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  Just as he reached them, the referee blew his whistle. “Line up,” he called.

  “Where’ve you been?” Coach Patty asked Ben. “I’ve already set the lineup.”

  Ben winced. He’d be on the sideline for the start of the game. Usually he’d be at the field at least an hour before a game, but today he’d been moving too slowly. The tension at home was a big distraction.

  He knew that he needed to run. Getting into a game or just working hard on his own always seemed to make him feel better.

  But Ben stood next to Shayna on the sideline and watched. Shayna was Coach Patty’s daughter, but she didn’t play any more than anyone else. Ben was glad that the coach treated everyone equally.

  He felt a tap on his shoulder and found Loop there beaming. Loop patted himself on the chest. “Guess who’s in first place,” he said.

  “You guys?”

  “Yep. Four straight wins. Not bad, huh?”

  Ben shrugged. Loop’s team, the Falcons, had been in last place a few weeks before, but they were the hottest team in the league.

  “We’ve been moving up, too,” Ben said. “If we win this one, we’ll be in second in our division.”

  “I don’t think so,” Loop said. “The Sharks tied the Rabbits. Nobody thought that would happen.”

  Ben was surprised, too. The Rabbits were in first place in the Bobcats’ division, and Ben had assumed they’d rout the Sharks this morning. The Bobcats were third, behind the Sharks.

  “I guess anything can happen,” Ben said. He gulped. The Bobcats would be playing the Rabbits next week. Then they’d finish the season against the Sharks. Two very tough games ahead. That made winning today’s game even more important.

  Midway through the first half, Coach sent Ben in at forward, replacing Erin. The action had been intense, but neither team had been able to set up a good shot.

  These guys are tired, Ben thought. I’m fresh. He was sure he could take advantage of that.

  But he stumbled the first time he touched the ball, and a few minutes later he passed the ball directly to one of the Tigers. Everyone else was warmed up and into the swing of the game. Ben was playing terribly.

  He sprinted toward the player he’d mistakenly passed to, desperate to get the ball back. The kid was circling toward the opposite sideline, moving quickly.

  Ben darted over and the Tiger tipped his shoulder, shielding the ball with his body. Ben slid hard, extending his foot between the kid’s legs and knocking the ball loose. The kid tripped over Ben’s leg and went down. Ben climbed to his feet and ran after the ball.

  The whistle blew and the referee pointed at Ben. “That’s an illegal tackle,” he said. “Tigers’ ball. Direct kick.”

  Ben frowned and jogged back on defense. The field was dry today, and a cool breeze was blowing toward the Bobcats’ goal.

  The kick went deep into the Bobcats’ end of the field, and players scrambled for the ball. A hard shot went directly at Jordan, who was playing goalie. He caught it and punted the ball away.

  The teams battled back and forth for the rest of the half, but neither team scored.

  “Let’s settle down,” Coach said as the players huddled around her. “We seem to have forgotten a lot of what we’ve learned. Pass the ball, then move to an open space. Stop swarming around the ball so much. And talk to each other out there. If you’re open, let your teammates know it.”

  Ben sat on the bench. Loop walked over and sat next to him. “You guys looked sloppy out there,” he said.

  Ben stared at the field. He certainly didn’t want any advice from Loop. “We’ll be fine,” he said.

  Loop jutted his chin toward the Tigers. “We beat them five–nothing a week ago, and we went easy on them in the second half. They’re pretty weak.”

  Ben checked his shin guards, then stood up and started walking away.

  “Then again,” Loop said, “they seem to be as good as your team.” He laughed.

  Ben didn’t look back.

  Coach put Ben and Erin on defense for the start of the second half, with Mark, Kim, and Jordan up front and Shayna in goal. Ben knew that his first responsibility as a defender was to keep the ball away from the Bobcats’ goal, but he planned to be part of the offense, too. He was a fast runner; he could cover the whole field.

