Brais bounced a big orange ball at Club Águilas. Squeak, bounce. His teammates cheered.
Brais smiled and dribbled past the other kids. He passed to Mateo — swish!
Brais wore a green jersey at Sportivo Luqueño. It was brand new. A whistle blew sharp.
He walked onto the court and the other players were huge. He dropped the ball. Nobody noticed it roll under a bench.
Brais tried again and again. He practiced passing until his hands hurt. Squeak, bounce, pass.
Squeak, bounce, pass. The gym smelled like rubber and sweat. Brais kept going.
Game time! Brais ran too fast and the ball hit his foot. Boing! It landed right in his coach's arms.
The whole team laughed out loud. Brais didn't cry. He picked up the ball and tried again.
Brais dribbled down the court and shoots. Swish! His new teammates ran over to him.
High one, high two, high five. They all cheered. Brais smiled wide.
They all cheered. Brais stayed on the court, bouncing the ball one more time.
Squeak, bounce. Swish. Brais couldn't wait to play again.