The Football Girl Read online

  Toby Wheeler: Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer

  Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate

  The League

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2017 by Thatcher Heldring

  Cover art © 2017 Shutterstock/Selenit

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  randomhouseteens.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 9780385741835 (hc) — ebook ISBN 9780375987144

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Other Titles

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One: Tessa

  Chapter Two: Caleb

  Chapter Three: Tessa

  Chapter Four: Caleb

  Chapter Five: Tessa

  Chapter Six: Caleb

  Chapter Seven: Tessa

  Chapter Eight: Caleb

  Chapter Nine: Tessa

  Chapter Ten: Caleb

  Chapter Eleven: Tessa

  Chapter Twelve: Caleb

  Chapter Thirteen: Tessa

  Chapter Fourteen: Caleb

  Chapter Fifteen: Tessa

  Chapter Sixteen: Caleb

  Chapter Seventeen: Tessa

  Chapter Eighteen: Caleb

  Chapter Nineteen: Tessa

  Chapter Twenty: Caleb

  Chapter Twenty-one: Tessa

  Chapter Twenty-two: Caleb

  Chapter Twenty-three: Tessa

  Chapter Twenty-four: Caleb

  Chapter Twenty-five: Tessa

  Chapter Twenty-six: Caleb

  Chapter Twenty-seven: Tessa

  Chapter Twenty-eight: Caleb

  Chapter Twenty-nine: Tessa

  Chapter Thirty: Caleb

  Chapter Thirty-one: Tessa

  Chapter Thirty-two: Caleb

  Chapter Thirty-three: Tessa

  Chapter Thirty-four: Caleb

  Chapter Thirty-five: Tessa

  Chapter Thirty-six: Caleb

  Chapter Thirty-seven: Tessa

  Chapter Thirty-eight: Caleb

  Chapter Thirty-nine: Tessa

  Chapter Forty: Caleb

  Chapter Forty-one: Tessa

  Chapter Forty-two: Caleb

  Chapter Forty-three: Tessa

  Chapter Forty-four: Caleb

  Chapter Forty-five: Tessa

  Chapter Forty-six: Caleb

  Chapter Forty-seven: Tessa

  Chapter Forty-eight: Caleb

  Chapter Forty-nine: Tessa

  Chapter Fifty

  Acknowledgments

  SUNDAY, MAY 8

  It was the day of the Pilchuck Scramble, the biggest trail run in town. I signed up as a team with my two best friends when we heard it was open to everyone. Marina, Lexie, and I were fourteen, so we were in the youngest age bracket for women. With five hundred yards to go, the runner ahead of me was fighting the trail, breathing harder, glancing over her shoulder. A few steps in front of her, the race leader was just reaching the top of the last hill. Marina and Lexie were right behind me, trying to keep the same pace.

  “Showtime,” I said to myself as we came to the last straightaway. In a burst of speed, I flew past the second-place runner, with Marina right on my heels. Now we were second and third. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lexie get caught in traffic as the other racers surged forward on the narrow path. She hadn’t done anything wrong. It could have happened to any of us. That was why it was important to have three of us in the race. We won as a team or lost as a team.

  I shortened my stride, picking up my pace, and took over first place as the finish chute came into view. I saw the look of shock as I breezed past my latest victim. She seemed to lose heart, and her pace fell just enough for Marina to dart into second, right behind me. And that was how we finished.

  After the race, Marina, Lexie, and I posed arm in arm in arm for a million photos, mostly taken by Marina’s mom. When we finally had a moment to ourselves, we high-fived and hugged. Marina hosed me with her water bottle while Lexie laughed like crazy, so I doused her back. We were drenched when a woman in a Pilchuck High School cross-country shirt came up to us.

  “Congratulations, girls,” she said.

  “Thanks,” we all said at once.

  “You three make a great team. How long have you been running together?”

  “Since sixth grade,” I said. “We all go to the Rosemary School.”

  “We’re going to Pilchuck High this fall,” Marina added.

  The woman smiled. “I’m Coach Harper. I hope you’re thinking about cross-country in the fall.”

  “Definitely,” said Marina.

  “We’re a package deal, though,” Lexie explained.

  “Well, I could picture all of you being in my top seven,” Coach Harper said. “You’ll have to earn it, but I like what I see.”

  “She loves us,” Marina said after Coach Harper had left.

  “Top seven,” Lexie repeated, savoring the words. “We’ll actually be able to win races—as freshmen.”

  While Marina and Lexie were celebrating, I was looking across the park at a group of boys playing a game of two-hand-touch football. About a year ago I had started playing pickup with the boys on my street. Now we were on a flag football team together, something I didn’t talk too much about with Marina and Lexie. I was afraid they would think it was weird. After all, there were no other girls playing football in Pilchuck.

  “Tessa,” Marina said to me, “isn’t this awesome?”

  “It’s the best,” I said, trying to be enthusiastic.

