I can’t believe I didn’t shoot. Agh. I could’ve won us the game, but no, I was too busy worrying about what Omar would’ve done to me if I didn’t pass it to him. And what did he do? Miss.
Can’t do anything about it now. I’m exhausted. I just want to close my eyes and sleep like a baby. I can’t remember the last time I did that. Like, it’s literally the one thing we should all be proficient in. It’s all we did when we were fresh out of the womb and not crying or pooping ourselves.
Blame it on technology: all the glare from this stupid phone, the highlights of Curry draining threes on YouTube, getting sprung off Cardi B videos….wait, scratch that last part. Or at least don’t tell my mom.
It doesn’t help that my room and Gerrard Street don’t have much between them. Sure, there’s a wall and a large window, but I can hear everything. Cars whizzing by, people talking, dogs barking, and streetcars flying by like they have somewhere to be. Who needs to go to Main Street subway station at this hour at lightning speed? I feel like someone jolts me awake with one of those resuscitators every time one passes. Maybe I need to put a sign outside my window, like those stickers on the backs of cars announcing there’s a baby on board, but something more to the effect of “growing teen who’s an insomniac and would really benefit from sleep lives here.” Not that anyone would pay attention. It is Regent Park, after all.
Wait, it’s starting to rain, I’ve got the pedestal fan on high, and the ambient noise is starting to make me a little drowsy.
I’m not tossing and turning as much. I start to feel my body give in. Thank you, Lord. I will repay you by not replaying those Cardi B videos in my sleep.
Bang!
I jolt up. What the f-
Where’s my phone? My hands scramble to find it. My heart’s pounding a mile a minute and don’t get me started on the sweat. I hear nothing for another moment. Is it over?
Bang! Bang!
A car roars down Gerrard Street. I’m feeling around on my body. Am I hit? Am I bleeding? It’s outside-whatever went down is right outside my window.
Mom barges into my room. The doorknob smashes into the wall. She’s heaving and disheveled.
“Fawad, beta, are you okay?” she screams.
Comprehension Questions
1. What would've happened if the narrator had shot the ball during the game?
A. He would have won a record.
B. He would have won the game.
C. He would have fallen and gotten hurt.
A. There were loud shots and she was worried about her kids.
B. She heard him playing on his phone and got upset.
C. She forgot to tell him something.
Your Thoughts
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.