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    On Guard
    On Guard
    On Guard
    Ebook72 pages44 minutes

    On Guard

    By Patrick Jones

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    About this ebook

    Point guard Mercedes Morgan is on track to set the all-state record for three-pointers. She's even caught the attention of a big-time college recruiter. But her sister has fallen in with a gang from the old neighborhood, and a drive-by shooting lands her in a coma. Now their little brother might be headed down the same dangerous path. Can the star player help her family leave the past behind them while also saving her season, or will they always be on guard?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2016
    ISBN9781512419276
    Author

    Patrick Jones

    Patrick Jones lives in Minneapolis and is the author of many novels including the Support and Defend series. A former librarian, Jones received lifetime achievement awards from the American Library Association and the Catholic Library Association.

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      Book preview

      On Guard - Patrick Jones

      Megan

      1

      Mercedes Morgan’s shot exploded like a bullet: fast, accurate, and painful to her enemy.

      Three! the point guard, Cheryl, yelled in delight. The other starters of the Birmingham North Wildcats team—Halle, Toni, and A.J.—followed with slaps and bumps.

      Mercedes didn’t acknowledge her teammates, the shot, or the score. To do so meant removing her don’t mess with me game face, letting down her guard, and rejoicing about something small. It was three points. The first of many she figured she’d score in her senior year.

      Back on defense, Mercedes kept her left arm outstretched in front, waiting for her chance to swat the ball from the Hoover guard. The Hoover guard cut left, but Mercedes hung tight. She closed off all good options and forced a bad pass. The other team would score, that was a given, but Mercedes didn’t want any to come from her zone. She owned it like gangs owned blocks back in her old neighborhood.

      Before the second quarter, Coach Johnson told the other players to feed Mercedes the ball. She’s hotter than Alabama in August, Coach said.

      As Mercedes walked toward the locker at the end of the half, she took inventory of the sparsely populated bleachers. Jade? Yes! Mom? Yes, always. Dad? No, working, also always. Little brother, Lincoln? Yes, but not happy about it. Big sister, Callie? Never.

      Mercedes knew where Callie would be, but she tried to block the image like she rejected shots. Callie never sat in the stands. She stood on a corner in their old neighborhood. There Callie dealt in danger, always on guard, not knowing when her number would come up. Not if, Mercedes thought, but when.

      2

      Wait up! Jade yelled as she raced toward Mercedes, her thickness weighed down with multiple rings, bracelets, and necklaces. Everything about jiggling Jade made Mercedes smile.

      Cheryl gently poked Mercedes’s side. Mercedes had been elbowed so many times on the court that her taut stomach absorbed the blow. Jade’s so all about you, Cheryl said in words barely audible through her laughter. The rest of the Wildcat starting five agreed. They were gathered around Mercedes’s locker as they were every school morning.

      I don’t have time for Jade during the season. Mercedes checked the schedule on her cell. School. Practice. Study. Family. Mercedes knew she’d only be able to give Jade the time she deserved if a genius invented a longer day, but that didn’t seem possible.

      You lie, Halle said. Mercedes’s embarrassed face didn’t deny it.

      When Mercedes turned to leave, Cheryl latched onto her arm, holding her in place until Jade arrived. Almost a foot shorter than Mercedes, Jade sometimes made Mercedes feel like a giraffe in the hallway, unlike the gazelle she resembled on the court.

      Sorry I’m late, Jade said, catching her breath. Mercedes waited for her to give a reason, but Jade just removed her backward Barons ball cap and tossed it into the overstuffed locker that they shared. Jade unloaded her bag and took out the books for her morning classes. Both she and Mercedes held AP Calculus texts.

      Mercedes tried not to be suspicious as she watched Jade. She loved the silver Love necklace that hung around Jade’s neck. Mercedes had given her the necklace on their one-year anniversary. She hated the green Loyalty tattoo Jade had inked on her left arm before they’d met—it looked a lot like the one that Callie wore with pride. Mercedes wondered if Lincoln hid one under his long sleeves.

      See you after practice? Mercedes asked softly, trying not to flinch. Getting a shot blocked on the court was a bad feeling, but having Jade say no to her for any reason was worse.

      Always, Jade said before she

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