  Marina and Lexie gave each other a look.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Tessa, it’s obvious you’re dying to go over there,” Marina replied.

  “It is?”

  Lexie nodded. “We can see you staring.”

  “Do you mind?” I asked. “I just want to say hi.”

  “Suuure,” Marina answered. “On one condition: you need to tell us which one of them is the lucky boy.”

  I did my best to laugh it off. “Oh, he’s just my neighbor,” I said, trying not to blush. “His name is Caleb. You know him, right? He goes to Riverside.” He was another one of my secrets.

  “We’ve seen him around,” Lexie said. “So when are you going to introduce us?”

  “Soon,” I said. “I promise.”

  After one more quick round of high fives and hugs, I said goodbye and walked over to the football game. I was a bit relieved when my friends didn’t try to follow me. I loved them, but I wanted to keep football and Caleb to myself a little while longer.

  Aaron Parker stood in the middle of the field clutching a football as he pleaded with Brian Braun not to leave. “If you bail, we’re down to nine,” Aaron said. “We’ll have uneven teams.”

  “Sorry, man,” Brian answered. “It’s Sunday. I gotta work.”

  “One more drive,” Aaron said.

  “Can’t do it,” Brian responded before jogging away.

  I had hoped Brian would change his mind. I didn’t
want the game to end. Even though it was just two-hand-touch, it was a big deal to me, and to my friends Nick and Dobie, to be on the field with Aaron and Brian. We were eighth graders, and they were starters on the varsity football team at Pilchuck High. Brian was the quarterback and Aaron was the middle linebacker, like my brother Charlie had been before he’d graduated two years ago. It was Charlie who had gotten me, Nick, and Dobie into the game today.

  “It’s cool,” Charlie said to Aaron. “I’ll play quarterback both ways.”

  Aaron looked disappointed, but I knew he wouldn’t argue with Charlie. Charlie had taught him everything about playing middle linebacker. “Okay,” Aaron said reluctantly. “Let’s try it.”

  I was a little bummed too because I’d been playing quarterback that afternoon and had gotten into a rhythm. With Nick blocking and Dobie running the ball, we’d held our own against Aaron, Brian, and the other high school players. Of course, having Charlie on our team had helped. We switched the game to four-on-four with a permanent QB, but it wasn’t the same. It was hard to stay competitive when one of the players was on both teams.

  That was when Tessa Dooley appeared. She was wearing running shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt. A medal hung around her neck. Tessa and I went to different schools, but I had known her forever. The Dooleys lived down the street, and Tessa used to join our games of street football. Earlier this year she joined our flag team. She and I started hanging out more this spring, doing homework at the library and playing Madden at my house. Now when I saw her, my pulse quickened and my hands got all clammy. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it felt like a good thing.

  I pulled Nick and Dobie aside. “Let’s ask Tessa if she wants to join.”

  “I don’t know, man,” Dobie said. “You bring a girl in, it changes things.”

  “We already know she can play,” I replied.

  “And it beats playing with a permanent QB,” Nick added.

  “He’s got a point,” I said to Dobie, knowing I would have to say something to Tessa before too long.

  Dobie looked at Aaron. I knew what he was thinking. Maybe we knew Tessa could play, but to the older guys she was just a girl.

  We were still debating when Charlie waved at Tessa. “You want in?”

  Tessa pointed at herself. “Me?”

  Aaron glanced at Charlie but didn’t say anything.

  Charlie nodded. “Yeah. We need one more. Come on.”

  Quickly Tessa pulled off her medal and dropped it in the grass. She ran onto the field. “What team am I on?”

  “Over here,” Aaron said to Tessa.

  “Hey,” Charlie said. “Next score wins.”

  Aaron nodded as he waited for Tessa. She was at least a foot shorter than anyone else in the game and disappeared behind her teammates as she joined them in the huddle.

  When her team came to the line of scrimmage, Tessa was standing directly across from me. “Get ready, McCleary,” she said. “The ball’s coming to me.”

  “Is that a challenge?” I asked, unable to stop myself from smirking.

  “It’s a promise,” she answered with a straight face, looking at Jose, who was playing QB.

  Jose snapped the ball to himself, and Tessa darted forward, then juked right, crossing the field on a slant route. She lost me in the crowd. Jose spotted her and rifled the ball in Tessa’s direction, but she didn’t get her hands up fast enough. Incomplete.

  “Gotta catch those,” Aaron said.

  “Okay,” Tessa answered.

  On second down, Tessa tried to beat me on a post route. She was fast, but I kept up with her. Jose moved his team downfield with three straight completions to Aaron.

  “We should double Parker,” Dobie said in the huddle.

  “You want to play a zone?” Nick asked.

  Dobie shook his head. “Nah, I’m just thinking Caleb can help Charlie out on Aaron. We don’t really need to guard Tessa.”

  “Are you sure?” I said. “She can catch.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Dobie said.

