Goal Line Read online

  The worst thing would have been if they’d laughed at him. He didn’t think they’d throw stuff. Everyone pretty much liked him, after all, especially now that he was the school’s number one football hero.

  But this deathly silence was worse than laughing! He didn’t know if it was because they loved the speech or hated it. They weren’t smiling—but then, it wasn’t a funny speech.

  His voice hadn’t disappeared on him, and it had cracked only twice—which had drawn a giggle or two—but it had been shaking since he’d first begun his speech. The quiver in his voice was obvious, at least to him, but no one in the crowd seemed to notice.

  His essay was only five pages long, but it felt like he’d been speaking for hours and hours. Now, near the end, he felt like racing through the rest of it. But he didn’t. Scared as he was, he wanted to make sure they understood what he was trying to say.

  Ordering himself to calm down, he cleared his throat and continued.

  “What does ‘proud’ mean? It doesn’t mean thinking you’re all that, or that you’re better than anybody else. The kind of proud my mom means is the kind you have when you’re alone. When you lie in bed at night, are you proud of how you acted that day? Are you proud of what you said? Would you do it the same way again if you got to do it over?

  “For me, playing proud means doing my best. Not just on the field. And not just when I feel like it either. I try to play proud all the time. I know I don’t always succeed, but … well, I try. And I know that you can learn more from the losses than the wins. And I don’t stop trying just because I’m tired. Because even though I might not feel like it, somebody else out there might need me to do my best.

  “I know ‘Play proud’ isn’t really such a famous saying, but I think it should be. I’m proud of my mom for inventing it. I’m proud of her for living it, every single day. I’m proud … to be her son.…”

  He had to stop for a second, to keep himself from getting too emotional. Taking a deep breath, he finished, “And I hope I’ll always play proud enough to make her proud of me.”

  He stopped, blinked twice, and then looked up at the crowd. For a long, horrible moment nothing happened. Did they hate it that bad? he wondered.

  And then someone started clapping. Then more people joined in. A few people leapt to their feet, cheering. More rose from their seats, and still more, until every single person in the auditorium had risen to give Tiki a standing ovation! A thunderous roar broke from everyone’s lips as they cheered Tiki and his prize-winning essay.

  Tiki could not believe it. He was numb from head to toe. Dr. Anand had to guide him back to his chair on the stage. He collapsed into it, while she went to the microphone and asked for another round of applause for Tiki. He nodded weakly in response.

  Dr. Anand ended the assembly, and the rows of kids began filing out of the auditorium. The hall instantly grew so loud with chatter that it was impossible to hear anything distinctly.

  Tiki nodded and smiled as Dr. Anand, the dean, the assistant principal, the head of the English department, and Ms. Adair all shook his hand and said nice things he couldn’t hear over the racket.

  Finally he managed to worm his way off the stage and out into the hallway. He was already late. The team bus was waiting. If he didn’t hurry to the locker room and grab his stuff, all the players would be sitting in that hot bus, wondering what was keeping him. Tiki didn’t want to hold up the whole works right before the big game.

  But getting to the locker room wasn’t so easy. Not on this day. Kids were everywhere in the hallways, and it seemed like they all wanted to talk to Tiki.

  “Dude, that was awesome!” Matt Dwayne said, giving him a fist bump and grinning widely. “Who knew you had it in you?”

  Tiki looked down at his feet and shrugged.

  “Hey, don’t be modest,” Matt told him. “Be proud, like you said in the speech!”

  Tiki looked up at him and nodded. “You’re right, man,” he said. “It’s just … I don’t know…”

  “Not used to all the attention?” asked Charlene Shiobara, the head cheerleader. “You should be, after last season. Mr. MVP,” she added with a wink.

  “Half an MVP,” Tiki countered, reminding her that he had split the award with Ronde.

  “Dude,” Matt said, “I’ve gotta ask you—because this kid I know has really been getting me angry, and, well, maybe you could help me figure out how to handle it.”

  “Me?”

  “Hey, you obviously know a lot about stuff besides football. I’d just like to get your advice.”

