Zora POV

I

t was basketball season again and we just got back from our basketball game and we were on a winning streak. I also became captain which I couldn't be more excited about. Carlton also became team manager which is great because this is Will's thing and we don't want a repeat of last year

We walked into the Banks house as we were all singing and clapping

♪ When the saints ♪ we all sang
♪ Oh when the saints ♪ Will sang as we walked through the kitchen

♪ Go marchin' in ♪  we all sang
♪ Go marchin' in ♪ Will sang

♪ Oh when the saints
go marchin' in ♪ we all sang as Will started vocalizing

♪ Oh how I want to be
in that number ♪ we all sang

♪ Oh when the saints
go marchin' in ♪ we all sang as we made it to the living room

♪ Who dat? Who dat? ♪ Carlton sang
♪ What? What? What? What? ♪ Will sang holding his ear

♪ Who dat say
they're gonna beat Will Smith? ♪ Carlton sang as I laughed at their silliness

♪ What? Bop-bop ♪ Will sang
♪ Who dat? Who dat? ♪ I sang joining in

♪ Who dat say they're gonna beat
Will Smith? ♪ we all sang as we all cheered

"Hey, hey, Aunt Viv, Uncle Phil, we did it. We won again. We're 4 and 0." Will said

"And at our next game, there's gonna be a recruiter. From Georgetown University." Carlton told them

"Oh, that's great, kids. Why don't you go upstairs, get my wallet and take your friends
to the movies in Pittsburgh?" Mr. Banks asked

"Sorry about the unexpected guests, dad.
And as manager of the team, I take full responsibility." Carlton said

"That's very honorable, son. You're grounded." Mr. Banks told him as I rubbed his shoulder

"Philip, I think it's nice that the kids feel welcome and wanna be around us." Mrs. Banks told him

"Actually, we got kicked out of six other people's cribs and a 7-eleven parking lot.
But you-you mind if we just hang around here, you know order a couple of pizzas or somethin'?"

"Well, it is a very special night for you, Will. Sure." Mr. Banks said

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Uncle Phil. Hey, you know what, man? Uh, t-this just feels great.
'Cause I remember a time when, you know, me and you didn't get along so good, you know? All the yelling and screaming.....you telling me get on the first plane back to Philly. Hey, but this is now, and that was this morning." Will told him

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Today Ty, Will, and I were gonna pig out on fast food before the big game on Friday. Since I didn't want to get my good clothes dirty I put on a sports bra and Carlton's basketball shirt

I was sitting in the kitchen woth Will as he was staring at my chest. I rolled my eyes and smacked the back of his head as he winced

"What is in the milk you drinking" Will asked rubbing his head

"Yo, Ty, man, what took you so long?" Will asked as Ty walked in with our food

"Hey, you ever try going to seven fast-food joints on a city bus?" Ty asked as we all went to the table

"Uh, no, I'm saving that for prom night." Will said

"You got your ribs. You got your fried chicken.
Your hot wings. Your smokey links, your barbecued kielbasa and a bean pie fresh from the corner." Ty said as we all sat down and began eating

"You want some hot sauce on that?" I asked them as they nodded as I grabbed the spray bottle and began putting hot sauce

We all took a bit from the food and began coughing at how spicy it was and took a drink from our sodas

"Needs a little bit more." Will said as Ty and I nodded and began putting some more

"Will, you shouldn't be eating that garbage.
Everyone knows while you're in training
no fats, no chocolate and no women." Carlton said walking into the kitchen

"Then I should probably cancel my date
with that fat chocolate woman." Will said

"Will, you pitiful Maalox poster child. You should try to be more like Zora and watch what you eat" Carlton said as they all looked at me

"What" I asked with a mouthful of food looking up at them confused

"Get that grease buffet out of here and let's go to the game. Malibu Prep is playing Brentley High tonight and I want you to check out Malibu's guard, Marcus Stokes." Carlton said

"I'm from Philly, homes, ain't nobody from Malibu gonna beat me in basketball. Besides, I'm the greatest I'm a bad man, and I'm pretty." Will said as Ty and I laughed

"Will, you better listen to me if you want me to be your manager." Carlton told him.

"My manager? I don't even want you to be my cousin." Will told him

"I didn't hear that." Carlton said

"He said he don't even want you to be his cousin." Ty repeated

"Fine. I'll just go to the game myself. And when I get back, I'll tell dad that little circle in your wallet's not your lucky half dollar." Carlton blackmailed him

"Hey, hey, shall we take my car or the Volvo?" Will asked

Before we left I went put on Carlton's letterman jacket as we drove to Malibu Prep

Will, Ty, Carlton, Neil, and I walked into the gym. I invited Neil because he had nothing better to do plus he's never been to a basketball game so I decided to let him come.