  “What do you think?” I asked Charlie.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Charlie replied with his arm around my shoulder. “Drop back like a free safety and help me with Aaron. But keep an eye on Tessa. If Jose does throw to her, you’ll need to hustle.”

  I did what Charlie had said. Tessa ran a shallow curl while Aaron headed straight for the end zone. I saw Jose look Aaron’s way, and I ran over to back up Charlie. Jose pumped, then pulled the ball back. He whipped a short pass to Tessa, who caught the ball, turned, and raced to the goal line. Dobie took a smart angle and cut her off, leaving her with nowhere to run. But instead of stepping out-of-bounds, Tessa tried to pitch the ball backward to Aaron, who wasn’t ready. The ball bounced off his hip and hit the ground. Charlie scooped it up and ran twenty yards before Jose tagged him near midfield.

  “What was that?” Aaron asked.

  “Sorry, bad idea,” Tessa answered. She had lost her swagger.

  Charlie called for a water break between possessions, and I walked over to her. “Don’t worry about it,” I said.

  “Thanks.” Tessa sighed. “I think I’m a little nervous.”

  “You?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Tessa nervous.

  “Hey, I’m human. And these guys are, like, real football players.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said.

  “You know what I mean,” Tessa replied. “They throw hard.” Suddenly she brightened. Touching my wrist, she added, “Ask me later about the race.”

  Just then Aaron called his team together. “All right,” he said. “Let’s stop ’em.” He looked at Tessa. “You take him,” Aaron said, pointing at Nick.

  Charlie handed me the ball. “Hey,” he added with a smile. “Do you realize you’re about to lead a game-winning drive against the starting middle linebacker and four of his friends?”

  “Are you trying to jinx me?”

  “Can’t jinx greatness,” he replied.

  On first down, I threaded a ball over Aaron’s hands to Dobie for eight yards. Next I baited Jose into blitzing me after a ten-Mississippi count, dodged his tag, and ran for another fifteen yards. The defense tightened in the red zone, and I couldn’t find an open receiver. On the third down, I scrambled for a few more yards. Suddenly we had one play left.

  “What do you want to do?” Charlie asked me.

  “They’re going to come after you again,” Dobie said. “Let’s set up a screen.”

  “Too risky,” Charlie answered. “If we don’t get into the end zone, drive’s over.”

  “How about this?” I said. “Charlie and Dobie line up left. They’ll overload. I’ll roll out and hit one of you crossing the field.”

  “You’re going to throw a ball to the end zone across your body while rolling away from the receiver?” Nick asked. “Good luck.”

  “I can do it.”

  At first, the play went like I thought it would. But Charlie and Dobie couldn’t shake their coverage. Aaron smelled blood and came at me. He reached out with two hands. I ducked but felt my foot slide. I lost my balance, then caught myself just before my knee hit the ground. Aaron was charging me. There was a mad-dog look in his eyes. I had a feeling this game was no longer two-hand-touch. Suddenly he was airborne, flying at me like a missile. In the end zone, Charlie had a half step on Jose. It was enough. I gunned the ball into his hands for the game winner just as all two hundred pounds of Aaron Parker slammed into me. Spitting dirt, I jumped up and ran toward Charlie, pumping my fist like we had just won the Super Bowl.

  After we celebrated, I calmed down enough to worry that I had overdone it. Had I just showed up half of the starting defense of the high school football team?

  But Aaron held out his fist. “Impressive. You’re definitely a McCleary.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Good game.”

  “Sorry about the hit there,” Aaron added.

  “I can take it.”

  “No doubt,” Aaron answere
d.

  Tessa came up to us. “Hey, thanks for letting me play,” she said to Aaron. “That was fun.”

  “Anytime,” he said.

  “Really?” Tessa asked.

  “Well, we don’t do this that often,” Aaron said.

  “Oh sure,” Tessa said. “I get it.”

  Aaron looked me in the eye. “See you around, McCleary.”

  “Definitely.”

  Tessa sent a smirk my way after Aaron left. “Definitely,” she mimicked, obviously making fun of me for trying to sound cool. “See you around, bro,” she added.

  “What?” I said. “That’s what people say.”

  “You’re such a dork,” she replied with a laugh.

  “I’m a dork who just beat your team,” I retorted.

  Before Tessa could answer, a large arm wrapped itself around my neck, pulling me toward the ground. “This loser bothering you?” Charlie asked Tessa.

  “Yes,” she said. “And he smells weird.”

  “Oh, that’s just me,” Charlie said. Then he drove my face into his armpit. “Do I smell, loser?”

  “Like a sewer,” I said when Charlie released me.

  “Seriously, good stuff today. Those guys were impressed. They want you on the team next year. Actually, all three of you,” he said, pointing to Nick and Dobie.

  “I don’t know,” Dobie joked. “I may try out for the debate team.”

  “You couldn’t make the spelling team,” Nick added.

  “That makes no sense,” Dobie said.

  “Neither does your being on the debate team.”

  “But at least the debate team is a real thing,” Dobie shot back.