Hook Shot Hero by Matt Christopher

Author:Matt Christopher [CHRISTOPHER, MATT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316205627
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

11

Billy let out a squeak of terror, pulled free of Tim’s grasp, lurched sideways into the doorway, and fled. Tim wanted to follow but couldn’t make his feet or legs work.

Then suddenly, the gymnasium flooded with light.

“Who’s there?”

A girl stepped through the doorway underneath the horrifying apparition. Tim was about to cry out a warning when he saw that the girl was holding a stick—and that the stick was attached to the ghost!

That’s when he recognized the ghost for what it really was: a very creepy papier-mâché clown puppet, complete with exaggerated smile, bulbous nose, and wide, staring eyes. Last year, the puppet had lived at the arts and crafts center. Tim would never admit it, but its presence was the main reason he’d disliked the place.

He recognized the girl then, too. “Wanda? Is that you?”

The girl blinked in surprise and then smiled. “Tim! Long time no see!”

Tim had met Wanda the summer before. Then, she’d had a mouth full of braces and been short and stocky. The braces were gone now, and although she only came up to Tim’s shoulders, she was slimmer. Her smile was just as warm and friendly as ever.

“What are you doing with that?” Tim asked, pointing to the clown head.

Wanda made a face. “Kim, my counselor, made me come get it. She wants to stick it in the latrines as a joke.” She shuddered. “Can you imagine opening the stall door and seeing this?”

Tim pulled back in mock horror. “As if the latrines weren’t bad enough already!” They laughed together.

“So now you know why I’m here,” Wanda said, leaning the clown head against the door frame. “How about you?”

Tim decided there was no harm in telling Wanda the truth.

“Hook shot, huh?” she said when he was finished. “That’ll be one tasty move to get under your belt.”

“Yeah, too bad I can’t work on it tonight,” Tim said. “My defender ran away when he saw ol’ clown face.”

Wanda tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I could help you,” she offered.

Tim considered accepting. Then he thought about how he’d feel if Wanda got in trouble because of him. So he shook his head.

“Thanks, but I don’t think so. Not because you’re a girl!” he added hurriedly when Wanda frowned. “I don’t have permission to be here. If I get caught—”

“I have permission,” Wanda interrupted. “If anyone comes by, I’ll just say you were helping me find the clown.”

When Tim still hesitated, she put her hands on her hips. “What? Don’t think I’m good enough?”

“I’m sure you’re a great basketball player,” Tim hastened to say. “But I really need to practice with someone a little, you know”—he gestured helplessly—“taller.” He hoped she wasn’t as sensitive about her height as he was about his.

To his relief, she burst out laughing. “Yeah, too bad I can’t grow a foot in the next minute! Although,” she added, “I could grow a head taller!”

She picked up the clown and held the stick so that the head was eyeball to eyeball with Tim.

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.