitch moved just as Jason was about to go by him. That was an illegal screen!"

DJ grabbed Trell by the shoulder again "I never said that it was a clean play. Obviously the screen was illegal.

But that was still an action that can be explained as a basketball move. You can't just go out there and throw hands in the middle of a game Trell."

Trell snorted before pushing his way forward "Oh yeah? Then how about I set a screen and give that jack ass a taste of his own medicine?

I might not be as tall as him but I bet you can set a screen hard enough to make the dude wake up in a different country."

DJ was getting dragged by Trell. He knew that he wasn't strong enough to stop him by himself so he yelled out for some help "Vince get your tall ass over here!"

Vince ran toward the two of them as he put Trell into a bear hug in an attempt to keep him from getting on the court.

Unfortunately for them they had underestimated Trell's insane strength. Even without working out or doing any kind of training Trell's physique was enough to put him at the top of the food chain at Jefferson Middle School.

After playing basketball for several months and following the personal training regimen that Jason had designed for him he had only added to his immense god given strength.

DJ began to panic after realizing that both he and Vince were being dragged toward the court by Trell "Why the hell does this crazy fuck have to be so strong."

Vince yelled as he tried to plea with Trell "Come on bro! Just take a fucking seat and cool down!"

But Trell couldn't hear them. All he could think about was how Jason got himself ejected from the game because of him.

And how Jason willingly put himself under the scrutiny of the media just to send a message to the player that was talking trash about him.

He then thought about Coach Swendel who took all of the heat from the news outlets and the middle school basketball committee in order to minimize the impact it would have on the team.

He kept thinking about the words that Coach Swendel had said during his interview on the news 'I am trying to teach the boys on my team how to live like human beings.

And the most important part of being human is your dignity.-

Jason did nothing wrong because what he did was stand up for his brother's dignity on the basketball court.-

Our team isn't just a team, It's a family. So if standing by your family and making sure that your brother's know that you have their back counts as unsportsmanlike conduct I will gladly have my players toss aside their sportsmanship.'

Just as Trell was about to step on to the court he felt a pair of gentle hands touch the sides of his face.

Trell saw Ms. Yuller looking at him straight in the eyes with a kind smile on her face "It's admirable to see how much you care for your teammate Trell.

I know that you just want to do what you feel is best. You probably feel like you have to step on to the floor and exact some sort of vengeance. 

But even though Jason is on the floor take a look at his eyes. Do they look like the eyes of a man that has been defeated?

Do they look like the eyes of someone that has given up on the fight and needs someone to come to his rescue?"

Ms. Yuller's cold and soothing touch combined with her gentle gaze was enough to quell some of the anger burning in Trell's heart.

He did as she said and took a look at Jason who was still laying on the floor of the court. Although it was clear to see that Jason was having some trouble catching his breathe his eyes were shining with excitement.

Those were the eyes of someone who was ready to accept the challenge that was just thrown before him.

DJ and Vince were able to relax after feeling Trell let go of his strength. The two of them sighed in relief.

Ms. Yuller smiled at Trell "Bravo Monsieur Trell! Ç est magnifique! I am glad to see you making such a beautiful choice. Now as they say in the world of theater, the show must go on!"

- - -

Billy and Troy were both in the crowd as they saw the brutal results of Jason running full speed into the screen.

The two of them were then surprised to see Jason try to sit up just second after the collision. Troy whistles out in amazement.

"Damn! The kid is a trooper that's for sure. How much weight you think he's giving up? Fifty (22.67kg) maybe sixty pounds (27.21kg)? And he ran into that screen at full force."

Billy shook his head as he answered "I don't know. But Jason was giving up a lot of size to the screener.

But I don't get it. Millbrook's players are all seasoned athletes who have been playing since a young age.

They were lucky that the ref didn't see the jersey grab. Then there was the lost possession from being too aggressive in getting over the screen.

And now they set a clearly illegal screen? It doesn't make sense for them to have so many sloppy plays back to back."

Troy thought about it. After a few moments he spoke "Do you think they're doing it on purpose?"

Billy was shocked by Troy's proposal "You think they're doing all of this shit on purpose? Why the hell would they do that?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders "Maybe they're being more physical to send a message to Jefferson. Something like 'Even if you beat us we won't make it easy'?

Or maybe they just want to get under their skin. Because of their recent incidents everyone knows that Jefferson has a short fuse. Especially Trell and Jason.

Haha speak of the devil. Hey Billy, why don't you take a look at Jefferson's bench real quick?" Billy turned his attention to Jefferson's bench just as Troy suggested.

He saw one of the bench players trying to calm down Trell. He then saw as another bench player joined in an attempt to prevent Trell from stepping on to the court.

Billy sighed "Jesus, the kid just got off of a one game suspension and now he wants to do this? I don't know if they'll get away with just having to get a new coach if they have another incident on their hands."

Billy was then surprised to see that Jefferson's new coach had managed to calm down Trell. Billy turned to Troy.

"Hey Troy, do you know who Jefferson's new coach is? I don't think I've ever seen her before. Did they bring her in from out of state? Was she a coach for a female program?"

Troy cracked a smile before shaking his head "Beats me. She's as fresh a face to me as she is to you. But if she did coach before then she has to be from out of state.

There is no way in hell I would have let a flower as fine as that coast under my radar" Troy then began to lick his lips.

- - -

Back on the court. After a few minutes Jason was able to catch his breathe and stand back up. Kyle looked at him with a worried expression.

"Yo Jaya that was a really hard hit man. I think you should sit this one out. Or at least take a break. You hit the floor pretty hard."

Jason shook his head as he smiled at Kyle "It's okay Kyle. You forget that I grew up with Tory as a childhood friend.

She didn't learn how to control her gorilla strength until she got into high school. I've taken way harder hits before.

And besides it's not like I blacked out or anything.If I did then I would have to go under concussion protocol."

Kyle was still worried but after seeing how confident Jason looked he decided to concede for the moment "Alright, but if you feel even just the tiniest bit off make sure you let us know okay?"

Jason nodded his head "You gotta stop worrying so much. I took a way harder fall back at the mall remember?

And besides, I'm not the type of guy to back down from a challenge. And I think I know what kind of game Millbrook wants to play. Well I hope they're ready cause this was just round one."