Take the Shot

By Sean Danz

Sam is a typical ten year old in the fifth grade. He loves playing basketball and learning about history from his favorite teacher. At home, his family is far from typical. Growing up with three brothers can be great at times but when intense battles break out, Sam wonders if they are enemies or allies. At school, Sam and his friends play basketball every chance they get. Everything is great until a new kid shows up, forever altering the history books. As Sam studies American history, he realizes his life at home and school is more and more like the battles he is learning about in class. Will history repeat itself or will Sam be able to control his own destiny?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781678122959

Book preview

Take the Shot

Take the Shot

Take the Shot: By Sean Danz

Danz Publishing

2020

Copyright

Copyright © 2020 by Sean Danz

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be      reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief        quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2020

ISBN 978-1-67812-295-9

Danz Publishing

Allen Park, Michigan, 48101

For distribution in U.S. Trade bookstores and wholesalers:

OR

For interest in publishing:

Contact: [e-mail]

Dedication

To my lovely wife and dear children.

Thank you for believing in me. I dedicate this book to you.

To all my students, past and present.

I hope you enjoy reading this story.

To my three brothers.

Thank you for making life a story.

To my mom and dad.

Sorry for all the broken windows.

To the real new kid, Jacob. Thank you for your friendship.

I hope this story brings back fond memories.

To the real Mr. Graz that resides across the hall.

Keep being legendary.

To my biggest fan, Cameron.

Keep following your dreams.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Legend

Chapter 2: The New Kid

Chapter 3: The Brothers

Chapter 4: One Bounce

Chapter 5: The Sleepwalker

Chapter 6: The Babysitter

Chapter 7: The Arrival

Chapter 8: Number One

Chapter 9: The Bully

Chapter 10: Take the Shot

Chapter 11: History

Chapter 12: Consequences

Chapter 13: Freedom

Chapter 14: Rain Out

Chapter 15: The Babysitter Part 2

Chapter 16: Camp

Chapter 17: The Underground Railroad

Chapter 18: The Babysitter Part 3

Chapter 19: Summer

Chapter 1: The Legend

I sat in my fifth-grade classroom on the second floor of Hennie Elementary, staring out the window at the vast playground below. The bright morning sun lit up the asphalt basketball court, creating a hazy image that mesmerized my senses, making it impossible to look away.  The windows were open, but the stale air was heavy and humid. Every kid in class waited patiently for the nearest fan to oscillate in their direction and give them a momentary breeze, only for it to be snatched away for what seemed like an eternity.

Summer was approaching, but not fast enough. April wasn’t supposed to be this hot, but that is Michigan weather. We may live in one of the only states in the whole country that can experience all four seasons in a seven-day span. Just last week, high temperatures reached the eighties. That welcoming heat wave arrived exactly four days after a winter storm blasted us with frigid air and six inches of snow. A snow day in April! How I would long for some cold air now!

Mr. Sims. What region was being fought over during the French and Indian War? my teacher asked in his deep, baritone voice, clearly recognizing a boy lost in a daydream.

Being caught off guard, I scrambled to collect my thoughts. Once I settled from the shock of being yanked back to reality, I proudly smiled and replied confidently, The Ohio River Valley.

Very good, Sam. Welcome back. Mr. Graz smirked the way he always does when he catches one of his students daydreaming as he continued with his lesson. He loves to call on students randomly, which the class hates. Whatever happened to only calling on kids that raised their hands?

Good thing I do my homework most nights, I thought to myself. I am a good student and I almost always complete my homework. But my mind does wander in class from time to time, especially when my seat is this close to the window.

Mr. Graz is my fifth-grade teacher. Graz is short for Graziana. I’m not going to lie; he scares most of the kids in the school. He stands tall at six feet and seven inches, built like a lineman. His dark brown beard is thick, almost like the fur of a bear. His matching hair is cut short. But underneath his grizzly beard, deep voice, and enormous presence, is a really cool teacher. He is my first guy teacher and I prayed every night last summer to be in his class. I also begged my parents to request him as my teacher. I don’t know if they ever did, but I was beyond thrilled to see my name posted on his list.

Don’t get me wrong. The other fifth grade teachers are great too. My older brother had Mr. Skebo when he was in fifth grade. He is really into music and plays his guitar sometimes in class. Mr. Skebo can turn any math concept into a catchy jam. Mrs. Browning, the third fifth grade teacher, is new to Hennie this year. Her class is completely decked out in a camping theme. She has dim lights around the room, a real tent in class, and faint sounds of nature playing in the background. It’s so relaxing in there. Both teachers are really fun, but I was never really into camping or music. I love sports, just like Mr. Graz.

The legendary Mr. Graz played college football and can dunk a basketball with ease. Any boy that was into sports in fifth grade wanted to be in Mr. G’s class, unless they had a reputation of bad behavior. Our principal would tend to put those bad boys in Mr. Graz’s class so he could turn them into good boys, which he was pretty good at. They were terrified of the legend.

