by Charles Tang
“Yes,” said Violet. “She’ll definitely be put on a team. But what if players who are beginners — like me — aren’t put on a team?”
She was thinking of the conversation they had overheard among Gillian, Stan, and Craig. If Stan had his way, beginning players like Violet and Benny wouldn’t be allowed to play at all.
“If you aren’t put on a team, none of us will play in the league, either,” said Henry.
Just then Mrs. McGregor came in with Soo Lee. When her cousins offered her breakfast, Soo Lee shook her head. “Hurry,” she said. “It’s almost time to go to the community center to see which soccer teams we are on.”
The Aldens finished their breakfasts quickly. Benny drank all of his orange juice and finished his cereal, but he didn’t ask for seconds as he usually did. Although he felt better knowing that his brother and sisters would help him, and would not play soccer without him, he was still a little worried.
When they got to the community center, they had to make their way through a large crowd of children who had gathered around the bulletin board by the front door.
Robert Post pushed past them as they reached the lists of teams. “Ha,” he said to the boy who was with him. “I’m on the Bears. That’s Stan’s team and it’s the best. I knew I’d be on it. We’re going to win every game.”
Violet’s heart beat faster as she followed Henry, Jessie, and Soo Lee to the front of the crowd. She reached down and caught Benny’s hand.
Benny reached out with his other hand and tugged on his older brother’s shirt. “Am I on a team?” he asked.
Henry looked down with a big grin on his face. “You sure are,” he said. “You and Violet are on the same team, the Panthers. Gillian is your coach.”
“Yeah!” said Benny. He let go of Violet’s hand and waved his arms in excitement.
“Oh, good,” said Violet. She was very relieved, and very happy, too.
“I’m on your team also,” said Elena to Violet. She came up behind the Aldens and pointed over Jessie’s shoulder to her name on the list. “I was on Stan’s team — the Bears — but I asked to be put on Gillian’s team. I like Gillian.”
The Aldens saw then that Elena’s name had been on Stan’s list, but had been crossed out.
Jessie said, “I’m on Craig’s team, the Hawks. I like Craig. But I don’t know anybody on my team.”
“Henry and I are on the Bears, too,” said Soo Lee. “With Robert.” She didn’t sound very happy about it. “And look, Henry, you’re going to be one of the goalies. Robert is going to be the other.”
“Okay, everybody,” said Stan. “Time for practice. Let’s go!” He raised his silver whistle and blew it loudly.
Although Violet and Benny were beginners, they weren’t the only ones on Gillian’s team who were just learning to play soccer. Gillian divided the fifteen players on her team into three groups. She put experienced players in each group to help teach the beginners how to play.
“Good, Violet,” said Gillian, when Violet kicked a pass right back to Elena.
Then she showed Benny how to run and kick the ball better. She was very patient and Violet and Benny soon understood why Elena had wanted to be on the team that Gillian was coaching. They were learning a lot and it was fun, too.
Jessie, who was standing at the front of two lines of players, kept glancing over at Violet and Benny and Elena. They were laughing together and seemed to be having such a good time!
“Okay, team,” Craig said. “We’re going to do a drill to practice getting to the ball first. You won’t be able to get a goal if you let players on the other team get to the ball first.”
He stood between the two lines of players and held the ball up. “When I throw the ball out in front of me, I want the player at the front of each line to run out and try to get to the ball first. The first player who gets to the ball, wins.”
Craig threw the ball. But Jessie hadn’t been listening. She’d been watching her brother and sister on Gillian’s team.
“Jessie!” cried Craig, throwing up his hands. “What’re you doing? You have to pay attention!”
“Sorry!” said Jessie, and ran out to try to get the ball. But the other player got there first.
“That’s okay. We’re going to practice this some more so you can try again,” said Craig. “But you have to pay attention.”
“I will,” Jessie promised. She did better after that, but she still kept glancing over at the Panthers.
