Overtime Read Free Page B

Charlie said. “Our empty pad could be full of guys by now. Let’s go.”
    They ran off, Charlie out in front. He turned the corner towards the pad, and this time the others had to swerve to avoid him as he skidded to a halt.
    “Joyce, do you have a death wish today?” Scott said.
    “I have a wish to play ball hockey,” Charlie said. “But look.”
    Ten players were lined up, ready for the drop of the ball — ten girls!
    “We seem to have a problem,” Pudge said.
    “Dalton’s reffing,” Nick said. “Let’s investigate.”
    Charlie followed uneasily. He had a bad feeling about this.
    “Hey Dalton,” Nick said. “What gives? Tuesday is our day.”
    “Correction. Tuesday is grade ten day,” a girl said.
    Charlie had never seen her before. She was tall, with her hair in cornrows. He certainly knew the girl opposite her, though — Julia.
    “Hey, boys. We thought we’d take a turn,” Julia said. “You can play the winner.”
    “Yeah … but … girls have never played before …” Scott’s voice trailed off.
    “So?” another girl said.
    “Oh, hi, Rebecca,” Scott said to her. “I didn’t see you … there … behind Alexandra … there.”
    Scott was never at a loss for words except when Rebecca was around.
    “You boys take a seat,” Alexandra said. “We won’t be too long — maybe half an hour, or so.”
    “Watch and learn,” the tall girl said. A girl behind her laughed; she was much shorter than her friend, but looked strong and athletic.
    Dalton bounced the ball a few times. “I had to concur that it was only fair that they have the opportunity to play,” he said.
    Charlie tried not to laugh. Dalton had a funny way of talking, always using big words. But he was a good guy, even if he might be a bit geeky — and he had a point about it being fair.
    “Let’s watch from the hill,” he said, pulling on Scott’s arm. “At least you can eat lunch.”
    Charlie sat on the ground, and his friends plopped themselves down too. The game was first to score two goals. Julia, Rebecca and Alexandra were the best junior girl hockey players in school, and he figured they would win quickly.
    “Julia and the girls will smoke ’em, and we’ll be playing in a couple of minutes,” Charlie said. “Eat up.”
    “I know the fourth girl on Julia’s team is Michelle,” Charlie said to Pudge. “I remember her from the Champions Cup. But who’s the girl in net?”
    “Not sure,” he said. “Who’s in net for Julia’s team?” he called out.
    “Why?” Scott said.
    “Charlie wants to know.”
    “I thought he was in love with Julia?” Nick said.
    “Are they breaking up?” Zachary said.
    Charlie could feel himself go red. They were always kidding him about Julia. He knew it was pointless to tell them she was just a friend; he had said that about a thousand times already.
    “I think her name is Cassie,” Pudge said.
    “If you knew, why didn’t you just tell me?” Charlie said.
    “More fun this way,” Pudge said.
    He growled and pushed Pudge on the shoulder, and his friend laughed.
    Dalton held the ball over his head, and Julia put her stick down for the draw against the tall girl.
    “Time for the ol’ razzle-dazzle,” Alexandra said.
    “Back to you, Becca,” Julia said.
    “In your dreams,” the tall girl said. “It’s right to you, Emily.”
    “Number two when you win the draw, Trisha,” Emily said.
    “They have plays?” Charlie said. He wondered if they were any good.
    Dalton dropped the ball. Trisha knocked Julia’s stick aside, stepped forward, and muscled the ball to Emily, who cradled the ball a few times, drifted to her right, and then rolled it across to her defence partner. Alexandra pressured and passed it back to Emily, and she in turn flicked it up to Trisha, and took off up the right side.
    Trisha one-timed it perfectly and Emily roared down the wing with Julia in pursuit, and Michelle angling over. Charlie watched Trisha glide up the middle and then