Kickoff! Read Free

because they looked so alike. Would they still stare at him, now that he was alone?
    And what would it be like having so many different teachers? Would they each give a ton of homework, not realizing that all the other teachers were doing the same thing?
    Why did their mom have to insist that they not have even one single class together? Tiki was so upset about it, he felt like crying—but he couldn’t let himself—no way. He didn’t want anyone—least of all Ronde—knowing how he was feeling right then. Afraid.
    Hidden Valley Junior High School was a boxy, gigantic building—much bigger than their elementary school. Tiki knew that was because kids from other elementaries went there, too. He wondered if he’d know anybody in his classes.
    â€œWell, I guess this is it,” he said as they climbed the front steps and the early bell sounded. “See you at lunch?”
    â€œI guess,” Ronde said. His voice sounded strange to Tiki—thicker than usual, somehow. Tiki wondered if Ronde was trying to hide his feelings too.
    Probably, he figured. After all, they were identical twins, and that meant they often thought—and felt—the same way about things.
    It was scary to think that maybe that would soon be ending too, now that they weren’t going to be together all the time.
    â€œOkay. Bye,” he said, giving Ronde a quick nod and going inside.
    Tiki fished out his program card and checked it one more time. “Math—room 208,” he read. He found a staircase and started up to the second floor, lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces.
    Wait—there was that kid Kevin, who was in his class way back in second grade! Tiki wondered whether he should wave, or say hello. He decided not to risk it—Kevin might not even remember him after all this time. He might think Tiki was weird for saying hi, considering they barely knew each other.
    The rest of the way up the stairs, Tiki concentrated on the floor. So many feet! All those different kinds of shoes . . . Were his cool enough? He’d figured he couldn’t go wrong with sneakers, but then, you never knew.
    He bumped into the girl in front of him when she stopped at the door to the second floor. “Sorry,” he said, glancing up at her.
    She clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes, and said, “Watch where you’re going, stupid.”
    Tiki felt like a complete idiot! Why did he have to bump into that girl? And why did she have to be so mean about it? Was everybody in this school going to be as mean as her?
    He felt like running right back down the stairs and outside, back into the beautiful September morning. But he knew he couldn’t.
    He found room 208, and headed straight for the back of the classroom, where he zoned in on the last available empty seat. Tiki was determined to sit in the back of the class, where he could hide from the teacher’s gaze whenever he didn’t know the answer to a question. He usually knew—but just hated to be wrong.
    But before he could reach the seat, another boy bumped him out of the way and plunked himself down in it!
    Tiki turned around and checked out the rest of the seats. He quickly grabbed one in the third row—as far from the teacher’s desk as he could get. Tiki promised himself that when this class was over, he’d run like the wind to get to his next classroom, so he’d have plenty of time to find a seat in the back row.
    His math teacher, Mr. Vaughn, was incredibly boring. He spoke in a monotone, and never smiled.
    And the math was hard ! Whenever Mr. Vaughn talked about algebra, Tiki got so confused it felt like his eyes were crossing.
    Pretty soon, Tiki found himself feeling sleepy. He wasn’t used to getting up so early in the morning—he and Ronde had set their alarm for six thirty to get to school by seven thirty—and he hadn’t slept well besides, what with all those nightmares about school. Tiki