  Even though the Tigers had possession on their end of the field, Ben ran down to try to steal the ball. An opponent made a nice fake and passed the ball ahead. Two quick passes and a long run moved the Tigers toward the Bobcats’ goal.

  Ben hustled down the field, but he was lucky that Erin knocked the ball out-of-bounds. He was able to get in position before the throw-in.

  Shayna made a save and kicked the ball to Ben. He fielded it on the run and sprinted along the sideline. Two defenders closed in on him and he tried to race past them, but he lost the ball and it bounced to another Tiger.

  “Get in control, Ben!” Erin called. “You’re playing like a madman.”

  Ben scowled at Erin and darted toward the ball. He needed to take control all right. Control of the game. It was time for somebody on this team to make something happen.

  Ben raised his elbow and pushed an opponent out of the way, then blocked the path of the player with the ball. I’m taking it, he thought, smashing into the player with his shoulder and kicking the ball away. See you later.

  But before Ben could take a single step with the ball, he heard the whistle blast again. The referee was waving a red card at him. “You’re out,” he said.

  “Out?”

  The referee pointed toward the sideline. “Out of the game.”

  Ben put his hands on his hips and looked at his coach. She pointed to the bench. Ben shook his head and walked off the field.

  He headed straight for the bench and picked up his water bottle, taking a long drink. The game had restarted, and Jordan had intercepted a pass and was dribbling up the field.

  Ben walked over to the coach. “When can I go back in?” he asked.

  Coach gave him a slight smile. “Not today.”

  “Why not?”

  “A red card means you’re kicked out of the game, Ben. We have to play without you.”

  Ben’s jaw dropped and he looked at the field with his mouth open.

  Coach put her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “It’s great to play hard. But you can’t hurt other players. You made two dangerous moves today.”

  Ben kicked gently at the turf. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “The referee thought you did. That’s why he flashed the red card.”

  Instead of hurting the Bobcats, though, the red card seemed to pump them up. Jordan and Kim made some sharp passes as they moved the ball up the field, and Mark dribbled past two defenders before feeding it back to Jordan in front of the goal. Jordan feinted left, then drove the ball deep into the net. The Bobcats had the lead!

  Ben let out his breath. He hadn’t even realized he was holding it. He felt horrible that he’d been kicked out of the game, but if his team could win anyway, then maybe they wouldn’t be too angry at him.

  The Bobcats were playing much better now—passing the ball and playing patient defense. A one-goal lead could disappear in a second, but the Tigers were definitely being outplayed. Jordan had emerged as a very good player over the past few weeks, and every one of the Bobcats had improved. They weren’t able to score again, but they did manage to hold on to the lead.

  When it ended, Ben stood to the side as his teammates came running off the field. He’d let them down. They were jumping and laughing, having won their third game in a row.

  “Play-offs, here we come,” said Jordan.

  “Watch out, Rabbits,” said Erin.

  Ben took a seat on the bench and stayed there until all of the players had left except him and Erin.

  Then he remembered that his father had driven him to the game. Where was he?

  Ben looked around and saw his dad talking to Coach Patty in the parking lot.

  “Think they’r
e talking about you?” Erin asked.

  “Who else?” Ben replied. He slowly walked over to his father.

  “Tough game, huh?” Dad asked.

  “It was tough watching instead of playing. I hated that. But at least we won.”

  “It’s worse than you think, Ben,” Dad said. “A red card means you have to sit out the next game, too.”

  “A whole game?”

  “A whole game. I wasn’t sure if they’d enforce that in this league, but your coach said they do. Red cards are a big penalty.”

  At home, Ben went to his room and took out the standings sheet. He knew the results of all four games from today, so he updated the standings with a pencil. A win over the Rabbits next week would be a huge step toward the play-offs, but that didn’t seem likely since Ben wouldn’t be allowed to play.

  On the other hand, he hadn’t contributed at all today and the Bobcats had won anyway.