  “Sure, but I’m late for—”

  Charlene’s sister Suzie, a seventh grader, was standing next to them, taking it all in. “Could I ask you a question?” she asked shyly.

  “Sure, but not now. I’ve got to get to—”

  But Suzie wasn’t listening. She’d already launched into her question. “I’ve got this teacher? And she said something mean to me in front of the whole class. How am I supposed to act proud after that?”

  Tiki, who was just about to give her the brush-off so he could get to the bus, stopped. “Whoa. Let me think about that, okay?”

  “Okay. I could really use some advice,” Suzie said. “It’s been bugging me, but I didn’t know who to ask for help. But you’re so … so…”

  “So smart!” Charlene finished for her.

  “Yeah, he’s the official wise man of Hidden Valley Junior High!” Matt joked.

  “Very funny,” Tiki said, not laughing. “I’ve gotta go, you all. See you around.”

  “Don’t forget my question!” Suzie called after him.

  “Mine, too!” Matt yelled.

  But Tiki was already running down the hallway. He had to keep dodging kids who were coming the other way. He pretended they were defenders on the football field, and showed them his mind-boggling moves, drawing hoots and cheers as he went.

  But Suzie’s and Matt’s words stuck in his mind, even as he gathered his things and took his seat on the bus. He kept wondering if he’d gotten himself into something deeper than he’d ever imagined.

  Glancing over at Ronde, who was clowning around with a bunch of the guys in back, Tiki thought, He’s the one who’s always got everything figured out.

  As he sat there, Tiki broke into a grin. Yes! That was how he’d handle all these questions from kids he barely knew. He’d ask Ronde what he thought!

  Having come to this decision, Tiki relaxed for the first time since Dr. Anand had told him he’d have to give the speech. Yes. Ronde would help him out of this pickle. For now he could let go of his worries, and concentrate on what really mattered—

  Football!

  The North Side Rockets were a familiar opponent. This was both a good thing and a bad one, thought Tiki.

  On the good side, some of the Eagles’ greatest, most heroic victories had come against these same Rockets. The Eagles had beaten them in the last game of the season to make the play-offs—a slushfest in the middle of an early snowstorm, in which lucky bounces had meant everything. Only a long last-second field goal from their incredible kicker, Adam Costa, had saved the game for the Eagles that day.

  Then the two teams had met up again in the first game of the playoffs. This time there had been no snow or slush, but the game had been just as close. The Eagles had had to come from behind again, and score another last-minute win, the first giant step on the way to their state championship.

  Okay, so that was the good side. The bad part was that, having beaten them twice, the Eagles were superconfident they had the Rockets’ number.

  “We’re gonna go off on them so bad!” Paco was saying as the bus bounced and jostled its way down the avenue toward North Side, which was clear on the other end of Roanoke. “I can’t wait for this game to start!”

  “They’ve got no game,” Justin Landzberg said, nodding in agreement. “I say we come out ahead by three TDs.”

  “Four, baby,” said Manny.

  “Four plus three for a fie
ld goal,” Adam chimed in.

  “Oh, yeah!” Paco said, clapping and laughing. “We’ve got this. Have we got this? Yes, we’ve got this!”

  Tiki frowned. He was glad they were confident, but all that trash talk worried him—a lot. He’d warned them about it, but he guessed they hadn’t really been listening. Or else they just couldn’t help themselves. Either way, it made him feel anxious.

  Coach Wheeler wasn’t really paying attention. He had his nose in the playbook, putting the finishing touches on his game plan. Tiki glanced over at Ronde, and could tell from the look on his face that his twin was feeling the same way.

  There was a difference between confidence and over-confidence. And the Eagles were close to crossing that line, if they hadn’t already.

  Sure enough, the game had barely started when they made a huge mistake. On the first play from scrimmage, following a short kickoff return from Ronde, Manny Alvaro fumbled the snap from Paco!

  The ball was kicked by someone, and wound up bouncing straight to one of the defenders, who fell on it and covered it like it was a sack of gold.