Henry and Soo Lee were paying attention to what they were doing on Stan’s team, but they weren’t having fun.
Stan talked all the time, just as Craig did. Unlike Craig, however, he didn’t say very encouraging things.
“That’s terrible!” Stan shouted at Soo Lee when she kicked a ball at the goal and missed. “You’ll never win if you make stupid mistakes like that! Next!”
Behind Soo Lee, Stan’s younger brother Robert snickered. “That was bad,” he said as he ran past Soo Lee. Then he kicked the ball he was dribbling right into the goal and right past Henry. He turned to Soo Lee with a smirk on his face. “That’s the right way to do it,” he told her.
Stan didn’t seem to notice that his brother was being a bad sport. He just blew his whistle and said, “Next!”
Henry and Soo Lee tried hard and did their best. But no matter how good anyone on the Bears was or how hard a player worked, Stan never said anything nice. “Run faster!” he barked. “Kick the ball harder!”
“This is awful,” Soo Lee whispered to Henry.
“I know,” said Henry, glancing over toward the other teams. “No coach on any other team is yelling like Stan is.”
Robert overheard Henry. “Those teams are losers,” he said. “Forget about them. We’re going to be the winning team.”
Henry and Soo Lee looked at each other. Each knew what the other was thinking. If they weren’t having fun playing, winning didn’t mean anything.
At the end of practice, Stan said, “That’s it for now. You’ve got a lot of work to do. You Bears looked like a bunch of clumsy bear cubs out there today.”
“Come on,” Henry said to Soo Lee. “Let’s go tell Stan we want to be put on another team.” As the rest of their team walked off the field, Henry and Soo Lee walked up to Stan.
“We’d like to be put on another team, please,” said Soo Lee.
Stan looked down at Soo Lee and frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“My cousin and I would like to be on another team.”
“Why?” asked Stan, frowning harder. “The Bears are the best team, and you are good players. Why would you want to be on another team?”
“Because we aren’t having any fun,” said Henry boldly. “We want to play on a team that is fun to play on.”
“Fun? Fun?” Stan said, as if he had never heard the word before. “You’re not supposed to have fun. You’re supposed to win!”
“We know. But we want to have fun, too,” said Soo Lee.
Stan put his hands on his hips. “Fine,” he snapped. He pointed toward Gillian’s team. “Go play on her team if you are not interested in winning. But I’m warning you, you’ll be sorry!”
CHAPTER 4
A Soccer Team Spy?
Soo Lee looked over her shoulder as they walked across the field toward Gillian. Stan was still standing where they had left him, glaring after them. “Uh-oh,” she said to Henry in a low voice. “Stan looks really angry.”
“Then I’m even more glad that we’re not playing on his team anymore,” said Henry.
Gillian’s team had gathered around her. “Okay, everybody, you all did a good job. If we keep working hard and really trying, we’re going to have a terrific soccer summer,” Gillian said. “See you at the next practice.”
As the soccer players left, Henry and Soo Lee walked up to Gillian to tell her that they were now on her team. “Great,” said Gillian, writing their names down on her clipboard.
“Hooray,” said Benny, giving a little ski
p.
“I’m glad,” Violet said.
“I’m going to be on your team, too,” said Jessie.
The others all looked over at her in surprise.
Jessie went on, “I like Craig. I think he’s a good coach. But I want to play with you guys on the Panthers.”
With a nod and smile, Gillian wrote Jessie’s name on her clipboard list. “Welcome to the team,” she said. “See you all at the next practice.” She tucked her clipboard under her arm and walked back to the community center.
“Does anybody need a ride home?” asked Elena. She pointed toward a car in the parking lot. “My father’s here to pick me up.”
“I’d like a ride,” Benny declared. “My legs are tired!”
“We’re going to get ice cream,” said Elena.
“And my stomach is hungry,” added Benny.
Jessie ruffled her younger brother’s hair. “You’re always hungry, Benny. Especially for ice cream.”
