Undercover Tailback Read Free Page B

sweatshirt
     had been carrying a camera, but what had he been doing in Coach Isaac’s office with all the lights off? Parker tried to study
     his math, but he ended up doing more doodling than calculating.
    He couldn’t sit still. Melissa had finished her homework and was looking at a magazine.
    Parker sighed and picked up the deck of cards. “Come on, let’s play another game of War.”
    “No, I don’t feel like it,” said Melissa.
    “Want to watch TV?” he asked.
    “There’s nothing on,” she said, staring at the magazine.
    “You still mad?” he said. “About the bike?”
    “No,” she replied.
    “Yes, you are.”
    “No, I’m not!”
    “What are you mad about?” he asked.
    “Nothing, nothing, nothing!” she insisted. “What’s bothering you, anyhow?”
    “Why should I tell you? You’ll just tell me I’m making things up, like everyone else,” he said.
    “I’m your sister, Parker,” she said. “
I
can tell the difference. Besides …”
    “Besides what?”
    “Besides, if you’re really in trouble, you know I’m on your side.”
    “It’s not like that,” he explained. “Well, here’s what happened
today.
”
    He began his story with the mysterious personin the sweatshirt and ended it in the coach’s office.
    “So, what do
you
think, Parker?” she asked.
    He got up and stretched. Then he put his arms behind his head and twisted back and forth. Then he did a few toe touches.
    “Why do you always wiggle around like that when you’re thinking?” she asked. “Just stand still and tell me your theory.”
    “I think there was something really fishy going on,” he announced.
    “Fishy? What do you mean?”
    “This is going to sound kind of crazy, but … well” — he hesitated — “maybe that guy who ran off with the camera was taking
     pictures.”
    “That’s usually what people do with a camera, Parker,” Melissa said sarcastically.
    “Don’t get wise,” he said. “I mean, I think he was taking pictures of the coach’s playbook. And he was using the paperweight
     to hold it in place.”
    “That’s pretty far out,” said Melissa. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
    “Maybe one of the guys on the team wanteda copy to study,” Parker suggested. “Or maybe it was a scout from one of the pro teams who wanted the inside track —”
    “There you go, Parker, making up stories,” Melissa said. “That’s how you start to get into trouble. No wonder the coach didn’t
     believe you. Nobody does. You’re always telling lies, one after the other.”
    “I wasn’t lying,” Parker insisted. “I’d never lie about something really important.”
    “Hah!” snorted Melissa. “That’s the biggest lie of all!”

4
    S aturday morning dawned sunny and cold. By ten o’clock it had warmed up, but there was still a trace of dew on the grassy gridiron.
    At one end of the field, the Lawrence Leopards were going through their drills. Their white uniforms with blue trim and red
     numbers looked bright and flashy.
    The Kensington Kudzus, in their orange uniforms with white numbers, were just about through with their warmup when the first
     whistle blew. The referee signaled that it was time to start the game.
    Nick Watson, the Leopards’ quarterback, met up with Spike Newton for the Kudzus at the center of the field.
    The Leopards won the coin toss. They elected to receive and ran off to the east end of the field to get ready.
    “Okay, guys, this is it,” said Spike. Besides having a strong throwing arm, the Kudzus’ quarterback was the team’s best placekicker.
    The Kudzus lined up for their attack down-field.
    Spike kicked the ball high but not very far. It dropped into the hands of a receiver on the Leopards’ thirty-five yard line.
     But the runner didn’t get anywhere. Tackle Billy Wilson brought him down just shy of the forty.
    Seated on the bench, the Kudzus’ offense tried to guess what the Leopards would do with the ball.
    “They’re in pretty good field