HANDSOME ME
Wanda Thomas

EXCERPT

It was a bright, sunny day. Everyone was in the playground. As Trevor walked by, his friends yelled out to him.

"Hey, Trevor!" Eric shouted. He stood on a basketball court where several boys were already playing.

"Hey, Eric!" Trevor shouted back through the fence. "What's up?" "Come shoot some hoops with us," Eric said.

"Sure," Trevor said, then ran through the opening in the playground's wire fence onto the playground.

His foot barely touched the court when the ball came sailing out of the air towards him. In one smooth move, he caught the ball, ran up to the basket and made a perfect shot off of the backboard.

A small group of girls had begun to crowd around the court to watch. It was hard not to notice Trevor. He had skills way beyond those of the other players, and the girls immediately began to talk about him.

"That boy can play some basketball," one girl named Joy, said.

"Oh, look, he's coming this way," said another girl named Tanya, as Trevor moved down the court again to make a fast play.

Even though he was playing, Trevor had noticed the girls, and could hear everything they were saying about him. So he smiled and began a series of cool moves to impress them ...