“I’d like some ice cream, too,” said Violet.
“I guess we do want a ride,” said Henry. “Thank you.”
The six soccer players began to walk toward Mr. Perez’s car. As they got closer to the parking lot at one side of the community center soccer fields, Jessie said, “Look over there, at the other end of the parking lot.”
They all looked. They saw a battered blue van with a man sitting in it behind the steering wheel.
“Isn’t he holding a pair of binoculars?” Jessie asked.
The others turned and looked at the van. Henry squinted a little and said, “I think you’re right, Jessie. He is holding binoculars. And he seems to have them turned in this direction. But why?”
“Maybe he is watching for birds,” suggested Soo Lee.
“A soccer field is a funny place to bird-watch,” said Elena. “If I were a bird, I wouldn’t stay on a soccer field. You might get hit by a soccer ball!”
Just then the man in the van put down the binoculars, backed quickly out of the parking lot, and drove away.
“Why did he leave so suddenly?” Soo Lee wondered aloud.
“Maybe he’s a spy!” exclaimed Benny.
Henry laughed. “Oh, Benny,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
Elena introduced them to her father, and they drove to the ice-cream parlor. The six children all got ice-cream cones and went outside to sit at the tables on the sidewalk to eat them. The ice cream tasted good after the long, hot soccer practice.
“Soccer makes me hungry,” said Benny. He had gotten chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles.
“Me, too,” said Elena, who was eating a butterscotch sundae.
“I’m glad I’m on a team,” said Violet. “I didn’t think Stan was going to let beginners play.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Elena. She looked very surprised.
The Aldens and Soo Lee told her about the conversation they had overheard the day before.
“Well, Gillian should get that coaching job,” said Elena. “She’s a great coach. She’s definitely the best one for the job.”
“Ha,” said a familiar, sarcastic voice.
They all looked up to see Robert standing on the sidewalk in front of them. “Gillian’s a crummy coach,” said Robert. “Stan is the best coach.” He looked at Henry and Soo Lee. “Too bad you quit the Bears. Now you won’t get a chance to win any games.”
“We will, too,” said Soo Lee. “Gillian thinks we are a good team.”
“She’s just saying that,” said Robert. “I bet she’s really upset. Coaching a bunch of beginners is going to ruin her chances of getting that job. The university is only interested in coaches who can coach winning teams.”
He turned and walked away.
For a moment no one spoke. Then Jessie said, “Wow. He might be a good soccer player, but he is definitely not a good person.”
“Robert would be an even better player if he were a better sport,” said Elena.
But Violet wasn’t thinking about that. She looked around at the others. “Do you think it’s true?” she said. “Do you think that if our team loses, Gillian won’t have a chance of getting that coaching job?”
“I don’t know, Violet,” said Henry. “I don’t know.”
It was two weeks later and the last practice for all three teams before the first game. Robert caught a ball and kicked it hard out of the goal and down the field where the Bears were practicing. “Gotcha!” he shouted at the player who had kicked the ball.
“At least we don’t have to play our first game against the Bears,” said Soo Lee.
“Yes. It will be much more fun to play against the Silver City Rockets,” agreed Jessie. The next day all three teams — the Bears, the Panthers, and the Hawks — were going to play against teams at the Silver City Community Center.
Stan had started his team’s practice early and was already yelling at his players. Gillian had gone to the room where each team kept soccer balls and equipment.
Now she and Craig were coming back to start practices for their teams. Each was carrying a big net bag full of soccer balls.
Craig walked over to his team and Gillian came to join the Panthers. “Okay, everybody,” she said. “Each of you take a soccer ball and jog around the field. Practice kicking the ball as you run.”
She opened the bag and turned it upside down, and the soccer balls came spilling out.
But they didn’t bounce everywhere as they usually did. They thudded to the ground and just lay there.
“What is this?” asked Gillian, bending over to pick up a soccer ball. She squeezed it between her hands and frowned. “This soccer ball is completely flat,” she said.
