Go Long! by Ronde Barber

Author:Ronde Barber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

CHAPTER SEVEN

ALL ALONE

* * *

“I’LL BET THEY FIRE WHEELER IF WE LOSE THIS NEXT game,” Cody said.

He, Ronde, and about a dozen other team members were sitting at one of the long tables in the school cafeteria, eating lunch together.

“Maybe you should blow the game on purpose, just to get him fired,” Sam Scarfone joked.

“Nah,” Cody said, as though he thought Sam was serious. “That would totally tank our season.”

“You mean it’s not tanked already?” Paco asked.

“Not if we go undefeated from here on in,” Cody said.

“Yeah,” Ronde said, “like that’ll ever happen.”

“Not with Wheeler in charge,” said Cody. “They should fire him. He stinks.”

Tiki had just come over to their table, carrying his tray, and he heard Cody’s remark.

“He does not stink,” Tiki said. “He could be a great coach, if you all gave him a chance.”

“Aw, stuff it, Barber,” Cody said. “Keep your bogus opinions to yourself.”

“I know him better than you do,” Tiki said. “I had Science class with him last year.”

“Hey, Barber,” Cody said, “do you know the difference between Science and football?”

“Cut it out, Cody,” Paco said.

“No, I mean it,” Cody insisted. “Wheeler may know how to teach a class, but he’s totally lame as a coach!”

“Just because we’re off to a slow start—”

“A slow start?” Cody repeated. “Zero and two is not slow, it’s pathetic! And look who we lost to—the two worst teams in the conference!”

“We lost those games, not Coach Wheeler,” Tiki said.

“The buck stops with him,” Cody shot back, and everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

Everyone except Ronde. He couldn’t bring himself to join the crowd against his brother. But he couldn’t muster the courage to stick up for him either.

Instead, he just sat there, feeling foolish and small, while Tiki took his tray and walked off to another table.

Ronde followed him. “Tiki, wait!” he called, but Tiki kept on walking.

Finally, Ronde sat down next to his brother at an empty table in the corner.

“You’re a traitor,” Tiki told him.

“I am not! I just happen to agree with them—Coach Wheeler’s a bust.”

“You don’t know what he’s like,” Tiki told him. “I was at the video session Monday—you weren’t.”

“So?”

“So, he’s having another session this afternoon—just in case any of you all decide to come to your senses and show up.”

“We won’t,” Ronde said. “Everyone thinks watching video is wack.”

“Well it’s not,” Tiki insisted. “You come and see for yourself today.”

“I . . . I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because . . .”

“Because you’re chicken!” Tiki said.

“Am not!”

Ronde didn’t want to admit the real reason. Inside, he thought it might be cool to see your next opponent in action. But if he did go, the other boys would lay into him, exactly the way they were laying into Tiki.

Well, okay, maybe he was chicken. . . .

“Tell me you’re not worried what Cody and all of them will say,” Tiki demanded. “I’m right, and you know it. Well, I’ve got an idea, Ronde—why don’t we switch uniforms, and you go as me?”

“What?”

“Pretend you’re me, and go watch the tape.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.