  Maybe they didn’t need him so badly after all.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  No Rewards

  —————

  Ben stayed in his room for the entire afternoon. He was mad about getting kicked out of the game, and he was hungry. He’d had hardly any breakfast and only a small bit of lunch. But it was already four o’clock, so he decided to just wait until dinner. They’d be making their monthly trip to the Chinese restaurant in town tonight.

  Ben looked at the list of soccer tips that was taped to his wall. He’d been writing them down after games and practices. He’d underlined the one that Coach Patty said was the most important: Always have fun!

  Today hadn’t been any fun at all. Ben stretched out on his bed and shut his eyes. He fell asleep.

  He dreamed that he was on the soccer field, playing in the championship game. The Bobcats had continued their winning streak, beating the Rabbits and the Sharks and winning their first play-off game. Now they were facing the Falcons for the league title.

  The game was tied and Ben had the ball. He was racing toward the goal, and Loop was trying to stop him. The Falcons were throwing red rubber balls at Ben, and Ben was jumping in and out of four-square blocks as he dribbled the soccer ball.

  He dribbled through the principal’s office and past a referee who was holding a giant red card. Then he broke into the clear and shot the ball, scoring the winning goal.

  He woke up starving. He looked at the clock. It was nearly six.

  So he put on his sneakers and headed downstairs.

  “Are we leaving soon?” he asked his mom.

  “For what?”

  “For the Ming Castle.”

  “Sorry,” Mom said. “We decided to eat at home tonight.”

  “But I wanted sweet-and-sour chicken,” Ben said. “I thought that was tonight.”

  “Usually it would be, but … we’re making hamburgers instead.”

  “Oh. How soon? I’m starving.”

  “We’ll eat in about a half hour.”

  So Ben sat on the couch and watched a college football game on TV while his stomach growled.

  Larry came in and sat next to him. He looked as if he was holding back a smile. “Heard you got booted out of the soccer game,” he said.

  Ben folded his arms and stared at the TV. “It was a bad call.”

  “Dad said it looked like you were trying to wipe the guy out.”

  “I was just going for the ball.” Ben sank lower into the couch. The TV screen was focused on a quarterback who’d just fumbled the ball away. He had his helmet off and was looking around as if he was trying to find someone else to blame.

  “You’re having quite a week,” Larry said, and this time he did smile. “Kicked out of recess. Kicked out of soccer. What’s next?”

  Ben glared at his brother. “It isn’t funny.”

  Larry smacked Ben on the knee. “Hang in there, knucklehead. Things aren’t so bad. I went through stuff like that when I was your age, too.”

  “Why aren’t we going out for dinner?” Ben grumbled. “I deserve some wonton soup.”

  Larry shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “I guess they’re still mad at each other.”

  Larry raised his eyebrows. They could hear both parents in the kitchen, talking and laughing. “Doesn’t sound like it.”

  “Then why are we stuck here eating hamburgers again?” Ben asked, raising his voice. “We had them on Thursday.”

  “Maybe because it’s cheaper to eat at home.”

  “I wanted an egg roll.”

  “You’ll survive.”

  Ben didn’t say a word when he got to the dinner table. Dad had made hand-cut french fries and a big salad, and Mom had broiled a platter of hamburgers. “This’ll be nice,” she said. “Eating at home can be just as much fun as going to a restaurant.”

  Ben frowned. He took a hamburger and a big heap of fries. The food was fine, but he liked going out sometimes. This had been a terrible week; he thought he deserved a reward to make up for it.

  “Halloween is next Saturday,” Mom said. “Have you thought about a costume, Ben?”

  He hadn’t thought about it at all. Next Saturday was also the day of the game against the Rabbits. The game he’d be sitting out.

  “Maybe you can go as a giant red card,” Larry said. He and Dad cracked up.

  Ben took a bite of the hamburger and looked down at his plate.

  “I don’t get it,” Mom said.

  “It’s a soccer penalty,” Larry said. “Like he got today.”

  “Oh.… Quite a week you’ve had, Ben.”

