The Ball Hogs Read online

  Ben rubbed his chin with his hand and studied the board. Erin was right. There was no way he could win now.

  “Give up?” Erin asked.

  Ben shook his head slowly. He moved his pawn forward one space. “It’s not over yet,” he said.

  But Erin moved her bishop again, putting Ben’s king in danger. It only took two more moves for her to win.

  “Nice try,” she said.

  Ben had never beaten Erin at chess. She’d taught him how to play a few months before. Erin had been playing with her dad for two years. She always managed to capture Ben’s stronger pieces, especially after he’d taken one of her weaker ones.

  “It’s like a soccer game, isn’t it?” Ben said. “You have to know where all of the players are and what they’re able to do.”

  “That’s true,” Erin said. “You always have to be thinking ahead. And if one of the players makes a risky move, it usually hurts the whole team.”

  “Like Mark, huh?”

  Erin laughed. “Yes. Like Mark.”

  Erin picked up one of the black rooks. “See, this player can move up and down the board as far as he wants. But if he tries to win the game all alone, he’ll usually get knocked out. The pieces have to work together.”

  “You’d be a good coach,” Ben said.

  “Thanks.”

  Ben’s parents came into the kitchen.

  “Time to chop the broccoli!” Dad said. He winked at Erin. “Ben’s favorite food.”

  Ben winced. “Better cover it with tomato sauce,” he said.

  “It’ll be garlic and olive oil,” Mom said. “We just bought some shrimp at the market.”

  “Fresh pasta, too,” Dad said. “Can you stay for dinner, Erin?”

  Erin looked at the clock. “I have to go home. It’s my dad’s turn to cook tonight. He’s roasting a chicken.”

  “Okay,” Ben said. “Maybe tomorrow we can play chess again. I think I’m getting closer to beating you.”

  “In your dreams,” Erin said.

  Ben walked to Erin’s driveway with her, then turned back. He started to run, imagining that he was racing past soccer players and heading toward the goal. He dodged left, then right, and saw himself shooting the ball into the net.

  The pieces have to work together, he thought.

  He’d be ready to score if that pass ever came.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tough Competition

  Tyler’s new four-square group was still going strong. They’d asked Ben to join for the first few days, but he’d refused to play unless they let Loop back in, too. Now they didn’t bother asking.

  Ben hadn’t played four square in a week. And now Loop had dropped out of the second group because the action wasn’t fast enough. He and Ben just tossed their ball against the brick wall and took turns catching it.

  “Aren’t we the two best players?” Loop asked.

  “Probably,” Ben said.

  “So why are we the only ones not playing?”

  Ben shrugged. He pointed to the second group. “They’ve already got six.” He jutted his chin toward Tyler and the others. “And they’ve got an attitude problem.”

  “Well, this is boring. Some kids from another class asked me if I wanted to start a third group.”

  “Really?” Ben asked. “Who?”

  Loop pointed across the playground. “That guy, for one.”

  Ben couldn’t believe Loop was pointing to Mark. “Him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He’s a total pain.”

  “He’s a good athlete,” Loop said. “He was on my baseball team last summer. So what if he’s a pain?”

  “He’s on my soccer team,” Ben said. “Believe me, we won’t have any fun playing with him.”

  “Too bad,” Loop said. “We still have time to get a game going before recess is over. You in?”

  “No thanks.” Ben sat against the wall. Soon there were three games under way. Sixteen players were involved.

  But not Ben. He tried to act as if he didn’t care that he was sitting there alone, but it was hard to keep his eyes off the four-square games. Loop had joined right in with Mark and that group, and they seemed to be having a good time. Tyler’s group had the best players, but Ben could have had fun in any of the games.

  As they walked back to class, Ben grabbed Loop by the arm. “The only reason I wasn’t in Tyler’s group was because I was standing up for you.”

  “Well, I got tired of wasting time,” Loop said, pushing Ben’s hand away. “All Tyler wants to do is argue. If you want to go back, go ahead.”

  Now Ben felt a push from the other side, too. “Don’t bother,” Tyler said. “We don’t want either one of you back.”

  Ben stopped walking. “Who do you think you’re shoving?” he asked.

  Tyler took a step closer. “I think I’m shoving you.”

  “Well, watch it.”

  “What’s the matter, Ben?” Tyler said. “Wouldn’t they let you in the baby game either?”

  “What baby game?”

  “Loop’s baby four-square game. Did they leave you out, too?”

  Ben clenched his fists and glared at Tyler. But Loop stepped between them. “It’s a better game than yours,” he said.

  “It is not.”

  Mr. Kane, who taught one of the other fourth-grade classes, was coming toward them quickly. “Is there a problem here?” he asked sternly.

  Ben stared at Tyler. “No problem,” he said.

  “It looked like a problem,” Mr. Kane said.

  “It wasn’t,” Loop replied, but he was giving Ben an angry look. “We were just talking about four square.”

  “Then get back to class,” Mr. Kane said. They were the last ones on the walkway between the playground and the school. Mr. Kane held the door open and the three boys walked in. Then the teacher went one way and Ben and the others went the other toward their classroom.

  So Ben and Tyler and Loop were alone in the hall.

