by Jamie McEwan
But Willy knew that he was really only moving his fingers. The rest of his body wasn’t doing anything. He wasn’t being an athlete.
When he got tired of the game, he did some homework. Then Willy went into the living room and looked at the old pictures of his parents.
When Willy’s little brother Joey got home from a friend’s house, Willy and Joey wrestled on the carpet for a while. But it wasn’t much fun wrestling with Joey. Joey was too small. It was too easy.
Willy was bored. It was no fun going to wrestling practice. But it was no fun not going, either.
After dinner Willy and Joey watched part of an action movie. The movie was exciting. But Willy knew he was just watching. Willy wasn’t having an adventure. Somebody else was. Willy wanted to be the action hero himself.
The next afternoon Willy went back to wrestling practice.
“Good to see you, Willy,” said Clint.
“Oh no,” said Biff. “I was hoping we’d gotten rid of you for good.”
“Thanks for coming back,” said Rufus.
“We’re going to have some fun, right?” said Dan.
“Fun, nothing,” said Willy. “We’re going to kick some butt! That’s what we’re going to do!”
CHAPTER 8
TOUGH SCRUBS
By Christmas vacation, Willy was still not kicking anybody’s butt. In fact, Willy was still getting pinned every day. Every day he wondered why he hadn’t quit. But every day he went back to the hot and smelly wrestling room with its padded walls.
He went back because he kept thinking he might be learning something. He kept thinking he might be getting better. He kept thinking he might be able to beat Biff—someday.
At the end of the last practice before winter vacation, Clint got the whole team together. “Who’s going to join me for workouts over Christmas break?” Clint asked. “You don’t have to come. We can’t have regular practices. And Coach is going to Florida. But if you want to get better, you’ve got to put in some extra work. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“Yeah, the tough get going straight to the Bahamas,” said Biff with a sneer. “Count me out. You wouldn’t catch me dead around this place over vacation.”
When they heard that, Willy and Dan and Rufus looked at each other. Then they all nodded. “Can the scrubs come?” asked Willy.
“Scrubs?” said Clint.
“That’s what Biff calls us—the scrubs,” said Rufus.
Clint laughed. “We’ll all be scrubs then,” said Clint. “It’ll be the Scrubs’ Special Holiday Workout.”
The holiday workouts were hard. The guys wrestled. Then they climbed the rope. Then they ran stairs. Then they did push-ups and sit-ups. Then they wrestled some more.
It was even harder than regular practices. And while they were sweating it out in the wrestling room, other kids were hanging out, taking it easy. But there was something cool about doing something that nobody else would do. It made them feel special.
“This is so much fun,” said Willy at the end of one workout. “Aren’t you glad you’re not having a smoothie in the mall right now?”
At first the rest of them looked confused. Then Rufus said, “Yeah, or things could be even more horrible! We could be on the couch watching TV!”
“Or lying on the beach like Biff!” said Clint.
“Yeah, what a relief!” said Dan. “This is the life, man. Hey, let’s do another set!”
They all laughed. Then they did two more sets.
CHAPTER 9
ONE POINT DOWN
When school started after vacation, Willy was doing better in practice. He didn’t get so tired anymore. And he had learned some moves. He could score some points now, taking other kids down or reversing them. And he wasn’t getting pinned. Much.
One afternoon the coach set up matches to decide who would wrestle varsity and who would wrestle J.V. Willy had to wrestle Biff. Willy was so nervous that when his turn came, he tripped over the edge of the mat. Biff didn’t look nervous at all.
At first Biff was ahead. Then, in the middle of the match, Biff started to slow down. He was getting tired. Willy was tired, too, but he kept going hard. Willy started to score some points.
In the last period Biff was only one point ahead. Willy was on top, in control. Willy would have to turn Biff on his back to win. But Biff pulled in his arms and legs so Willy couldn’t grab hold of them. Biff was hiding out like a turtle inside its shell.
“He’s stalling!” Dan shouted. “Make him wrestle! Biff is stalling!”
When time ran out, Biff was still one point ahead. Biff won the match, so he would get to wrestle varsity.
“See?” said Biff, breathing hard. “You’re still a scrub.”
“What does that make you, Biff?” asked Rufus. “You were scared the whole last period. You had to stall or that scrub would have kicked your butt.”
