Fairway Phenom Read Free Page A

would have been a good shot — if that crumpled-up
     piece of paper would have flown into the next room. He tried to imagine how far one of these golf balls would go if he really
     hit it with all his might. He thought of the young golfer he’d watched on TV —number one in the world. Malik remembered how far he’d hit it; how all the people
oooed
and
aaahed
and yelled, marveling at how far the ball went.
    Suddenly, Malik felt compelled by some strange, invisible force — he
had
to try it. Right now.
Had
to. He took the wooden club with the number five on its head. He took the two oldest, most cut-up balls he could find, since
     he fully expected to hit them so far that he’d never find them again. And then he tiptoed across the open doorway of the living
     room and out the front door of the apartment.
    He’d be back in five minutes. His mom would never even know he’d been gone. Nothing to it.
    He hit the street and looked both ways to make sure none of his friends were out there. That was the last thing he needed,
     for them to spot him with a golf club in his hand. He took off down the street, looking for a safe place to hit the ball.
     He found it after a couple of blocks — an alley with brick walls on either side. Across the street was a blank brick wall.
     He could hit it down the alley, across the street, and off the wall, with no harm done.
    Malik placed a ball on a little patch of dirt and weeds where the concrete of the alley had broken.He didn’t want to break this club — the wooden number one club was already busted. He stepped up to the golf ball and swung
     as hard as he could.
    Whoosh!
Malik looked up to see where the ball had gone but couldn’t spot it. Then he looked down. There it was, still sitting there!
     The crack in the ball was smiling up at him, as if to say, “You fool! You missed me completely!”
    Malik swung again, even harder. Same result. “Okay,” he told himself. “I’m gonna swing easy this time and make sure I really
     hit it.”
    And that’s just what he did.
Thwack!
He heard that perfect sound, the sweet click of club on ball, and saw the ball shoot down the alley — and smack right into
     the fender of a truck that happened to pass by just at that moment!
    The truck screeched to a halt, and the driver’s-side door flew open. “Hey, you!” Malik heard a man’s voice bark angrily. “What
     did you throw at my truck?”
    Malik took off like a shot, hopping the fence at the alley’s back end and cutting through backyards till he came out on the
     next block. He kept running until he was sure the truck driver wasn’t following him. Then he stopped to catch his breath.
    There was a park across the street, almost empty at this hour. Malik strolled over there. He casually dropped the second ball
     down, looking around to make sure he wasn’t being observed. He swung, aiming in a clear direction, where there was nothing
     but a row of trees to hit. No trouble to get into. None at all.
    Except his shot hit one of the trees, and the ball ricocheted toward the sidewalk. It narrowly missed a mother walking her
     baby down the street in a stroller. “Hey!” the furious woman shouted. “You trying to kill somebody? Help! Police!”
    Malik was already semi-out of breath from his first narrow escape. Still, he had to flee again at top speed, lest he get himself
     arrested. He arrived back home totally winded, but he still had to hold his breath as he tiptoed down the hall to his bedroom.
     He didn’t dare make a sound until the cursed club was back with its brothers, safely hidden away.
    Man! That Shut-Up Man definitely put the whammy on me!
Malik thought. He lay in bed, recovering his breath and wondering where in the world he could safely play golf.
    There had to be someplace — but where?

3
    W ednesday was the first day of school. There was the usual air of excitement as Malik neared the building. All the kids looked
     just a little nervous — wondering who would be