  “You already had your chance to join us,” Tyler said to Ben.

  “Who says I want to?”

  “You did.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Ben said. “I said I didn’t because of Loop.”

  “So you would have joined us.”

  “Would have. Won’t now.”

  “We don’t want you.”

  “Big deal.” Ben walked faster to get away from Loop and Tyler. How did he end up like this when he’d just been trying to stick up for Loop? This had totally backfired. He entered the classroom and took his seat.

  The three of them glared back and forth at each other for the rest of the morning.

  At lunch, Ben found a table in the corner and ate quietly. Erin walked by and asked him what was wrong.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh, sure,” she said. “You’re sitting by yourself and you think you can tell me nothing’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine,” Ben said. “I just feel like being alone.”

  Erin shrugged and joined a group at another table.

  Ben wasn’t alone for long. Loop walked over and took the seat across from him. “What’s the idea of getting mad at me?” Loop asked. “You could have played if you wanted. I’ll fight my own battles with Tyler. I don’t need your help.”

  Ben stared at his sandwich. He’d only eaten half of it. “I belong with the best players.”

  “You mean Tyler’s group?”

  “Whichever group is best. Definitely not with that kid Mark.”

  “He seems okay to me,” Loop said. “Listen, you can sit on the swings and feel sorry for yourself or you can join our group on Monday. I’m playing.”

  Ben took a bite of his sandwich and looked away. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  “Don’t strain your brain,” Loop said. “Recess is supposed to mean we can stop thinking for a little while between classes.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  A Second Chance?

  It rained the day of the Bobcats’ second game. Ben d
idn’t mind. The grass was wet but the air was warm. He was excited. He knew that his nice blue shirt would get muddy, but that was part of the fun.

  Coach Patty asked Ben to play goalie for the first part of the game.

  Ben was quick and he was good at stopping shots. But the Rabbits had fast runners with strong legs. They took some hard shots.

  Ben stopped two shots, but the third one got past him.

  “Nice try!” called Kim.

  “Good effort!” yelled Shayna.

  “I would have stopped that!” shouted Mark.

  At halftime, Coach Patty called the team over. “You’re playing very well,” she said. “We’re only one goal behind. If we work hard, we should be able to tie this game.”

  Ben moved to the front line for the second half, eager to score. But Mark kept hogging the ball. He missed one shot and lost the ball two other times.

  “Pass it!” Ben said. “Don’t be so selfish.”

  Mark did not answer.

  The score stayed 1–0 for a long time. The rain stopped but the field was slippery. It was hard to keep from falling.

  Late in the game, Ben finally got the ball near the Rabbits’ goal. A Rabbit player lost control near the sideline, and Ben was there to steal the ball. He dribbled up the field. I can score, he thought.

  Ben ran closer to the goal, but some Rabbits were right with him. He was surrounded by purple shirts. The goalie was blocking his path, too.

  Ben heard Mark yell, “I’m open!”

  Ben looked quickly to his left. Mark was near the goal, several yards away from Ben. A good pass would mean a goal for sure.

  He never passes to me, Ben thought. Why should I pass to him?

  Now three Rabbits were trying to take the ball from Ben. He turned and shifted and moved quickly away. His foot slipped on a muddy spot.

  Mark was still open, but Ben shot the ball instead. The goalie easily stopped it.

  “I was wide open!” Mark said as they ran back.

  This time Ben just looked away.

  Time ran out soon after that. The Bobcats had lost again.

  Erin put her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you pass to Mark?” she asked.

  “He never passes to me,” Ben said.

  “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” she said. “You just made it worse.”

  Ben kicked at the mud. “I thought I could score.”

  “It doesn’t matter who scores,” Erin said. “A goal is a goal. We would have tied the game if you passed.”

  Ben frowned. He wiped his hands on his shirt and let out his breath. He looked down at his feet. His socks and shin guards were spotted with mud.

  Across the field, the Rabbits were jumping up and down and cheering.

  It must feel great to win, Ben thought.

  He was beginning to wonder if he would ever find out.

  Ben pulled his sweatshirt on over his head and took a seat on the bench. Loop’s team had run onto the field, warming up for the next game.

  Ben felt as if the loss was his fault. He had been the goalie when the Rabbits scored. And he had decided not to pass the ball when Mark was open near the goal.

  So it didn’t make him feel any better when Mark walked over.

  Mark was holding a small bottle of juice. That reminded Ben that he was very thirsty.

  “I would have scored if you’d passed the ball,” Mark said.

  “I took a good shot,” Ben said.

  “They stopped it easy,” Mark said with a frown. “I was the one with the clear shot. No way they would have stopped me.”

  “They stopped you earlier!”

  “That’s because my foot slipped!” Mark said. “It was muddy out there.”

  “My foot slipped, too,” Ben said.

  “That’s why you should have passed.”

  “You would have missed the shot anyway!” Ben turned and looked toward the parking lot. His mom and dad were talking to Coach Patty. They all were laughing and smiling. They didn’t seem to care that the Bobcats had lost.

  Ben looked back at Mark. Mark made a fist and held it up.

  “You’d better pass next time,” Mark said.