“So is this one,” said Elena, picking up another ball.
“And this one,” cried Jessie.
“They’re all flat,” said Gillian.
At that moment, Craig came running over holding a soccer ball in his hands. “Look at this! Look at this!” he cried. “Every single ball, flat. No air. Like a pancake. This is no coincidence. Someone let the air out of my team’s soccer balls.”
“Mine, too,” said Gillian. She looked around at the Panther team members. “Is this someone’s idea of a joke? Did someone sneak into the equipment room and let the air out of the soccer balls?”
Everyone on the Panthers shook their heads.
“Well, whoever did it, it’s not funny.” Gillian’s normally pleasant expression was cross. “We’re going to have to pump all these balls up before we can begin practice.”
“No one on my team knows anything about it, either,” said Craig. He raised his hand and waved vigorously. “There’s Stan. Stan! Come over here, please.”
“What’s the problem?” asked Stan as he approached the two coaches.
“This is the problem,” said Gillian. She showed Stan the balls, and she and Craig told him what had happened.
Stan didn’t change expression as he listened. When Gillian and Craig were finished, he said, “I wonder how that happened,” as if he weren’t really interested.
Jessie stepped forward. “Who has a key to the equipment room?” she asked.
Stan raised one eyebrow. “I do. Craig and Gillian do. So does the director of the community center, of course. And the janitor.”
“Five people,” said Henry.
“I hope you’re not implying that one of us would pull such a childish trick,” Stan said.
“Someone did,” Benny said.
“Well, it could have been anybody,” said Stan. “I unlocked the equipment door when I got here, a little before practice was scheduled to begin. I usually do that, and I don’t lock it back up until after practice is over.” Stan checked his watch. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a team to coach.”
“But what about our teams’ soccer balls?” protested Craig.
“There’s a hand pump in the equipment room,” said Stan, sounding bored. “I suggest you get started.”
“He wasn’t much help,” said Craig.
&nb
sp; “No. But we’d better get started pumping up those soccer balls,” said Gillian.
Craig, Gillian, and some of the players on each team took turns pumping the balls up as fast as they could. But it still took a long time. When it was finished at last, Craig’s team took the balls back to their field and began to practice.
Gillian gave each Panther a ball. Still looking cross, she said, “Let’s get this started. With our first game tomorrow, we need every minute of practice we can get.” She glanced toward the Bears, who were practicing on the next field, and her expression was unhappy.
The Panthers had worked hard. They were better players than they had been. But the Bears were better still.
“Who would let all the air out of the balls?” asked Elena as they ran and dribbled their soccer balls. “That was a mean thing to do.”
“Robert’s mean,” said Benny. “Maybe he did it.”
“You can’t just say someone did something because they’re mean,” said Henry. “You have to have proof.”
“Maybe we can find a witness,” said Jessie.
“We’ll look for clues after practice,” said Henry.
“I know who might have done it,” said Soo Lee suddenly. “Look. It’s the same blue van that was here before.”
The van was in the same place, on the far side of the parking lot. They could see someone in it, but they could not tell if the person was using binoculars.
“Wow,” said Benny. “Do you think the spy did it?”
“I don’t know,” said Henry. “But we’re going to find out, as soon as practice is over!”
After practice, however, the van was gone. And when they asked Gillian if she had seen anyone suspicious-looking loitering near the equipment room, she shook her head. “I’ve thought and thought about it,” she said. “But I don’t remember seeing anyone near it before practice. Except, of course, Craig. He was on his way to get his teams’ practice balls and I ran into him.”
“It sounds as if almost anybody could have gotten into the equipment room,” said Henry.
“Yes,” Gillian said. “But I’m going to talk to Stan about keeping the door locked from now on. We don’t need any more pranks like this.” She fished around in the pocket of her windbreaker and brought out her car keys. “See you at the game,” she said.
