"Horse! Get yourself on the bus!" Luke was startled by a loud older man's voice shouting at him. Confused, he looked around and saw what looked like a ghost bus in the middle of the costume shop! It was huge and old-fashioned, and had "Gregory Stallions' painted on the sides, but it was only a shadowy image. A balding older man in a jacket was motioning for Luke to come over, a scowl on his face. The dog and the Clerk stared at the apparition, and the clerk said "Holy Crap! I never had that happen before!"
The man didn't seem to see anything but Luke, and he glared. "If you don't get your ass onboard right now, I'm leavin' you behind and you are off the team for good!"
Luke grinned in amusement at the clerk. "Get this guy! He threatening to throw me off a team I never..." Then he frowned. The shop looked ghostly now, and the bus was looking more solid. With a woof, the Great Dane leapt towards him and then ran for the open bus door. "No!" Luke grabbed for the dog and chased him to the bus.
The man rolled his eyes as Luke stumbled past, still trying to pull the dog back. "Why I let you take that damned dog of yours along I'll never know."
Luke caught up with the Great Dane in the middle of the bus, where he was licking the face of a gawky-looking kid with braces and short brown hair. "Stupid kid! You wanna get stuck here?" Then the bus suddenly lurched and Luke's heart sank. They were moving, and he was on the bus! Staring out the window, he saw only houses, trees, and old-fashioned cars. How long had it been since they had huge fins on the back like that?
"Sit down!" came the older man's voice from the front. Luke automatically dropped into an empty seat, and the Great Dane hopped up next to him and gave him a slobbery lick. From the cheerful chatter around him and the sweaty uniforms, Luke figured out they were coming back from a game the team had won. And from the tousling of his hair, light punches, and hugs from the boys around him, Luke had been a big part of that win.
"Hey, Horse!" The kid across the aisle from him was a gawky-looking teen with braces and acne. "That was a great save in the last quarter! How did you know where the ball was going?"
Luke shrugged. "I was just lucky. Saw the ball going past as I turned and was able to snag it and make the dunk." His grin faded even though the other boys nodded and cheered. That was exactly what had happened! He could remember every detail of the play, the feel of the basketball, the impact of the opposing player, the leap for the basket. But he hadn't been there! He'd been in a costume shop... Luke was confused now - how could he have been in a costume shop, and why? He was a star player of the Stallions, though his nickname of 'Horse' came from more obvious physical attributes.
His dog, Prince, gave him more slobbery kisses. The Great Dane was the team mascot, even if he was the wrong kind of animal. Except - when Luke stared at him, he remembered a kid dressing up in a dog costume. Right! Luke had been in a costume shop and put on a basketball uniform. His mind reeled with multiple memories. It was 1961 and he was Bill 'Horse' Thompson, star of the basketball team and struggling to pass 11th grade. But he was also Luke from 60 years in the future. The memories of Horse were getting stronger. The only way he could think of to get back was to take the uniform off - if he waited until they got back to the school, it would be too late and he'd be stuck in the past. It might be too late already!