In The Court

Summer. The grand prize at the end of every child's rat race, known as the dreaded beast known as elementary school.Full of plastic, the gum on the underside of chairs, and the complex social hierarchy known as third grade. Shuffling from room to room, the mundanity of the routine ruins you. Then the final bell rings, and summer begins. Summer brings the freedom of doing whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. Of course, that's the ideal. In reality, Mum keeps you where she can see; the school rules still stand.

Too bad the only rules I obey are the rules of the court.

You see, in my small neighborhood of Cedar Point, there is an arena. A place where the greatest warriors of every household come to battle for glory. This Collisuem is rebuilt every year; more significant, brighter, bolder. And every summer, it is used for the most dangerous game of all: Four-Square.

I'd never been in the game long enough to reach the King's Square. And even if I did, I couldn't secure my place. It would all come crumbling down in seconds. This summer, however, was going to be different. I'd trained in gym class, grown 2 inches; I'd worked on cool catchphrases in the mirror.

So when that first Tuesday rolled around, I was ready.

*BEEP* BEEP* BEEP*

"Mrghhhh...." I said, stuffing my face under my MLP pillow. Who was the monster that set the alarm this early? Didn't they know it was summer? Suddenly, it hit me like a train. It was me! I was the monster! And it was Four-Square Day!

Tossing the pillow onto the ground (Sorry, Blue Belle!), I lept out from under my covers. I dashed towards my dresser, fumbling in my drawers for an outfit that screamed, "COOL KID!" Finding my Care Bear sweater, I yanked it over my head. After a few minutes of carefully crafting my appearance, I checked it out in my mirror. I looked like a McKid. My brown hair is held up by my favorite scrunchie, and a combo of a mint sweater, jeans, and Converse makes me look fearsome and fabulous. Sweet.

Slowly opening my door, I peer out into the hallway. My brother's door is closed, but Mum's is open. Creeping down the hallway, the carpet muffles my footsteps. I move towards the stairs. Slowly, step by step, I climb down the staircase. A few creaks are heard, but nothing unusual for our old house. Making my way to the kitchen, I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn't wake Matt. Mum sits at the table, sipping coffee out of a mug. She's already wearing her business suit and pumps.

"Hi, sweetie. Where are you off to this early?" she said, placing her mug on the counter.

"I'm playing Four-Square today," I responded, opening the freezer. Ooh! Eggos. Yesss! Grabbing the box, I closed the door.

"Sounds fun. Also, tell Matt he needs to make dinner tonight when you come home. I'm working late, cleaning up the office." Mum said, kissing my head. I nodded, placing my Eggos on a plate.

"Love you, Kim-Bear!" she shouted as she left the house.

"Love you too." I said to no one.

After I had eaten a VERY healthy breakfast, I grabbed my house key and threw it around my neck. Locking up the house, I headed towards the garage. Unlocking the side door, I ran in to grab my bike. My bike was a work of art- basket, lights, glitter, and a loud bell. When I rode down Mason Road on that, I felt unstoppable. Pushing it through the door, I hopped on my bike and pedaled down to the Cul-De-Sac, where, conveniently, outside of Amanda's House, the game of our summer would begin.

One thing you should know about Four-Square is that not everyone can play. Only kids 5-13 are allowed; even then, some 6 or 7-year-olds can be told no. Luckily, as a ten-year-old, I don't have that problem. I've been playing since I was 6 and have only gotten better. I'm considered a pretty good player.

But nobody has ever beaten Bobby. Ever.

He'll show up around two hours after we officially start and slink in at the end of the line. Slowly, he moves forward. Then he reaches the court, and the fun begins. It's tooth and nail as the players fight to advance or keep their place inside the square. Bobby slams down the red rubber ball on the pavement repeatedly. Serve, SLAM. Serve, SLAM. Out, out out. Once he reaches King, there's no dethroning him. And such the story goes summer and summer again.

It was 1986; this would be the last time the crown rested upon his golden curls. I would be crowned queen, Queen Kimberley of Amanda's Court. Such went my vivid fantasy as I pedaled up and around the island. Amanda and the other kids were already there, sipping store-bought lemonade from plastic cups, sitting on her front porch.

"Hi, Kimberly!" Amanda said cheerily, waving. Bounding down her front steps, hair beads clanking against each other, she stopped before me.

"Oooh, love your sweater! I have one of Funshine Bear. Are you here to sign up?" she said, pressing a clipboard and a Lisa Frank pencil into my hands. I looked down at the list. Everyone in the neighborhood and their mom must have signed up; the list was crammed with names. However, the first name on the list was stupid Bobby Ross.

So, naturally, I wrote my name right next to his.

"Great! Help yourself to some lemonade and cookies. Sam will draw the court promptly at 9." Glancing down at my Swatch, I saw it was 8:58. Perfect. Walking up the driveway, I went to park my bike next to everyone else's. Popping my kickstand, I caught fragments of conversation as I steadied my bike. As I stood up after locking it (You never know in Suburbia), I felt someone tap my shoulder. Whirling around, I saw no one else but Bobby grinning in my face. I wanted to punch that smug, perfect smile right off his freckled face, but I restrained myself. You can "accidentally" make him lose a tooth later. It's best to maintain civil courtesy for now.

"Hey, Kim-brr-lee," he said, enunciating each syllable. You ready to be crushed?" Smirking, he received fist bumps from the rest of his empty-headed crew.

"In your dreams, Bob-bee. Prepare to be dethroned." I said, spitting fire. Crossing my arms, I smirked right back at him. Daggers flew. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the shrill sound of a whistle. Turning around, we saw Justin, Amanda's older brother, lower the plastic eardrum-torture deice from his lips. Next to him, Amanda bounced THE ball on the driveway.