"I'll say one thing for Malibu. The babes areprimo delecto.Surf's up." Carlton said as the cheerleaders ran past us

"And that ain't all, that must be jam 'cause jelly don't shake like that." Will said

"Mm-mm-mm-mm. Yo, slimmie, need some help with your African-American studies?
We can go to my place and let freedom ring." Ty told a girl following her as I rolled my eyes

"You guys are gross" I told them as the buzzer rang as Neil, Will, Carlton, and I went sit down

"We're in the final quarter of this ball game.'
Stokes will take the ball out at half-court. He passes it to Miller. Miller back to Stokes.'
Stokes shoots the jumper." The man on the PA said as Marcus shot the ball and the crowd cheered

"Bingo! This kid doesn't miss." The announcer said

"I don't get this sport. What's fun about watching people run up and down a court for 4 quarters" Neil said

"Brentley down, shoots. No soap. They've been throwing up dead bricks all night.'
Pelicans rebound, Marcus the great'
brings the ball downcourt. He looks left, spins right. Swish! Stokes is a one-man game!" The man on the PA said

"He's really good" I told them watching Marcus

"Wow. Did you see Marcus Stokes jump?" Carlton asked

"Poof. Luck." Will said

"How was that luck?" I asked

"If I didn't know better. You sound like you're a little bit intimated by him" Neil said as I oohed

"He's lucky I'm not out there. Guys, the brother's from Malibu. The only tough break he had is when the Izod shop ran out of pink." Will said

"God, I hate when that happens." Carlton said as we looked over and saw Coach Smiley
sit next to us wearing a trenchcoat, sunglasses, fake beard, and a hat

"Hey, Coach Smiley, what's going on?" Will asked

"Shut up, Smith. Can't you see I'm incognito?
Give me 20 laps first thing Monday. Oh,
wait. I don't want you hurting your legs before the big game. Banks, do his laps for him." Coach said as he pulled out binoculars

"So what do you see, coach?" I asked

"Not a damn thing, mini Allen. It's part of the disguise." He said

"Stokes has the ball. He moves to his right. Drive to the hoop. A reverse lay-up!" The announcer said as the crowd cheered

"He scores! Stokes dribbles. Takes a pass.'
Takes it strong to the hoop again! It's in!" The crowd cheered again

"Stokes has done everything tonight except sell hot dogs.' Stokes steals the ball,
drives it..Oh, my goodness! How sweet it is!" The announcer said

"Marcus! Marcus! Marcus.." The crowd cheered as Neil stood up cheering too as we all gave him a look

"What he's really good" Neil said sitting back down as we continued watching the game

"Three seconds left. Stokes with a jumper." The announcer

"Be aggressive! Passive aggressive!" Neil yelled. I guess he got his head in the game.

"Swish! The game is over! The game is over!'
In my opinion, Marcus Stokes is gonna be'
one hell of a college basketball player!" The announcer said

"That was exhilarating Zora. I can't believe how much fun I had" Neil told me as we walked down the bleachers

"Why have you never been to a game" I asked him.

"My dad thinks sports and extracurriculars are a waste of time. If they don't help me get into med school. I don't need them" Neil told me

"Well you're invited to our next game if you would like to come" I told him as we walked up to Marcus who was taking pictures

"Hey, Marcus. What's up, man? Will Smith.
You probably recognize me from my picture in the sports page. Uh, they said that I'm a superbly well-oiled machine with the face of an angel and the body of a god!" Will told him shaking his hand

"May-maybe that's not an exact quote, uh, but.." Will trailed off

"No, I don't recognize the face, brother
but I do recognize them ears. They covered up half of "Dear Abby." Marcus told him.as everyone laughed

"Nobody talks about my friends ears" I yelled charging at him but Will calmed me down

I liked Will's ears they suited him. They remind me of Dumbo or Dopey.

"Calm down Zee" Will told me

"Hey, you had a pretty cute game out there tonight." Will told Marcus

"Oh, man, I'm glad you enjoyed it, brother
cause I'm gonna do the same thing to your butt next week." Marcus told him as everyone cheered

"Hey, I'm glad you're familiar with that
because my butt is the only part of my anatomy you're gonna see next week." Will said as I hyped him up

"Oh, really? Well..I'll bring a couple of umbrellas for you and that scout cause I'm gonna be raining jump shots." Marcus said

"Alright, hold on, hold on, I'm the only reason
that scout is coming in the first place. Only scout looking for you trying to sell you some cookies." Will said as Ty and I hyped him up

"I like your style, Will,I definitely like your style but let me be the first to congratulate you ahead of time for being voted most likely to bag my groceries." Marcus told him

"Yeah? Well, I got just one thing to say to you, Mr. Hotshot. Uh, you may be tall and good-looking and-and a good basketball player but you're not that nice!" Carlton jumped in

"It's okay you tried" I told him as we all walked out the gym

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It was time for the big game against Malibu Prep as Carlton and I went go wake up Will who was sleeping out outside

"Will. Will. Will, wake up. Come on. It's time for the game." I said shaking him awake

"Oh, man. I dreamed you had hair like Don King." Will told Carlton

"Did I look taller?" Carlton asked

"So you ready to show that scout what we're made of?" Carlton asked him

"Yeah, I guess so." He told us

"Guess so? What kind of attitude is that for a champ? Come on!" I told him as we walked into the kitchen 

"Hey, hey, Carlton, Zee. You-you think it's rough having a kid?" Will asked

"I don't think so, you just hand out cigars
and hope its head rounds out." Carlton told him

We were all in the gym as everyone came out to support even my grandfather. I saw Neil walk in decked out in Bel Air swag.