  Ben swallowed hard. “You’d better pass, too,” he mumbled. Then he walked toward the parking lot.

  I’ll never pass to that guy, Ben thought. Not in a million years.

  “Here’s the soccer star,” Dad said, rubbing Ben’s wet hair.

  “Great game,” Mom said. “You were awesome.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. He knew he wasn’t a star. And he knew he hadn’t been awesome. He’d played hard and done some good things, but he’d made a lot of mistakes, too.

  “I was all right, I guess,” he said. “But we should have won. Or at least tied.”

  “Your coach said she’s very happy with how hard you work,” Dad said. “Now let’s get you into some dry clothes and have lunch.”

  “You’ve got plenty of games left,” Mom said. “You’ll start winning. I was so excited when you took that last shot.”

  Ben’s brother, Larry, patted him on the shoulder. “I was sure that shot was going in,” he said.

  Ben nodded, but he knew better. That shot had no chance.

  He wished he could do it over again. But would he shoot the ball harder or pass it to Mark?

  He wasn’t sure what he would do. But he knew the chance would come again. There were many games left to play.

  Mom handed him a plastic bottle filled with lemonade. Ben unscrewed the lid and fished out a couple of ice cubes. He popped them into his mouth.

  He wished he could play another soccer game right now. But he’d have to wait a whole week.

  He had a new soccer tip to add to his list: Be a supportive teammate.

  That might be the hardest one for him to stick to. At least when it came to playing with Mark.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Back in the Loop

  “So, what’s the decision?” Loop asked as Ben took his seat in the classroom on Monday morning. “Are you with us or not?”

  Ben frowned. He hadn’t decided what to do about recess. “We’ll see,” he said.

  Ben knew one thing. He would be playing four square. A week on the sidelines had been more than enough. He just wasn’t sure which group he’d be joining.

  If he walked up to Tyler’s group and waited his turn, they’d probably take him back. But he’d be in for some tough talk first.

  He was welcome to join Loop’s game, but then he’d have to put up with Mark.

  The third group would take him, but they had the weakest players.

  “You can always play hopscotch instead,” Loop said.

  Ben scowled, but Loop just grinned. “I’m kidding,” he said.

  “Very funny.”

  “Maybe you can set up a game by yourself,” Loop said. “You can jump back and forth in all four squares.”

  “Why would I do something that stupid?”

  “Because you don’t seem to be getting along with anybody else lately,” Loop said. “You won’t play with Tyler, you won’t play with Mark. Get used to it, Ben, you’re not the only one who wants to play. You don’t get your way every time.”

  Ben was shocked. He had tried to be the peacemaker. Now they were all turning against him. Maybe he would just sit this out again. Who needed four square anyway?

  Ben sat on the bottom rung of the monkey bars at the start of recess. Erin walked over.

  “You’re still moping around?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Oh, excuse me,” she said. “I didn’t notice how happy you are.”

  That made Ben smile, but he fought it back. “They’re jerks,” he said.

  Erin glanced at the four-square games in progress. “Yeah,” she said. “They could be having a lot more fun over here doing nothing, I suppose. Like you.”

  Ben nodded slowly.

  “I’m joining Loop’s game,” Erin said. “They’ve only got four today.” She made a tiny waving g
esture with her fingers. “See you later.”

  Ben gripped the monkey bars tightly while she walked away. “Wait up,” he said.

  Erin grinned as Ben leaped up and joined her. As they reached the game, Ben noticed that Loop had a big smile, too.

  “Look who’s here,” Mark said the next time the game stopped. He glared at Ben, and Ben glared back.

  Erin stepped into the first square and Loop served the ball. Ben would be in next. He watched the action closely. Loop was the only one of these kids he’d played with regularly, so he wanted to see what skills they had.

  Not bad, he thought as the ball flew from square to square. This’ll do for now.

  Ben couldn’t help but notice that Mark was a pretty good player. That was hard to believe, because four square is a game where control makes a big difference. Relying on speed or strength isn’t as effective as accurately placing the ball in another square.

  Mark was always out of control on the soccer field, but he was showing some real patience here.

  Erin made a nice save and directed the ball into Loop’s square. Loop lunged for it but knocked it out of bounds. So Ben was finally in the game.

  Loop held out his hand as he walked out of the square, and Ben smacked it. “Hope you’re not too rusty,” Loop said.

  “Don’t count on it,” Ben said.

  It was a warm day and Ben felt a surge of energy as he took his spot. He was diagonally across from Mark, who’d be serving.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Mark said, giving Ben a nasty smile.

  “Try me,” Ben said.

  Mark served the ball hard with a wicked spin, and it landed in Ben’s square. Ben took a quick step back and brought his hand down at a sharp angle, slicing at the ball and catching it just right. The ball rocketed back into Mark’s square and zipped past him.

  “Lucky!” Mark said as he ran after the ball.

  Ben stood tall and grinned at Erin. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she was smiling, too.

  Mark frowned and tossed the ball to the next server. Then he stood alongside Loop as they waited for the next break in the action.

  Ben quickly worked up a sweat, dodging around and making some excellent shots. Recess ended just as he reached the fourth square.