Copyright
Text copyright © 2002 by Catherine M. Christopher
Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Daniel Vasconcellos
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
Matt Christopher® is a registered trademark of Catherine M. Christopher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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First eBook Edition: December 2009
ISBN: 978-0-316-09469-6
Contents
Copyright
Soccer ’Cats Team Roster
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
SOCCER ’Cats
Soccer ’Cats Team Roster
Lou Barnes Striker
Jerry Dinh Striker
Stookie Norris Striker
Dewey London Halfback
Bundy Neel Halfback
Amanda Caler Halfback
Brant Davis Fullback
Lisa Gaddy Fullback
Ted Gaddy Fullback
Alan Minter Fullback
Bucky Pinter Goalie
Subs:
Jason Shearer
Dale Tuget
Roy Boswick
Edith “Eddie” Sweeny
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful sunny day, just perfect for soccer. Lou Barnes couldn’t wait to get to the field. The Soccer ’Cats were taking on the Panthers today. The Panthers were always a tough team, but Lou had a feeling that the ’Cats were going to come out on top.
He rummaged around in his room, looking for his lucky soccer ball. He’d scored his first goal with that ball. Coach Bradley had let him keep it after the game, and now Lou brought it with him whenever the ’Cats played. He finally found it buried in his closet. He tucked the ball under his arm and headed downstairs.
Lou knew that some people looked strangely at the arm holding the ball. True, that arm wasn’t quite the same as his other arm. It was a little shorter, and couldn’t move the same way his other arm moved because it was partly paralyzed.
He’d been born that way, so he never knew what it was like to have two arms that were the same. Things that most people used two arms and hands for —like playing a game of catch or using a fork and knife—he’d had to learn to do with one. His parents had hired a woman to help him learn, and over time he’d figured out his own way of doing things.
Sometimes, though, he caught someone he didn’t know staring at him. At a country fair one time, a few older kids made fun of him. Lou had been so upset he’d almost started to cry. But for the most part, people treated him like any other kid — which was just fine with Lou. That’s how he thought of himself, after all.
All that was far from Lou’s mind this morning, though. Now all he could think about was getting to the field and facing the Panthers! He waved good-bye to his mother, who was out back working in the garden, then jogged off to the game.
The field was crowded with Panthers and ’Cats. They did some warm-up drills, then got into position for the game. The ’Cats had won the coin toss. The referee placed the ball in the center circle, then backed away. Stookie, the ’Cats’ center striker, stood next to the ball, waiting for the whistle. When it came, he toed the ball to Jerry Dinh on his left.
Jerry controlled it and took off. He dribbled past one defender. Then two Panthers double-teamed him. Coach Bradley had taught his team that when two defenders were guarding you, it meant that one of your teammates was wide open. Lou could see Jerry looking frantically for that open player. Finally, he saw Dewey London waving. He kicked the ball as hard as he could to him.
Dewey ran to meet the ball. He reached it just before the Panthers’ center got to it. Dewey dribbled on an angle toward Lou’s side of the field.
Lou knew that if he could get open, Dewey would pass it to him. He tried to break free of the Panther near him, but she stuck to Lou like glue. Dewey ended up passing the ball to Stookie.
Chapter 2
Rats!” grumbled Lou as he watched Stookie race downfield. Lou ran parallel to him, hoping to help out. His defender matched him step for step. There was no way Stookie would pass to him when she was so close, Lou thought.
He was right. When the Panther defense rushed Stookie, Stookie glanced at Lou, frowned, then passed the ball to Jerry. Jerry stopped it, dribbled a few paces closer to the goal, then shot the ball back to Stookie. Stookie wound up and took a mighty shot on goal. It all happened so fast that the Panthers’ goalie didn’t have a chance. The ball bounced into the net for the ’Cats’ first score of the game.
The ’Cats cheered and jumped for joy, then hurried back to their starting positions. Lou was happy they were ahead. He hoped he’d have a chance to give the ’Cats an even bigger lead.
But he didn’t. The whole first half, the Panther covered him like a blanket. He tried dodging around her, stopping short then speeding up, and weaving from side to side. Nothing worked.
Finally, a few minutes before the end of the half, he decided to try something a little more daring. He was going to run full out for the Panthers’ goal.
He waited for Stookie to get the ball and start dribbling downfield. Then he took off. Legs pumping, he ran for all he was worth and managed to leave his defender several steps behind! Keeping one eye on Stookie, he made a beeline for the goal.
Phreet!
Lou stopped short at the whistle. He looked around to see what had made the ref stop the game. To his horror, he saw the ref pointing straight at him.
“Offside!” the ref shouted.
Lou slapped his hand to his head. He’d forgotten a basic soccer rule: If you don’t have the ball and you’re in your opponent’s half of the field, you have to keep at least two defenders between you and the goal. Otherwise, you’re offside.
The only defender between Lou and the goal was the goalie. Lou had run so fast, he’d outrun the Panthers’ fullbacks as well as the girl defending him.