"What are you wearing" I asked walking up to him

"I love to basketball now. Everything I'm wearing is Bel Air even my boxers. You wanna see" He asked as I shook my head

"No keep your pants on" I told him as he nodded

"Mr. Allen" he yelled to my grandfather as they began hooting

"My family is weird" I said as I walked to join the other cheerleaders

The whistled blew as we all cheered as both teams walked on the court

"And here's the tip-off. Look at Will Smith leap!' He taps the ball to Jones. Jones back to Smith. And Smith draws first blood
for Bel-Air Prep.'" The announcer said as we all cheered

"Marcus Stokes has the ball for Malibu. Driving the lane and scoring! Stokes
looking for the open man takes the jumper
for two points!" The announcer said

"Will Smith coming right back at it. In your face!'" The announcer said as we all cheered

"Call the fire department. Stokes and Smith are smokin'.'" The announcer said as we continued watching the game

It was the second quater with only 5:00 minutes left and the score was Bel Air 48- Malibu 44

"Smith steals the ball. Driving the lane.'
A lay-up! He's poetry in motion." The announcer said as we all cheered

"Marcus has the ball. He drives. Switch!'
It's been Smith and Stokes all night. Jump shot Will Smith. He's got 30 points." The announcer said as Malibu cheered

"Stokes shoots the jumper. It's money in the bank. Stokes falls back on defense. This has been an old-fashioned barn-burner. Bel-Air Prep by two points. Stokes and Smith could start their own pro team. Holy mackerel, another two points for Will Smith." The announcer said as we all cheered

"Stokes comes right back at him. He drives and lays it in! These two kids are magnificent! Have you ever seen anything like it?" The announcer said

It was not the 3rd quarter with only  2 minutes and 30 seconds left and Bel Air had 72 and Malibu had 70

'Smith dribbles upcourt. He stops, he pops, it drops! Two points!" The announcer said

It was finally the 4th quarter and there was only 1 minute and 50 seconds. The score was. Malibu 87 Bel Air 86

This one is too close to call and the fans are loving every minute of it. Stokes looks tired, but there's fire in his eyes.' Smith is playing the game of his life. Stokes shoots. In your face, Will Smith! It doesn't get any better than this!'" The announcer said

"Smith bringing the ball downcourt his face, a mask of concentration.' He drives toward Stokes. He fires the rock. In your face, Marcus Stokes!' Bel-Air Prep by one point, time-out with 15 seconds left." The announcer said as the cheerleaders went sit down but there still is 15 seconds left

The score was Malibu 89 and Bel Air had 90 so it was really closec

"Why are you guys sitting down. The game isn't over" I asked them as they ignored me as I walked up to the sidelines and began cheering by myself

"Get that ball. Get Get that ball. Hey, Hey" I yelled by myself but it was hard since the crowd was so loud

"Get that ball. Get Get that ball. Yeah" I yelled clapping and stomping

"Get that ball. Get Get that ball. Hey. Hey." my grandfather yelled walking up next to me and began cheering with me as I smiled

"Get that ball. Get get that ball. Yeah" we both cheered together

"Hey Hey Hey" we both cheered as we began doing a stomp and shake cheer as Neil walked down the bleachers and took pictures of the two of us

We finished as I smiled and hugged my grandfather and he hugged me back.

"Smile" Neil told us as I put my arms around his neck and Neil took the picture

The time out was over as the ref blew the whistle and both teams went onto the court

Marcus ended up making a buzzer beater making Malibu win as the Malibu said cheered

After the game I walked into the dark gym up to Will and hugged him

"You did really good tonight. Don't beat yourself up" I told him

"Thanks Zee" he told me

"Why did you let him go around you" I asked him as he looked confused

"What" he asked

"Will I know you. You could've won but you gave it up. Why?" I asked

"I don't know. I felt bad for the guy. You know he has a kid and he has to take multiple busses to go to school" he told me

"We're lucky Zee. We were able to move out the hood into the richest neighborhood, go to the best school, have opportunities our family doesn't" he told me

"So you wanna play a game on one on one" I asked dribbling the ball

"No offense Zee but I don't want to hurt your feelings" He told me

"Is that a challenge" he asked as I shot the ball and made a basket

"Swish" I yelled as Will stole the ball from me and made a basket

I ran over to make a layup but I missed it as Will took the rebound

"Smith has the ball. Smith has the ball. He dribbles, he drives between the legs. Stop!
He pops, and it's good!" Will said as he made a basket then fell over dramatically b

"Oh! Smith hurt his ankle! He hurt his ankle!It's over. He cannot play! Smith wins two to one." Will said as I laughed at him

"That's not fair" I told him as I tried to pick him up so we can keep playing