"Children of Cedar Point, are you ready to play some Four-Square?" she shouted, raising her fist.

"YEAH!!!" we all screamed, jumping up and down. The energy, the excitement, was overwhelming.

"Who will be the King or Queen of the Court this summer? But before we begin the first official match, it's time for the ceremonial drawing of the First Court. And to do that this year, it's none other than Sam Olsen!" Amanda said, reaching into her bucket of sidewalk chalk and pulling out a glittery red stick. Passing it to Sam, who was staring at the ground intensely, she dusted her hand off on her pants.

Sam took a deep breath, bent low to the ground, turned around, and drew the STRAIGHTEST LINE I had ever seen. Then he did again, and again, and again until we had a square that was so beautiful Leonardo Da Vinci would have wept at its perfectness.

Shell-shocked applause rang around the group, but Sam just nodded, handed the chalk back to Amanda, and dissolved into the crowd.

Returning the chalk to its rightful place in the bucket and grabbing a yellow one, Amanda smiled and turned to us.

"Isn't Sam amazing?" she said, walking towards the center of the court. Then she sat in the middle, and in each little corner, she drew a symbol. 3, 2, 1, and the crown.

I wanted that crown. No, I needed that crown.

"Our defending champion, Bobby Ross, will take the King's Square." Amanda gestured towards the crown, and Bobby marched forward, planting his feet on the concrete like a statue. A statue that was about to come crumbling down.

"Jennifer H, who held the crown for three turns last summer, will take square 3. Dave will take box 2, which means he has to survive the serve, and Melissa will guard box one. I'll be refereeing, as usual. Everyone else, get in line. Now, who's ready to play?" Amanda shouted, and we rushed together. The line went from the arena all the way to the fire hydrant. I looked ahead and behind me, and I was about in the middle. Good.

"Now let the games begin!" she yelled, and Justin blew his whistle. It was official. The battle for glory had begun.

----------------------------------------------------------------

It had been about four hours, and my will was draining. I had been hit with that darn rubber ball more times than I could count, and Bobby was still in the King's Square.

"Come at me, twerps!" he hollered, banging on his chest like a gorilla.

"What, are you cowards?" Bobby said, chuckling to himself. He bounced the red ball, once, twice on the ground.

I wasn't a pushover, but there was no chance I could take him out. We had thirty official minutes left, and everyone was faded. We had been pummeled, pounded, and ran out of air plenty of times. Yet still, STILL, Bobby remained in the King's Square. His buffoons occupied the third and second squares. The entry square remained open.

"Now, who's gonna get me out?" He boasted, receiving high-fives from his cronies. No one said anything; just kind of looked down at the ground.

"Me." I said, then INSTANTLY regretted it. Suddenly, every pair of eyes were on me, and Bobby chuckled.

"Really? Okay, good luck." he snarled. I stepped into the arena, feeling...not nervous? I felt like He-Man, about to save the universe from Skeletor again. This was my time. The kids went silent as Bobby slammed the ball against the ground, bouncing on the pavement towards... actually, I didn't know the boy's name. I knew he was out, though, because the ball swirled into his gut, sending him backward onto his butt.

"Out!" Amanda declared, and two other neighbors helped him stand. He wandered off towards the picked-over cookies. I advanced to second, and Gemma moved in to take my place. She flashed me a thumbs up, grinning a patchy grin.

"You've got this, Kimberly!" she said.

I nodded what I hoped was confident. Bobby had just nailed a guy straight in the gut. And it looked painful.

"No, she doesn't." Bobby laughed, sending the red ball hurtling my way in a powerful bounce. It flew toward my face, so I raised my hands to block it, and it boinged right back to Bobby. Hitting the ground once, the ball was smacked again toward me, but this time I was ready. I hit that red rubber ball with everything I had, letting it soar into Random Buffoon number two's box. He lunged for it but missed, landing on the ground with a thump.

"Out!" Amanda said, running towards the boy. He stood up and hobbled away. By now, the crowd was watching with bated breath. I was closer than anyone had ever gotten before.

"Final round!" Amanda shouted, and oh, how the pressure was on. This was an underdog story, the peasant defeating the tyrant. The people wanted a happy ending, and by god, I would give it to them.

"Prepare to lose, Bobby. " I whispered, steadying myself.

"In your dreams," he said, raising the ball above his head and thrusting it like a giant toward Gemma, who was jumping to reach it.

"Take it away, Kimberley!" she exclaimed, slamming the ball in my direction. I took that red rubber ball, which I had been playing for YEARS, and poured everything into that slam. I hit it with the force of every single kid watching me, and I sent it flying toward the risky corner of the court. If this worked, I would be worshipped. If not, well...

It's not like anyone did any better.

Everything slowed down as the ball spiraled toward the corner. The crowd, and I, held our breath. Bobby dove for the ball, palms flat, hoping to smack it away. But it was too late. The red rubber ball bounced outside the chalk line, INSIDE THE SQUARE, and hopped out. Bobby crumpled onto the concrete. The crowd erupted in screams and cheers.

"OUT! BOBBY IS OUT! KIMBERLEY WINS!" Amanda hollered, raising my fist in the air. People rushed towards me, hugging me and lifting me into the sky. I grabbed Gemma and pulled her with me; the kids raised her too. We giggled and put our hands toward the sun.

"Suck it, Bobby Ross!" I screamed. And my neighbors carried me away.

Yeah, that was a good summer. I miss those days of Four-Square and friendship and lemonade with ice. But now I watch my little girls go outside and play under the bright June sun. And I still feel the accomplishment and pride of beating Bobby. Coming home and bragging, getting a hug from Mom and a hair ruffle from Matt. I was on top of the world.

Now it's back to square one.