Life's Little Laughs

Written in under ten minutes as an exercise is flash fiction and free writing.

Jake, once told by a bully that he was too little to play basketball, even though he was actually tall for his age, decided one day to see what it would be like if he did in fact play basketball, for he had never tried because of his insecurity. His mother warned him that the sport could be dangerous, not to mention tiresome, time consuming, and would only result in being in better shape and, maybe, more confidence. Nevertheless, Jake tried out for the team, succeeded in being the first freshman to get on it in nearly six years, and played his first game in early February.

As luck would have it, the very same bully had chosen to play on the opposing team, even though he was no better equipped to be a sportsman, being a little overweight and with bad depth perception (he later needed eye surgery because his glasses, which he refused to wear, did not fix the problem).

The stadium was packed, as was the custom for all early season games, and the excitement was at a fever pitch. Jake was handed the ball and he raced with it down the court, dodging teammates and opponents alike. As he stopped at an appropriate distance, he looked around himself briefly, noticing the once proud bully wheezing heavily and sweating profusely. Jake jumped, threw the ball, and it sunk with a definitive "swish" sound, proving to everyone that not only was he capable of playing basketball, but that he was destined to become the greatest player the school had ever seen.

The bully, who Jake had once remarked would make a very interesting male stripper to a very interesting female crowd, by a strange twist of fate, dropped out of the sport soon after the first game and pursued a life of erotic dancing.