The Heartbeat of Halftime by Stephen Wunderli

Author:Stephen Wunderli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2012-05-21T04:00:00+00:00

18

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

That afternoon’s practice went by quickly. We didn’t learn any new plays for our game against Granite. We just worked on our sweeps and passes. Granite was big, but they were slow. Coach figured we could outrun them to the corners or deep on the pass. So mostly we worked on timing. It was a good practice, and we felt pretty confident about the Granite game. Granite had only one win so far that year; we all figured we could beat them. But we had one problem. It was an away game, across town. How were we going to get down there the night before to mark our territory? We sat down under the elm tree and tried to figure it out.

“I’m not walkin’ all the way down there,” Taco Bell said. “We wouldn’t even be back by morning.”

“We could sleep there,” Bam offered. “Be like camping out.”

“We wouldn’t get enough sleep,” I said. “We want to play well, don’t we?”

We all agreed. The last thing we wanted to do was wake up tired. Besides, our parents would find out somehow and that would ruin everything. We had to find a way.

“Have your brother drive us,” Heat said to Bam.

“Thought of that,” Bam said. “They have their own pregame ritual. Every Friday night they all get together and have pizza; then they go down to Mortensen’s junkyard and break things and yell and stuff. He’s not gonna miss that to watch us all take a leak.”

“Yeah,” Taco Bell said. “Can’t you see us asking him. ‘Uh, Darrel, will you take our whole team to the bathroom, please?’”

Everybody laughed.

“I’m just gonna walk it,” Heat said.

“Why don’t I just get one of Ray’s cars?” Spray Can offered.

“You drive?” Taco Bell said.

“Sure,” Spray Can said. “I do it all the time. I’m almost sixteen.”

“You’re only thirteen,” Bam said.

“I got a Idaho driver’s license,” Spray Can said. “Ray made me get it before we moved down here so I could help him get parts. You can drive when you’re fourteen in Idaho.”

“This is Utah,” Bam said.

“You’re fourteen?” Taco Bell said, realizing that Spray Can must have been held back a grade.

Spray Can looked down then. I guess he was embarrassed. We all knew he wasn’t too bright, but none of us knew he’d had to repeat a grade.

“So I done fourth grade twithe,” he said, wiping his face afterward. “Big deal. Are we goin’ or not?”

“I’m in,” I said, and stepped next to Spray Can.

“You’re always in,” Taco Bell said. “You’re crazy.”

I just nodded my head.

“I could use a little road trip,” Bam said, stepping next to me.

It didn’t take long for everyone else to join in, everyone, that is, except Taco Bell. He just stood there looking down at his feet and kicking at a weed in the dry grass.

“Wonder what Katie will say when she finds out her boyfriend is a chicken?” I said.

For the second time that season, Taco Bell went crazy over a girl. He must’ve really been in love.

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