Heads Up! (3 page)

Amanda stooped to retrieve the paper. It was a newspaper clipping. The headline read:
IS YOUR SOCCER PLAYER SAFE?

Amanda was dumbfounded. She grabbed the envelope and turned it over and over, looking for a sign of who had sent it. She found
nothing.

She hesitated. She was burning to know who had sent the clipping. But her mother had always told her not to read other people’s
mail. Still, if the envelope was already open... ?

The sound of a car door slamming solved the problem for her. Hastily, she stuffed the clipping back into the envelope, put
the envelope on the counter, and rushed out of the kitchen.

Amanda waited all day for her mother to comment about the envelope. But she didn’t. Amanda almost asked her about it. But
her mother might think it was odd if she did. After
all, Amanda had never asked her about her mail before.

Then, at dinner, she thought she was going to hear about it at last.

“I got something interesting in the mail today,” Mrs. Caler said.

“What was it?” Amanda’s sister Amelia asked. Amelia was three years older than Amanda. She had just come home from ballet
class. As usual, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a leotard and a pair of shorts.

Amanda held her breath. Was she about to learn what else was in the envelope and who had sent it?

She wasn’t. Instead of the plain envelope, Mrs. Caler pulled out a fancy pink one. She waved it at Amelia.

“We finally got that information about ballet school!” she crowed happily. She pulled a booklet out of the envelope and opened
it between Amelia and Amanda.

“Doesn’t this look wonderful?” she asked the girls.

Amelia’s reply was a squeal of delight. Amanda didn’t say anything.

After all, her mother had always told her it was better to say nothing at all if you couldn’t say something nice.

M
rs. Caler and Amelia talked about ballet and the ballet school for the rest of the meal. Amanda finished her dinner in silence,
cleared her dishes from the table, and went to her room.

Who would have sent Mom that envelope?
she asked herself for the thousandth time that day.

She flopped onto her bed and pondered for a while. Suddenly, she sat up.

“Eddie,” she said out loud.

Eddie wanted to play halfback. But the ’Cats already had their starting halfbacks — Amanda, Bundy, and Dewey. And Dale was the usual halfback sub. Eddie would only
be subbed in at halfback if one of the other four couldn’t play.

Amanda couldn’t think of any reason why Dewey, Bundy, or Dale wouldn’t be able to play. But what about herself? If her mother
thought that soccer was hazardous, she might take Amanda off the team. An envelope full of newspaper articles about soccer’s
dangers might make her think about doing just that!

Eddie had been late to practice that morning. Could she have been busy shoving such an envelope through the Calers’ mail slot?

Amanda shook her head. She didn’t want to believe Eddie would do something like that. But the more she thought about it, the
more it seemed to make perfect sense that Eddie was the culprit —and Amanda was her target.

Then she remembered something else. In
the rest room, Eddie had wondered if Amanda was going to be afraid of the ball after being hit. Then that night, someone had
called the coach to ask for heading practice. Could the caller have been Eddie? Could she have hoped that Amanda would shy
away from the ball whenever it came near her? If so, then she got her wish, because that’s just what Amanda had done for most
of the practice.

Amanda didn’t sleep well that night. She had bad dreams about huge soccer balls falling from great heights.

When she woke up the next morning, her dreams still haunted her. She shuffled into the bathroom and splashed water on her
face. Then she looked in the mirror — and almost didn’t recognize the person who looked back at her.

I look scared!
she thought.
I’ve never felt this way before a game!

She stared at herself for a moment longer.
Her tense expression changed to a frown.
Being scared is just what Eddie wants. Well, I’m sorry, Eddie, but you’re not going to get what you want today!

She marched back into her room and pulled on her shorts and Soccer ’Cats T-shirt. Then she stormed downstairs into the kitchen—
and ran smack into her mother, who dropped the envelope she was holding. Newspaper clippings fluttered to the floor.

“Well, well,” Amanda muttered under her breath. “What have we here?”

“A
h, I see you’re ready for the game,” Mrs. Caler observed as she stooped to pick up the clippings.

“Darned right!” Amanda replied hotly. “You’re not going to try and stop me from playing, are you?”

Mrs. Caler looked up. “Why, no,” she said with surprise.

“Because you know,” Amanda went on as if her mother hadn’t said anything, “you can’t always believe everything you read.”

Her mother arched an eyebrow. “And what is it you think I’ve been reading?”

Amanda pointed to the clippings. “You know what you’ve been reading.”

“I see,” said Mrs. Caler. “And you don’t think I should believe what I’ve read in these articles?”

Amanda shook her head.

“Why not?”

“Because the person who sent you that stuff wants you to take me off the team!” Amanda blurted out.

Mrs. Caler stood up. “What!” she exclaimed.

“It’s true,” Amanda said. She grabbed a banana and a bagel and headed to the kitchen door. “I know it’s not right to say something
mean about someone. But this person has been mean to me, so why should I be nice to her?”

“Her?” Mrs. Caler repeated. “Are you
sure
— ?”

“I’m sure,” Amanda interrupted. “But I’m not going to let her get away with it.” She slammed the door behind her.

Amanda arrived at the soccer field ready to show Eddie — and everyone else — that she was not about to give up her place on
the Soccer ’Cats team. If that meant getting hit with the ball, then so be it!

The game against the Torpedoes started off quickly. The Torpedoes had won the coin toss, so they had possession first. With
a flick of his foot, the center striker sent the ball to his right forward, who dribbled rapidly down the sideline.

Amanda was on him in a flash. She snaked her foot in, stole the ball, and rocketed a high kick to Stookie.

Stookie trapped the ball against his chest and let it drop to the ground. Then he started dribbling toward the Torpedoes’
goal.

Torpedo fullbacks were on him in an instant. But just as quickly, Stookie got rid of the ball by passing it to Lou on his left.

Amanda swooped in behind Lou, ready to counterattack anyone who stole the ball from him.

Someone did. A Torpedo halfback nabbed the ball when Lou lost control of his dribble. The halfback dribbled away from Lou
and Amanda. He scanned the field and pulled his foot back for a kick.

Amanda charged in for the steal.

Blam!
The Torpedo blasted the kick and sent it soaring right at Amanda’s head.

Amanda didn’t have time to think. She threw her arms up to protect herself.

T
he ball ricocheted off Amanda’s arms and bounced to the ground.

Phweet!
The whistle blew. The ref signaled for a direct free kick.

Stookie ran up to help his teammates defend against the kick.

“Man,” he growled to Amanda as the Torpedo sent the ball flying high into the air and into the ’Cats’ territory. “Don’t you
know handling the ball with your hands or arms is a foul?”