“It was so close,” said Willy, shaking his head. “So close.”
CHAPTER 10
WAY TO LOSE!
Biff wrestled varsity most of the season. Willy and Dan were on the J.V. squad. There weren’t as many J.V. matches as varsity. Willy only wrestled twice, and he lost both times. But they were close matches.
One day Biff was telling the guys on the ice-hockey team how bad they were. “My grade-school team could have creamed you guys!” Biff told them. So they dared Biff to come to practice with them.
Biff borrowed skates and got out on the ice with the hockey team. But he wasn’t used to skating. Biff slipped and hurt his knee. He showed up to school the next day on crutches.
Biff was on the injured list. Willy had to wrestle varsity for the last meet of the season. It was against their biggest rival, Central. Everybody came. Willy’s mom and dad were there, and his little brother Joey. That wasn’t surprising. But most of his class was there, too. Even Clara was there.
“Change your mind about wrestling being gross?” Willy asked her.
“No. I still think it’s gross,” said Clara. “But it’s kind of cute-gross. Like a slobbery bulldog. You know what I mean?”
“Slobbery bulldog? I think I liked plain old gross better,” said Willy.
“Good luck,” said Clara. “Take it to him.”
Knowing all these people were watching him made Willy nervous, especially when he found out he had to wrestle Central’s captain, a kid named Bob Star.
“That guy pinned me last year,” said Biff to Willy. “He hasn’t lost a match all year. He’ll show you what a scrub you are.”
Star had muscles popping out all over him. He had hair all over his forearms. He looked like he had to shave twice a day.
“Oh no,” Willy said to Rufus. “What a monster! Why did I ever go out for this sport?”
“He’s not going to kill you,” said Rufus. “At least, I don’t think he will.”
“Great. Thanks for the encouragement,” said Willy.
When Willy shook Star’s hand, he saw that Star wasn’t as big as he’d looked from across the mat. Maybe, thought Willy, maybe I have a chance.
The whistle blew. Star came charging out and took Willy down right away. He was quick.
Willy wrestled hard. He kept hoping that Star would get tired, but he didn’t. Once Willy got rolled onto his back, but he got away before Star could pin him.
Then, in the last period, Star started to make mistakes. This was Willy’s chance. Willy got control, and he turned Star over onto his back! People in the stands were screaming and jumping up and down.
“Pin to win!” the coach shouted. “Pin to win!”
But before Willy could hold down Star’s shoulders, the whistle blew. The match was over. Willy looked at the scoreboard. He had lost.
“Good match, buddy,” said Star as they shook hands. Then the ref raised Star’s hand in the air to show that Star was the winner.
Willy turned back to the team bench. To Willy’s surprise the whole team and all the spectators stood up and cheered for
him.
“Great effort,” said the coach.
“See, you’re not dead!” said Rufus.
“You lost, you scrub,” said Biff.
“He did a lot better than you could have,” Dan told Biff.
“Good match,” everybody told him.
Clara patted him on the back.
His parents hugged him. “I told you, you don’t have to win to be an athlete,” said his father. “Way to be.”
“I don’t know what the big deal is,” said Willy finally. “Biff’s right, I lost.”
“Yeah, but remember,” said Clara, “it’s not whether you win or lose that counts. It’s how entertaining you are to watch!”
CHAPTER 11
SCRUB CLUB
“So what’s going to be your spring sport?” Rufus asked Dan and Willy the following week.
“Baseball, of course,” said Willy.
“What else is there?” said Dan.
“Can you throw?” asked Clara.
“Sort of,” said Willy.
“I bet you can’t even throw from second to home,” said Biff.
“Get out of here, Biff. Who asked you?” said Clara.
“I’m not going to do a school sport,” said Rufus. “I’m joining this club that kayaks every day. Why don’t you come and kayak with us?”
“Kayaking?” said Biff. “That’s crazy. You wouldn’t catch me dead doing that. Kayaking is weird. You’re wet all the time. You wear this funny-looking gear. It’s a sport for scrubs.”
“For once I agree with Mr. Big Mouth,” said Clara. “Kayaking is weird. It’s all wet and gross.”
“All the cool guys are playing lacrosse,” said Biff.
“Let’s see,” said Willy. “It’s crazy. It’s wet. It’s gross. It’s for scrubs. Sounds like the perfect sport to me!”