The ref positioned the ball for an indirect free kick. A Panther fullback took the kick and sent it rocketing down the field. The girl who had been dogging Lou all game trapped it, spun, and headed for the ’Cats’ goal. She dodged past the defense, and suddenly it was just her against the ’Cats’ goalie.
“C’mon, Bucky, stop her!” Lou pleaded. But the Panther’s kick was just too strong. Bucky lunged and missed. The score was tied — and it was all Lou’s fault.
Chapter 3
Lou felt awful as he got back into position. He eyed the Panther across from him. She smiled triumphantly back at him.
If I’m going to make up for that mistake, Lou thought, I’ve got to figure out a way to beat her!
As the minutes ticked by, Lou tried every trick he knew. He speeded up, then stopped short. He faked left and moved right. He even stood stock-still, hoping she’d run past him. But nothing worked. He just couldn’t shake her.
Finally, though, something happened that changed his luck. Midway through the second half, the Panther was taken out of the game and a sub was put in her place.
All righ
t! Lou thought. Now maybe I’ll get a chance to help out in this game. Maybe I’ll even make a goal!
And it seemed like he was going to get a chance to do just that. With three minutes left in the game, Stookie was racing down the field with the ball. He glanced up at Lou, then jerked his head.
Lou was sure Stookie was signaling for him to head for the goal for a pass. He took off.
Lou was so focused on Stookie, he didn’t think to check out the field in front of him. He saw Stookie stop and control the ball. Lou moved a few steps closer to the goal as Stookie pulled his leg back for the pass.
The pass was perfect. Lou had no trouble controlling the ball. There’s no way I’m missing this one! Lou thought gleefully. He aimed and kicked. Suddenly, a blur of movement caught his eye. He heard a growl, and one second later, he was pulled to the ground!
Lou hit the turf hard. As he lay there, he heard the ref’s whistle. Then he heard laughter.
Stookie appeared at Lou’s side and helped him up. “What happened?” Lou asked, dazed.
“A dog knocked you down and ruined your shot,” Stookie replied.
“What?!” Lou couldn’t believe his ears.
“Afraid so,” Stookie said. He looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry.
“But the ball was going in! There was no way I was going to miss that shot! The ref has to count the goal, right?”
Stookie shrugged. “I don’t think so. Besides, I think you were offside when I passed to you.”
Lou’s jaw dropped. He ran off the field to ask Coach Bradley. But the coach confirmed what Stookie said. The ball hadn’t gone into the net, so it wasn’t a goal.
Lou was furious. “But — but —” he sputtered helplessly. Coach Bradley patted Lou’s shoulder and shook his head.
The ref had finally managed to shoo the dog off the field. A fan held on to him while the game played out its last minute. When the buzzer sounded, the game ended in a tie.
“We should have won that game,” Lou fumed to Roy. “It’s all that stupid mutt’s fault.” The fan had let the dog go, and he was running around the field again. Lou turned in disgust, picked up his lucky soccer ball, and started for home.
Chapter 4
Lou hadn’t gone more than two blocks when he heard a bark. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the dog running toward him. A moment later, he was by Lou’s side.
“What do you want?” Lou yelled, stopping. “Get out of here!”
The dog sat down and looked up at him. His eyes were soft brown. One pointy ear stood straight up, while the other one flopped to one side. His mouth was open, and it looked like he was laughing.
“Didn’t you hear me, mutt? I said, get out of here!”
The dog gave a bark, then jumped up and knocked the soccer ball out from under Lou’s arm. The ball landed on a crack in the sidewalk and bounced sideways into the street.
“Hey!” Lou glared at the dog and started to step off the sidewalk.
All at once, the dog lunged at him. He caught hold of Lou’s soccer shirt and began to pull.
“What are you —” Lou started to shout. Just then, a huge truck barreled by them, blaring its horn. When the truck had passed, the dog let go of Lou’s shirt.
The wind from the truck had blown Lou’s hair into his face. Heart hammering in his chest, Lou brushed it back. He stared at the dog.
“You — you just saved my life, didn’t you?” he said shakily, kneeling down next to the dog. The dog licked his face.
When his heart had slowed back to normal, Lou stood up and retrieved his ball. With a glance at the dog, he started walking back home again. The dog stayed at his side the whole way.
When they reached the house, Lou put his soccer ball on the front step and sat down. “Are you a stray?” he wondered. The dog had no collar, but he looked too well fed to be a stray. And weren’t strays supposed to be mean?
“Well, if you’re not a stray, then where’d you come from?” Lou asked. The dog didn’t answer, of course. Instead, he nosed the soccer ball closer to Lou and gave a short bark.
“You want to play?” Lou said, grinning.
“Okay!”
He opened the gate to their big backyard. The dog rushed through, barking happily, and ran to the far side of the yard. He seemed to be waiting for something. With a shrug, Lou gave the soccer ball a kick toward him.