For Halloween, Mr. Graz always dresses up in amazing costumes. Last year for Halloween, Mr. Graz wore a Chewbacca costume. It was perfect considering he was so tall. This year he wore a movie quality Storm Trooper costume. It was epic. As you can tell, Mr. Graz is a big Star Wars fan, in addition to his love of sports. His room is decked out in posters and decorations. Sports and Star Wars.

For Christmas this year, Mr. Graz wore a Santa Clause costume and dyed his beard white. He looked just like the big man, except taller and more muscular. Yeah Mr. Graz was legendary.

My brother even told me a story that supposedly happened a few years ago. Apparently, a bad guy had snuck into our school one afternoon looking for some computers to steal after hours. Mr. Graz, who happened to be working in his classroom down the hall from the computer lab, spotted him walking past with a stack of laptops. That was a bad decision. And awful timing. Mr. Graz chased him down and tackled him to the ground. Apparently, the poor guy ended up in the hospital after being crushed by the legend. I bet he learned his lesson.

Mr. Graz does all kinds of awesome things. He told us a few years ago that he shaved his entire beard off in class because his students did so well on their standardized tests. I can’t imagine what he looks like without his beard. Sadly, we may never know. Mr. Graz told us he would probably never shave his beard off ever again because he looked too young.

Outside of the fifth grade, Mr. Graz probably scares ninety percent of the kids at Hennie Elementary School, but the kids in his class love him. He is always cracking jokes, although sometimes it is hard to tell if he is joking or being serious. Mr. Graz is super strict but fun at the same time. He makes coming to school enjoyable, even though he makes us work really hard.

He reminds us all the time, You’re not little kids anymore. You come to school to learn. We have to get you ready for middle school.

It was late in the morning on a steamy Thursday in the middle of April. Mr. Graz was continuing to review the events that led up to the Revolutionary War. Lunch could not come soon enough so we could escape the sauna that we call room 233. How can it be this hot in the morning?

I tried to stay focused on the lesson despite the heat and thoughts of recess creeping in. I concentrated on my teacher; giving him all my attention, when suddenly, my focus was interrupted again. This time, by a newcomer.

Chapter 2: The New Kid

Principal Race barged into our classroom without knocking. The sound of the metal door handle flinging back into position startled us. Mr. Race was never very graceful in anything he did.

Talk about someone to be feared though. Principal Race pales in size compared to Mr. Graz, however, just his look alone can send shivers down your spine. When he gets angry, his face turns an unnatural shade of red that makes you think steam will literally burst from his ears. Steam never comes out, but his deep, booming voice shakes the Earth and makes kids tremble in fear. He is like a raging bull. I am fairly confident that Mr. Graz and Mr. Race could cause an earthquake if they yelled and stomped their feet at the same time.

Good morning, class, bellowed Mr. Race with a jolly smile on his face.

Many voices echoed back, Good morning, Principal Race.

I would like to introduce you to your new classmate who just moved into our neighborhood. This young man’s name is Jacob Holloway, and we are very excited that he will be joining the Hennie Bulldogs. I know you will make Jacob feel welcome and help him out whenever possible. Thank you and have a great day!

Just like that, Mr. Race disappeared out the door as fast as he had arrived, deserting our new classmate, who stood frozen with his eyes glued to the floor. Mr. Graz headed in the new kid’s direction. I can only imagine the fear that struck Jacob. I would not want to look up at this Paul Bunyan looking fellow either.

Hi, Jacob! My name is Mr. Graziana and we are so excited to have you join our class.

Our towering teacher reached out a welcoming hand and flashed a cheesy smile. Jacob managed to lift his eyes up momentarily toward his gigantic, new teacher. Then he quickly refocused on the tiled floor as he nervously reached out to shake Mr. Graz’s oven mitt for a hand. Hello, Jacob said in a soft, shy voice.

My students call me Mr. Graz. Do you like to go by Jacob or Jake?

Both are okay, he said quietly.

Great! There is an open seat in the third row near the windows, Mr. Graz said, pointing in my direction. You can keep your things with you until lunch and then we’ll show you to your locker."

Jacob nodded and headed towards the only empty desk in the room. A desk that had sat vacant for eight months. Twenty-nine pairs of eyes followed his every move. The room was as silent as an empty classroom in the dead of summer. Except for Jacob’s worn shoes, squeaking with each step. He arrived at his desk, which sat a few feet to the right of my desk. He lowered his backpack to the ground and took his seat.

I continued gazing at the new kid sporadically, while trying my best to pay attention to my teacher. I waited for him to look my way so I could offer him a friendly smile, but his gaze never wavered. I could relate to what Jacob was feeling so I continued to glance in his direction, only to realize after several failed attempts that he wasn’t going to look my way, at least not now. He probably just wanted to survive the first day without being noticed. In the background, I could hear Mr. Graz talking emphatically about the Battles at Lexington and Concord. Mr. Graz was a history buff, which I didn’t mind because history is pretty cool.

It seems like centuries ago, but I was the new kid in first grade, and I will never forget the way I felt when I arrived in Mrs. Anderson’s room for the first time. Not knowing a single person, while at the same time missing the familiar faces