Benched (5 page)

“That bear is a riot,” Ben said.

The opposing team scored a goal a few seconds later, and the mascot dropped to the ground with his head in his paws. But then he jumped up and waved to the crowd again, getting them to their feet.

“He’s got a lot of spirit,” Ben said as they jogged toward home.

“
She,
” Larry said. “I know her. She’s on the
tennis team, but she helps cheer for the football and soccer teams, too.”

Ben turned and looked back at the bear. He stumbled as he ran backward, and Larry caught him by the arm.

“I’ve got a good idea,” Larry said. “Saturday is Halloween, right?”

“Yeah.”

Ben could see that Larry was fighting back a smile.

“Well,” Larry said, “you haven’t been a very good teammate lately, but I know how you can make up for it on Saturday.”

“You do?”

“Do you have a Halloween costume yet?”

“No,” Ben said. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“I’ll help you make one after dinner tonight,” Larry said. “But only if you’ll promise to wear it to your soccer game.”

Ben thought about it for a moment. He could usually rely on Larry. “Okay,” Ben said. “Sounds like a plan.”

They reached their house and Larry stopped in the driveway to stretch. Ben sat on the steps and watched him. “How far do you think we ran?” he asked.

“A good two miles,” Larry said. “You look like you could run all day.”

“I probably could. There’s nothing worse than being told
not
to. By a referee or a coach.”

“You’ll be back in action before you know it.”

“I suppose. But being on the sideline for a whole game will be terrible.”

“Don’t worry,” Larry said. “My idea will liven things up.”

—————

“Hold still,” Mom said as Ben strained his neck to look out the car window. He could see the Rabbits and the Bobcats warming up on the field. The game would be starting in a few minutes, but he was stuck in a parked car while his mother put makeup on his face.

Ben shut his eyes and Mom drew some lines on his cheeks with her lipstick. His nose was already tinted black.

“Do I really have to have red whiskers?” Ben asked, squirming to get away. “I already look stupid enough with these fake ears.”

“Yes,” Mom said. “Three whiskers on each side. Nice and bright.”

Ben reached up to check his headband. It was one of his mother’s brown ones, and they’d attached two pointy felt ears to the top to look like a bobcat’s. He was also wearing her old leopard-patterned sweatshirt. (The shirt was warm, which helped a lot because the morning was cool.) A short, puffy tail attached to his butt completed the costume.

“Bobcats eat rabbits for breakfast,” Ben said as he ran out of the car.

“Don’t forget these!” Mom called. She held up a plastic bag filled with slices of orange. Ben had cut them up that morning for his teammates.

“Thanks!” he said, grabbing the bag. He sprinted all the way to the bench.

“What do we have here?” Coach Patty asked. “That’s some costume, Ben.”

Ben could feel his face get warm from embarrassment. “Just call me Mr. Mascot,” he mumbled.

The team gathered around the coach. They were very excited, and seeing Ben in his bobcat costume seemed to give them another lift in spirits.

“This is our most important game yet,” Coach said as the players stood in a circle and placed their hands together in the center. “The Tigers beat the Sharks this morning, so our chances are better than ever.”

“We’re rolling,” Jordan said. “Three wins in a row.”

“Just get me the ball,” Mark said. “We’ll show ’em.”

“Let’s have Ben lead the cheer,” Coach said with a laugh, “since he’s our biggest fan today.”

Ben shook his head and frowned, but he started counting down. “Three … two … one …”

“Bobcats!” they all shouted.

The starters ran onto the field. Erin would be the team’s only substitute. None of the Bobcats would get much rest today. Erin punched Ben on the arm and said, “Nice getup.”

“This is supposed to get the fans excited,” Ben said softly. He looked around. There were kids from other teams sitting in the small set of bleachers, and a few parents of the Bobcats. Ben’s mom was standing a few feet away, talking to Erin’s parents.

“There aren’t very many fans,” Erin said. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you cheer.”

Ben shrugged. He had nothing to lose, so he clapped a few times. “Let’s go, Bobcats!” he yelled.

“Let’s go, Bobcats!” Erin repeated.

Ben walked closer to his mom. “Let’s go, Bobcats!” he shouted.

“Go, Bobcats,” said the three adults. But then they went back to talking.

Ben turned to the game. The Rabbits had
control of the ball and were moving down the field. Their tactic was to bring all of their players forward except the goalie.

The strategy was working. The Bobcats barely touched the ball in the first few minutes of the game.

Finally, Kim got the ball in the corner and made a nice pass to Mark. He dribbled up the sideline and worked his way past two of the Rabbits. Then he spotted Jordan in the middle of the field, running at full speed toward the Rabbits’ goal.

“Here!” Jordan called.

Mark booted the ball on an angle across the field. By the time Jordan ran it down, he was only about twenty feet from the goal. None of the Rabbits had made it back yet, so it was just Jordan against the goalie.

“Breakaway!” Ben shouted.

Jordan made one quick fake and shot the ball toward the goal. The goalie dived, but the shot went cleanly into the net.

Ben leaped and turned to face the bleachers. “J-O-R-D-A-N!” he yelled. “Go, Bobcats!”

“We’re looking good,” Erin said as the game began again.

