Hot Shot by Matt Christopher

Author:Matt Christopher [CHRISTOPHER, MATT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316083201
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2010-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

11

Julian fumed the whole walk home. His mother was putting dinner on the table when he stormed in the door.

“Well!” she exclaimed when she saw his face. “Do I dare ask how your first practice as a Warrior went?”

Julian flopped into a chair across from Megan. He let out an exasperated sigh. “It was awful! The coach plays favorites like you wouldn’t believe!”

Mr. Pryce came in just in time to hear Julian’s reply. “What do you mean?” he asked as he slid into another chair.

“He was so busy working with the starting lineup that he barely glanced my way,” Julian informed him. “And when he did, he criticized what I was doing or didn’t say anything at all about my playing!”

Megan snickered.

“What’s so funny?” Julian demanded.

“Oh, nothing,” Megan said. “It’s just, well, you came home from your first practice with the Tornadoes full of complaints, too. Remember?”

Julian started to protest but his mother cut him off.

“She’s right, Julian,” she said. “Your teammates couldn’t do anything right, they were all losers, they expected you to shoulder all the responsibility, and so on and so forth.”

“But this is different!” Julian cried. “Coach Boyd—”

“—was kind enough to allow you on his team mid-season,” Mr. Pryce interrupted. “What did you expect him to do? Bump out his starting center to put you in?”

“No!” Julian felt his frustration mount. “But he didn’t even give me a chance to show what I can do! I’m telling you, he ignored me all practice!”

Mr. and Mrs. Pryce exchanged looks. Megan rolled her eyes.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Julian cried incredulously.

“I believe that you believe that’s what happened,” Mrs. Pryce said in a soothing voice. “But isn’t it possible that you’re upset for another reason?”

Julian flung up his hands in disgust. “What other reason could there be?”

Megan answered. “Maybe you’re upset because for the first time in a long time you’re not the star of the show.”

Megan’s comment hit Julian like a slap in the face. He shoved back in his chair, rushed out of the room, and ran up the stairs to his bedroom.

“I hate it here!” he cried, slamming the door behind him.

Crash! The framed photograph of the Tornadoes fell from the wall. The glass splintered into sharp shards when it hit the floor. Julian picked it up and stared at the distorted image of his friends.

“Great,” he muttered, laying the broken picture on his dresser.

Then he thought of something. He opened the top dresser drawer. Inside was the box of candies from Cutler’s. He lifted the lid, grabbed several drops, and stuffed them into his mouth. He barely tasted the chocolate peanut butter treats yet he kept eating. Over and over his hand dipped into the box until a third of the drops were gone.

He sank down onto his bed. The candy churned in his stomach, mixing with his anger and frustration. He lay down and closed his eyes, willing the nausea to pass.

There was a soft knock on his door. He grunted but didn’t move.

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