  Ben jutted his chin toward Larry. “That’s exactly what he said. Why does everybody have to rub my face in it?”

  No one said anything more about it, but Ben could see his parents and Larry swapping amused looks. The past few days had been dismal, and the week ahead didn’t look any better. No four square allowed, and no chance to play soccer on Saturday.

  And what was going on with his parents? Too many arguments this week, and now they were skipping their usual family night at the restaurant.

  Things weren’t looking good.

  So why was everybody laughing but him?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Big Talk

  —————

  Ben wasn’t sure if he was allowed at practice, but he went anyway.

  “Yes, you can practice with us,” Coach Patty said. “The penalty is only for the game.”

  For once, he didn’t feel like practicing, though. After getting kicked out of that game, he didn’t even feel like part of the team.

  Erin smacked him on the shoulder and said, “Welcome back.” She always knew how to make him feel better. Ever since way back in first grade, she could usually make him smile.

  But then he remembered that he’d have to sit out an entire game before he could play again for real. “It’ll be a drag to sit on the bench and watch you guys on Saturday,” he said.

  Jordan said, “Keep your head up, Ben. It’s only one game.”

  And Kim added, “The time will fly by like nothing.”

  But then Ben lined up for a one-on-one drill against Mark. Ben had the ball, and he was supposed to keep it shielded from Mark while dribbling through a set of cones. Mark kept his voice low, but he was hounding Ben the whole time.

  “Come on, Mr. Red Card,” Mark said. “Watch out for that cone.”

  Ben had had a number of run-ins with Mark. Their rivalry had hurt the team early in the season, but lately they’d been playing well together. Now Mark was back to his old ways.

  “Watch that elbow,” Mark said as they approached the last cone. “Red card … red card … red card.”

  Ben circled around the last cone and gave Mark a shove with his hand. “Shut up!” he said.

  Mark just laughed and ran back to the start for his next turn.

  I can’t let him get to me, Ben thought. He knew it was important to stay calm in a game, and that opponents would often try to taunt you. Losing his cool had resulted in that red card.

  Wh
en the team began scrimmaging, Ben felt more like his old self. He was sweating as they ran the length of the field, and he could feel his heart beating harder. He stole the ball from Jordan, then made a nice pass to Erin and raced toward the goal.

  This was more like it.

  Here came Erin’s pass. It was soft and high, floating toward Ben as he stepped toward the goal. It was at a perfect height for him to head it into the net, and Ben squared his shoulders and jutted his forehead toward it as he jumped.

  But Mark was there, too, and he managed to jump higher. Mark was the one who headed the ball, and he sent it down the field, away from the goal. Ben and Mark collided, and they both fell to the grass.

  “Illegal!” Ben said.

  “No way!”

  “You can’t knock me down like that!” Ben yelled.

  “I didn’t,” Mark said. “You ran into me.”

  Ben scrambled to his feet and chased the ball.

  “Mr. Red Card,” Mark said again. “You never learn, do you?”

  He’s still a jerk, Ben thought. If anybody deserves a red card, it’s him.

  The ball flew back and forth, but neither side was controlling it for long. Finally, Ben took a long pass from Erin and headed up the sideline. He dribbled quickly, but he could see Mark coming toward him. Ben ran harder, but Mark was faster, especially since Ben had to keep control of the ball.

  Ben was nearly all the way up the field, but he was close to the sideline. None of his teammates were open. Mark was blocking his path to the goal and coming closer, trying to force him out-of-bounds.

  “Red card,” Mark said softly. “Red card.”

  Ben stopped short and kicked the ball as hard as he could. He didn’t care where it went. “Shut up!” he yelled again. He lunged at Mark, swinging his fist but only hitting the air.

  Coach was blowing her whistle, but Ben didn’t stop. He dived at Mark this time and wrapped both arms around his waist. Mark spun and they fell to the ground.

  Mark broke loose and took a few quick steps away. Jordan and Omar had Ben by the shoulders and were holding him back.