  Tiki let out a loud groan. He noticed the shock in the eyes of his teammates as they trotted off to the sideline. A bad start, but it was still early. They could easily turn things back around, if their heads were in the right place.

  Coach Wheeler barked, “Come on, Eagles. Concentrate! We’ve drilled this all week! Fundamentals! Fundamentals!”

  Tiki frowned. Coach didn’t usually get this frustrated. He could see that Wheeler, too, felt the pressure of being defending champs.

  When you were on top, everyone else was going to bring their “A” game when they played against you. You weren’t going to get any sympathy if you messed up, either.

  Last season they’d been underdogs, but they’d stuck together, kept their eyes on the prize, and yes, they’d gotten lucky more than once. But this year was different. And it was quickly becoming obvious just how different.

  The Rockets offense was made up mostly of returning ninth graders. They were experienced and talented, and had played together for two years now.

  The Eagles had a lot of new faces, young players without much game experience. The rookies might have been talented—even more talented than the kids they’d replaced—but they hadn’t played together for very long, and football is, above all, a team game.

  And so the Rockets were able to take advantage of the Eagles’ inexperience. With trick play after trick play, the Rockets scored a series of big gains that took them to the Eagle thirteen yard line. Then they flooded Ronde’s zone with receivers, creating a crowd that got between Ronde and his man, blocking him off from the play and allowing the Rockets to complete an easy touchdown pass!

  The home crowd went wild, cheering their Rockets, while the gloomy Eagles defense walked slowly back to the bench after the extra point. The team was now trailing 7–0, and they looked like a bunch of beginners!

  Coach Wheeler was not happy. “Ronde, you’re the captain out there,” he said. “Sound off if guys are getting in your way, or if you need to switch off to keep them covered.”

  Ronde nodded but didn’t answer.

  “Okay, kid. Let’s get those points back!” Coach Wheeler clapped Ronde on the back and sent him out to receive the kickoff.

  This time the blockers in front of Ronde whiffed on their blocks, letting the Rockets run right by them. The Rockets piled onto Ronde before he could take a single step! He held on to the ball, thank goodness.

  Tiki trotted back onto the field. He was determined to say something to his teammates. Just as Ronde was defensive captain, Tiki was the on-field general of the offense this season.

  “Okay, guys,” he said as they huddled up. “Let’s just play it like we do in practice. Everybody stick your blocks and hold your lanes. Manny and I will do the rest.”

  They all clapped once, and Manny read out the play. An off-tackle run for Tiki, with Justin as lead blocker. The play gained four yards—nothing spectacular, but at least they hadn’t coughed up the ball or been thrown for a loss. It was a small confidence-builder, but at least it was something.

  Next Manny fired a bullet to Felix for a first down, and the Eagles were off and running. They pounded the ball on the ground, play after play, with Tiki and Justin taking turns carrying the ball.

  The clock kept running. By the time it had ticked down to five minutes, the Eagles were knocking at the door, first and goal at the eight yard line.

  Now it was time for one of their favorite plays, a fake handoff followed by Manny rolling out on the QB option. He could either fire it to Tiki or turn the corner and hug the sideline all the way to the end zone.

  This time Manny chose to keep it himself. It was a split-second decision, and it was the wrong one. A Rockets defender hit him low, upending Manny, who went head over heels, with the ball flying loose.

  Again, a Rockets defender pounced on it—one of their safeties this time. Instead of simply falling on the ball, he grabbed it in full stride and ran all the way back upfield for another Rockets touchdown!

  Tiki fell to his knees and grabbed his helmet with both hands, letting out a strangled cry of frustration. “Nooooo! I was wide open!” he shouted to no one in particular.

  Shaking his head, he followed his teammates back to the bench. Ronde passed him on his way to receive yet another kickoff, shaking his head slowly and silently.

  This was not the start that any of them had envisioned. This was a flat-out disaster!

  Looking up and down the bench, Tiki saw his teammates all staring at the ground between their legs. It was hot, and everyone looked like a tired old dog, ready to slink away and hide in the shade.