The dog jumped in front of it, trapping it with his paws. Then he quickly nosed it back to Lou before hurrying back to the other end of the yard.
Lou was astonished. “Hey, where’d you learn to dribble like that?” He kicked the ball a second time. Again, the dog lunged for it. This time, he batted the ball around with his paws a little longer before bringing it back to Lou.
“I don’t believe it,” Lou said, shaking his head. “Let’s see what else you can do!” He kicked the ball up in the air.
The ball arced toward the dog. The dog watched it carefully. As it started to drop, he ran underneath it.
“Watch out!” Lou cried.
Chapter 5
But Lou needn’t have worried. Moments before the ball hit him, the dog jumped up, caught the ball on his head, and sent it rocketing back toward Lou. It came so fast, Lou couldn’t catch it.
“A perfect header!” Lou shouted as he ran to retrieve it. The dog chased him. “Oh, no you don’t!” Lou said, picking up speed. “I’m going to get it first!”
Lou did get to the ball first, but the dog was close behind. Lou fell on the ball, and the dog fell on Lou. They tussled for a moment. Then the dog started licking Lou’s face. Lou collapsed in giggles and finally let go of the ball.
“You won’t hurt my ball, will you?” he cried as the dog pawed it, growling. “It’s lucky!”
The dog looked up suddenly and gave a bark.
“What is it, boy?” Lou asked. “Is it something I said? Was it the word ‘lucky’?” The dog barked again. Lou slapped his hand to his head. “It was lucky! I bet your name is Lucky, isn’t it?!”
“Who are you talking to?” a voice behind him asked.
Lou turned to see his mother standing in the doorway.
Lou moved so his mother could see the dog. “This mutt.” He was about to tell her how the dog had saved his life. But at the last second, he changed his mind. Sometimes his mother worried about him, because of his arm. Lou didn’t want her to think there was anything to worry about.
“Er, this mutt followed me home,” he said instead. “I think his name is Lucky.” The dog looked up at Mrs. Barnes, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
Mrs. Barnes laughed. “He’s adorable,” she said. “And I bet he’s thirsty, too. I’ll get him some water.”
Lou was surprised. They didn’t have a pet. Lou had asked for a dog once, when he was five, but his parents had said it wasn’t a good time for them to get a pet. Lou hadn’t brought it up again, and his parents had never offered to get him one. He’d just figured they didn’t like animals that much. But maybe he was wrong.
His mother returned a moment later, carrying a pan of water. Lucky drank, sloshing some onto the grass. Mrs. Barnes sat down next to Lou.
“No collar, huh?” she observed. Lou shook his head. She put an arm around his shoulders. “You know we can’t keep him, don’t you?”
Lou looked at his shoes. “Yeah, I know. Because you and Dad don’t want to have pets, right?”
Mrs. Barnes’s eyes widened. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she said. “We can’t keep him because he obviously belongs to someone else. That person is probably worried sick.” She reached out and patted Lucky’s back. “Wouldn’t you be?”
Lou knew she was right. Still, it made his throat tighten up knowing he might never see Lucky again. He’d only known him a short while, but already he knew he loved him.
Lou stroked Lucky’s back. Lucky looked up at him, his muzzle dripping with water. Lou laughed and hugged him.
“I wish you were my dog,” he whispered into Lucky’s fu
r. Lucky rumbled deep in his chest.
Chapter 6
The next day, Lou and his mother walked downtown to put up some posters they’d made the day before. The posters showed Lucky’s picture with the word “Found” above it. Underneath was the Barnes’s phone number. Every time a shopkeeper let them tape one up, Lou’s heart sank. If no one could see the posters, then Lucky’s real owner might not be able to find him.
Lou and Lucky had had a wonderful afternoon the day before. They’d played some more soccer while his mother took some photos of Lucky. When his mother went to have the photos developed, Lou found a rope and took Lucky for a walk.
Mrs. Barnes was carrying a big bag of dog food when she came home. “He’ll have to spend the night with us, of course,” she said.
While Mrs. Barnes was fixing dinner, Lucky chowed down a huge bowl of food and drank some more water. Then he padded to the door and looked over his shoulder.
“Well, at least he knows not to do his business inside the house!” Mrs. Barnes said, smiling. Lou took Lucky outside, where they played catch with a stick until dinner.
When Mr. Barnes came home, they all sat down to eat. He hadn’t seen Lucky yet. But he felt him soon enough. Lucky plopped down right on top of his feet!
Mr. Barnes gave a yelp. “What is that?” he cried, looking under the table.
Mrs. Barnes laughed. “Howard, meet Lucky.”
Lou held his breath. Would his father like Lucky as much as his mother did?
Mr. Barnes blinked. Then he smiled. “Well, hello there, fella,” he said softly. He gave Mrs. Barnes a look. “Is he ours?”
Lou knew what the answer was, but he was still disappointed when his mother replied, “Only until we find his real owner.”
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