Goalkeeper in Charge by Matt Christopher

Author:Matt Christopher [CHRISTOPHER, MATTHEW F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316093859
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2009-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

7

After school the next day, Tina was in her room and heard the thump of a soccer ball being kicked. She looked out the window and saw Dave kicking a ball against his garage wall. She opened her window and stuck her head out.

“Hi!” she called. “What’s up?”

Dave smiled up at her. “I’m going to play with a team! Practice starts in a couple of days, and I need some work.”

“Want company?” Tina offered.

“Great!” Dave said. “Come on!”

Tina ran outside. For a while they passed the ball back and forth. They took turns making high throws so that the other one could head it back. Dave was better at it than Tina was.

“Keep your neck and upper body rigid when you head the ball,” Dave said. “When you move, bend from the waist. Throw it to me head-high.” Dave showed Tina what he meant. Then he tossed it back for Tina to try.

“That’s better,” he said, after she did it. “Try to hit the ball with the middle of your forehead, not the top. And keep your eyes open.”

As they practiced, Meg showed up.

“Hi, guys,” she said. “Can I play too?”

Tina said, “Let’s go to the park. Maybe you two can help me with my goalkeeping.”

At the park, they used their jackets to mark off a goal. Dave and Meg kicked shots, which Tina tried to block, and usually did.

After she sprang to one side and scooped up a hard shot, Dave said, “Hey, you’re good!”

Tina smiled. “Thanks. Throw me more shots I have to jump for.”

They lobbed balls that Tina had to leap to catch or to punch over where the crossbar of the goal would be. They tried to put shots into the corners of the goal, so she had to dive to both sides. After ten minutes, Tina was panting but happy. She was getting a good workout.

The three passed and dribbled for a while, then sat down for a rest.

“Guess who I saw today,” Meg said. “Cindy and her friends, talking. They saw me and shut up, like someone flipped a switch.”

Tina frowned. “Why, do you think?”

“Because I’m your friend,” said Meg. “They were probably talking about you.”

“Who’s Cindy?” Dave asked. “It doesn’t sound like she’s a buddy of yours.”

Meg laughed. “Hardly. She wants to be the superstar of our team, and she hates it that someone else, like Tina, might be as valuable to the Wildcats as she thinks she is.”

Dave frowned. “Is she making trouble?”

Tina described what Cindy had done.

“What did your coach do?” Dave asked.

Tina said, “Nothing, but she must have had a reason. She’s a great coach, and I can’t believe she didn’t notice what was going on, or that she didn’t care.”

Dave leaned forward and looked hard at Tina. “If the coach doesn’t do something, you have to. If you let her get away with that stuff, she’ll keep pushing you until you push back. You have to show you won’t take it.”

“I won’t fight!” Tina didn’t like Dave’s suggestion. “I

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