Imani retrieved the ball and stood beneath the hoop. The words applied to basketball. They also applied to the paper sitting somewhere in the tournament office and to the girls who had pushed her on the first morning. Preparation would not guarantee the outcome. It could keep her from handing the outcome to somebody else.

A message appeared on Ward’s phone as they gathered their things. It was from the tournament desk requesting a meeting before South Dock’s semifinal. The subject line mentioned a formal eligibility objection to player number 12. Ward read it twice, then looked at Imani. She did not conceal the news.

“They’ve filed it.” she said. Imani heard a ball bounce once on the far side of the empty gym. Zora reached for her backpack and stopped. All three looked at the doorway as though someone might appear there and explain that the letter was a mistake. No one did.

Ward tucked the phone away, switched off the last bank of lights, and led her players out toward the waiting bus. The semifinal was only hours away. For the first time since the shove, Imani was frightened not of what the bullies might say, but of what they might keep her from doing at all. The meeting took place in an office that overlooked the south baseline of the Civic Field House. From its window, Imani could see the rubber apron where she had fallen on the first day.

Somebody had moved the padded ball rack farther from the court. The adjustment was sensible and it irritated her that piece a piece of equipment had received more immediate attention than the girls who had shoved her into it. Director Evelyn Grant sat behind a desk covered with schedules, signed forms, and a paper cup of coffee she had forgotten to drink. She wore reading glasses low on her nose and did not look eager to deliver bad news. That was almost worse.

A person who enjoyed hurting people would be easy to understand. Grant appeared to be taking care with every word. South Dock is scheduled to face Orchard Central in the first semi-final, she said. A participating school has challenged player number 12’s eligibility. The claim is that her transfer wasn’t processed by the roster deadline.

Ward placed both palms on the table. Our registrar submitted her signed enrollment statement when the rest of the roster was filed. I have a school copy. I’ve seen that copy. What I don’t have is the original tournament receipt.