All the players were on the court, shooting hoops when we went outside. The coach was sitting in the stands with some other senior players, observing the tryouts. We went to the basket with the balls, and each of us took one.

- "Hey, Beith, start with a dunk," I whispered to him.

He looked at me and smiled. Beith was tall, well-built, and could dunk quite easily. He went to the three-point line, took a few steps, jumped, and the next moment, his hand touched the rim, and the ball went in. Everyone turned and applauded. We threw more shots, and I hardly missed any, until our coach called us to the center to speak. He was just over fifty, tall with a belly, and a thick black mustache.

- "Alright, kids, as you know, I'm Coach Varen, and today we have tryouts. Four of you will make it to the team based on your performance today. Warm-up and exercises will be led by our team captain, Jade."

Jade came behind the coach and greeted us. He was in the second grade and overly popular. This year would be his first as the team captain because he was the best player last year, and also, his father was among the most important members of the city council. I knew him for several years because he also lived on the opposite bank from the city, in a good neighborhood. He was quite tall with mixed brown hair, but he seemed overly skinny.

After warming up and shooting, he decided that the next exercise should be a one-on-one game. He paired up everyone except me. I barely rejoiced, thinking that my athleticism and accuracy had already convinced him during warm-up, but as it turned out, he had other plans.

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- "You, Dave, with me, last ones," shouted, and I followed him towards the end of the line with the pairs.

Despite training with Professor Stuart, I always trained individually and had never faced another opponent, and this one was definitely not easy.

- "Tell me, Dave, what do you expect from the season?" he asked while we waited in line.

- "I didn't understand what you mean."

- "Everyone comes with some ambitions, and I want to see yours."

- "Nothing special for this year," I replied quite indifferently and honestly.

- "So, the position of the school president doesn't interest you?"

- "Probably not," I answered, confident about what he expected from the conversation. He knew I was the most popular student in the school and that if I wanted to become president, I could easily achieve it. Now, however, knowing that I don't threaten him, he would like me to help him.

- "At least you know whom you'll support."

- "I haven't learned about the candidates yet, and…"

Coach Varen's whistle sounded for us this time, and after Jayne gave me a fierce look, he went to the defensive position. I waited at the three-point line to get the ball. The first to score in the two baskets won the round. Coach Varen threw me the ball, and after a brief moment of anxiety, I tried to focus. Jayne had given me some space, a perfect opportunity to take a shot from a distance. I ran as fast as I could to the open space, shot, and it went in. A celebration escaped from my mouth. Now, it was his turn for the attack. I had already given him a hard time, but as the son of such an important council member, he shouldn't get upset with me. I let him get close to the basket with a rudimentary defense, and he scored the point. We returned to the line and waited for our turn again.

- "Look, I don't want to get involved in the school elections because I know how much opinions will influence, but I wish you good luck."

- "I hope you keep your word then and don't get involved at all," he told me with a slight annoyance but also a hint of anxiety in his voice.

The rest of the practice went smoothly, and from what I could predict, both Beith and I had comfortably made it into the team.