“Three wins in a row,” Ben said. “Looks like
four
.”

But the Rabbits quickly tied the score, and by halftime they’d taken a 2–1 lead. Ben’s throat was getting dry from all that yelling.

As the team gathered near the bench, Ben opened the bag of orange slices and handed them out. “Trick or treat,” he said. “Come and get it.”

Jordan bit into one of the slices and peeled the flesh from the skin with his teeth. “Those guys are
fast
,” he said to Ben. “We could use you out there.”

“You’re doing great,” Ben said. “Keep the pressure on them.”

“They’re the best passers we’ve played against,” said Kim. “Even better than the Falcons.”

Ben looked out at the field, which was scuffed up from all the recent games. The grass had turned brown a few weeks before, and the nearby trees had shed a lot of colorful leaves.

The game started again, and Ben went back to his yelling-and-jumping routine. But then he settled down and watched. The Rabbits’ best players were patient with the ball, making accurate passes and working together. They never appeared to panic, even if Mark or Kim or Jordan made a run toward the goal with the ball.

Midway through the second half, the Rabbits’ steady play paid off in another goal. They had a 3–1 lead. Ben could see the disappointment
on his teammates’ faces. They started playing with less excitement. The game seemed to be lost.

Ben clapped loudly. “That’s not the Bobcat spirit!” he shouted. “Mark! Shayna! Omar! Let’s go! There’s plenty of time left in this game.”

Ben’s enthusiasm seemed to make a difference. He could see a spark as Jordan took control of the ball and raced up the field. He sent a crisp pass across the grass to Kim, who turned and fired it back.

Jordan was in the clear as he ran past Ben near the sideline.

“Looking great!” Ben shouted. “Kim and Mark are with you.”

A Rabbit defender ran up to Jordan, who stopped short and dodged to his left. As the Rabbit went for the fake, Jordan shifted to his right and dribbled toward the goal.

Mark and Kim moved quickly into the goal area, waiting for a pass or a rebound. Jordan was at a tough angle to make a shot, but he was in perfect position to pass. He kicked the ball to Kim, who had a dead-on shot at the goal.

The Rabbit goalie crouched low, ready to spring at the ball. Kim planted her left foot and swung back her right. And then she did something really special.

Instead of shooting, she nudged the ball over to Mark. Mark trapped it and shot it past the goalie.

“Yes!” Ben cried. “We got it right back! One more and this game is tied.”

Ben wiped his forehead and let out his breath. He was puffing and sweating as much as if he’d been playing. He slapped hands with Darren, who was waiting to get back into the game.

“When you get in there, you need to hustle like never before,” Ben said.

Darren nodded. He was the quietest Bobcat. Coach sent him onto the field and Jordan came out.

“Just a short breather,” Coach said to Jordan. “Catch your breath and we’ll get you right back in there.”

Jordan walked over to Ben and held up his hand for a high five. “It’s intense out there,” he said.

“Way to get that goal right back,” Ben said. “For a second, I thought we were hanging it up.”

“I heard you yelling,” Jordan said. “Thanks. That gave us a lift.”

Ben shrugged. “Not much else I can do. Not in this game anyway.”

Coach called Jordan over a few minutes later. Ben went, too.

“This is it, Jordan,” she said. “We’ve got about three minutes left to tie this game. Go in for Omar at the next whistle.”

Ben tapped Jordan on the shoulder. “Run!” he said. “Don’t stop running until the game ends.”

The Rabbits had control of the ball and were biding their time with it. They didn’t need to score. If they could let the clock run out, they’d walk off the field with a victory. The Bobcats had to put the pressure on.

“Attack the ball!” Ben called.

Erin was playing goalie for the Bobcats, but the other five had all moved up the field. The Rabbits were playing an effective game of keep-away, but the Bobcats were guarding them closely.

Finally, Shayna intercepted a pass and kicked the ball back to Darren. Mark and
Jordan both yelled for it, and Darren sent it across to Mark.

Mark was faster than most of the Rabbits, and he raced along the sideline across the field from Ben. Ben ran in the same direction. So did all of the players on the field.

Mark would often lose control of the ball when he tried to dribble long distances. And he was much more likely to shoot than to pass, even if he didn’t have a clear path to the goal.

But maybe this was one time when Mark’s selfishness would pay off. There wasn’t much time left in the game. The Bobcats had to score.

Mark approached the goal and fired the ball from a tough angle. The Rabbit goalie blocked it with both hands, but he couldn’t hold on. The ball bounced to the side of the goal.

Jordan reached it first. He pivoted and shot, but the ball bonked off the goalpost and rebounded onto the field. A Rabbit stopped it with his chest and let it drop to the ground. As he tried to sweep it away, Kim ducked in and stole it.

The goalie and two other defenders were between Kim and the goal. She darted to her right, stepped over the ball, and slid it with the outside of her foot toward the front of the goal. Mark was there. He shot it hard, but right into the hands of the goalie.

The goalie kicked it long and hard. All six Rabbits and five Bobcats were near the goal, so no one was at the other end of the field except Erin.

Usually the goalie would stay near the goal, of course, but Erin ran up the field and took control of the ball. There was less than a minute remaining. She could add some power to the Bobcats’ attack.