CHAPTER 11

GOOD AT SOMETHING

     By the time we got home from summer school, I had to get ready for lacrosse practice. Another thing Bones and I don't have in common. I played on our town's U14 travel team—one of the best in Bergen County and ranked in the country.

     It was this past spring that Bones had insisted on trying out for one of the two travel teams, even though he hadn't played in a couple of years and he wasn't good when he played back then anyway.

     I warned him that he didn't have a good chance to even make the B Team and that all the other kids would have a field day with him. But none of that stopped Bones from trying out. He didn't care what other people thought.

     On day one of tryouts, Bones tried out as a defense- man. It was my advice that, maybe with his long arms and the long stick, he might be able to stop some of the guys who weren't so great. Big mistake.

     The coach lined up some midfielders to go one-on-one with the defense. Bones was up against Timmy O'Mara. Everyone called O'Mara "Big Juke" because he was one of the best players in the country and could get around anyone.

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