  “Get up!” Tiki suddenly found himself yelling. Waving his arms, one of which held his helmet, he repeated, “Get up! Everybody, get up and fire up Ronde with some noise!”

  Slowly, one by one, the Eagles rose to their feet. “Let’s go, Ronde!” one of them shouted. “Come on, Ronde!”

  “Woo-hoo!”

  By the time the kick went up, there was at least as much noise coming from the Eagles as from the Rockets fans in the stands. Tiki didn’t know whether Ronde could hear them, but he sure hoped he could feel the support coming his way.

  Ronde grabbed the ball and made a quick, dazzling fake to his right, then spun around and ran left. He turned the corner, skipped by a defender, and sped down the sideline, with three Rockets trailing after him.

  “GO, RONDE!!!” Tiki yelled along with all the other Eagles.

  They were jumping up and down now, all right. Ronde had taken their energy and thrown it right back at them, double! By the time he was finally tackled, he had run the ball all the way to the Rockets seventeen!

  Tiki sped onto the field, the rest of the offense right behind him. He couldn’t wait to get the ball into his hands again. “Notre Dame, on one,” said Manny to the huddled Eagles.

  Good. A quick lateral to Tiki, with the blocking leading him to the right.

  Tiki grabbed the ball in midair, but one of the Rockets linebackers, who obviously remembered the play from last season, was right there to stuff it!

  Still behind the line of scrimmage, Tiki made a split-second decision and faked a halfback pass. The linebacker leapt into the air to block it, and Tiki had him right where he wanted him. Before the kid came down to earth, Tiki had blown right past him and made it all the way to the five yard line!

  On the very next play Manny faked it to him, then rolled left, hiding the ball while the defenders piled onto Tiki. By the time he got up, the score was 14–6, with Adam’s extra point to follow. The Eagles were right back in it!

  Unfortunately, the Rockets had been on offense most of the game, and the Eagle defenders were tired. It showed in the next series, with the Rockets driving the length of the field, and scoring another easy touchdown against the young, inexperienced Eagles defense.

  Ronde looked like he was about to explode. “Keep a lid on it,” Tiki advised him. “Tak
e it all out on the Rockets, man.”

  Ronde nodded, his eyes still full of fire. After running onto the field, he took the kickoff and plowed right through five or six defenders, to put the Eagles back in good field position at their own forty-six.

  Tiki led the next drive with a pair of cutback runs—faking one way and then running the other once the defenders had taken the bait. Finally, with the Eagles at the goal line, he took a flying jump over the middle, scoring a touchdown with a leap he would have been too small to make the year before.

  That gave Tiki at least some satisfaction, but the Eagles were still down a touchdown. Before long the Rockets scored again, after throwing a long bomb over the head of Alister Edwards, the Eagles’ free safety.

  There was still one minute left in the half. From their own twenty-six, with no time-outs, the Eagles offense took to the air. In this two-minute drill Tiki’s job was to protect Manny from any blitzes, and to be available for dump-off passes if Manny couldn’t find open receivers.

  That’s exactly what happened on first down. Tiki had to reach back to get it, and almost got thrown for a loss. Luckily, he managed to shake off that first tackle, which gave him a chance to do some real broken-field running.

  Giving up nothing to Ronde, who did this sort of thing every time he ran back a kick, Tiki threw some of his best moves at the defense. That fooled some of them, but one or two Rockets got their hands on him.

  And that’s when Tiki discovered something important. He wasn’t only bigger than he’d been last season, he was also stronger. This year he was able to drag the tacklers with him and keep on going.

  Finally they gang-tackled him at the five yard line. Tiki sprang right back up and yelled, “Line up! Line up! Spike it, Manny!” Having been on the team for two years, Tiki knew there couldn’t be much time left, and the Eagles were already out of time-outs.

  Manny spiked the ball, with just two seconds left. Tiki’s quick reaction had bought them one more play. Tiki looked over at Coach Wheeler. Would he send in a play, or bring Adam out for an easy field goal?