Falling Star (4 page)

Edison was feeling more confident by the minute. The choking incidents had surely been just a phase, and were in the past now.

But a few minutes later the anxiety was back.

Toby cleared the ball and Edison, running out of defence, reached it just before one of the Centreville backs. He looked for someone to pass to, but with his teammates still not running and chasing the way he'd seen them at practice, he found himself without support. He passed two defenders before looking up. Only Lily was in his way. If he got past her, it would be an easy goal, with only the keeper to beat. He could dribble past Lily, or simply use his speed and take the ball around her, or …

He hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but she was on him with surprising speed. Her shoulder crashed into his chest, knocking him over as she took the ball and passed to one of her midfielders to start another Centreville attack.

As Edison picked himself up, he caught a glimpse of Steve on the bench, shaking his head scornfully. He didn't blame Steve. Edison knew he should have scored.

Another ten minutes passed before Brunswick Valley managed to attack again. This time Julie scrambled the ball out of the goal area to Shay, who kept possession while Edison ran upfield. Shay looped the ball high over the two defenders who were marking Edison. As they watched the ball, Edison slipped away from them. He gauged where the ball would fall and caught it on his foot. Something — someone — loomed beside him. From the corner of his eye he saw it was Lily. Without thinking he flipped the ball over her, at the same time jumping clear of her lunge at him. She stumbled past him and fell, leaving Edison with an open goal except for the keeper, who slipped and fell as he raced forward to cut down Edison's shooting angle.

From the bench, Steve shouted, “Chip it over him!”

The goalkeeper scrambled to his feet and backpedalled frantically toward the net.

Steve shouted again, “Chip it over him!”

Edison considered chipping the ball. If he didn't kick it hard enough, it would land in the goalkeeper's arms, making Edison look foolish. On the other hand, if he kicked it too hard, it would sail over the crossbar, making Edison look like a complete idiot for missing an open goal.

Steve screamed, “Kick the freakin' ball!”

Something slammed into Edison's back and he crashed to the ground on his face. Lily stepped over him and poked the ball back to the goalkeeper, who sent it high into Brunswick Valley's end of the pitch.

Centreville's goal, when it came late in the game, caught Edison by surprise. It caught his teammates, and even Centreville, by surprise too. Only a few minutes were left to play, and it seemed the game was at a goalless stalemate. The defences had prevailed throughout, and neither side had come close to scoring, apart from Edison's two missed chances.

He watched as a mighty kick by Lily sent the ball from the Centreville goal area toward the Brunswick Valley end, high over the heads of all the defenders except Toby and Linh-Mai. The Centreville striker met the ball with his forehead, sending it back into the air over Toby and Linh-Mai. The striker ran between them and headed the ball on again. Amy rushed from her goalmouth and jumped for it, but couldn't reach it before he headed it one more time — over her outstretched arms and into the net.

The referee whistled for the end of the game.

Mr. Field greeted his team with, “Hard luck,” and, “Well played” as they left the field. He said quietly to Edison, “You played a good game. Don't get uptight about pulling out of that shot. Things like that happen.”

Edison mumbled, “Thanks,” at the same time thinking,
But things like that don't happen to me. Or they never used to
.
And don't get uptight about it? Right — like Mr. Field knew what it was like to screw up in front of crowds of people
.

Edison and his teammates boarded the van in gloomy silence.

6

The Dorchester All Stars

They were still silent as Mr. Grease drove out of Centreville, heading north.

Suddenly Julie burst out, “We were pathetic.”

“We were just unlucky,” Shay protested.

“Like heck, we were unlucky,” said Steve. He looked across Linh-Mai at Edison. “You should have scored at least once.”

Edison had been gazing out the window at a bleak landscape of clearcut forest. He started. “Me?”

“Of course, you.”

Linh-Mai, tense and wide-eyed, looked from Steve to Edison.

“That's not fair,” said Shay. “Edison played a good game. He got round Lily lots of times …”

“Only because I wore her down in the first half.”

“… And he did that great long shot that hit the bar.”

“And he missed an open goal.” Steve glared at Edison. “All you had to do was kick the ball over the keeper.”

“Anyone can miss an open goal,” Linh-Mai broke in. “Everything always happens so fast.”

Steve snorted. “I would have scored.”

Edison was sure Steve would have scored, as surely as he himself would have scored a few weeks ago, before the choking started. It was nice of Linh-Mai to say anyone could miss an open goal, but it had never happened to him before, and he knew if it continued he was finished as a striker.

He couldn't think of anything to say, except, “Sorry.”

“That
really
helps,” Steve scoffed.

Edison knew that if he was in Steve's place, he'd be upset too. If he was the team's best goal scorer, and he was left on the bench because there was a new striker, and he could only watch as his replacement lost the game … Yes, he'd be upset. But he found himself muttering, “Give it a rest.”

Steve's voice rose. “Who are you telling to give it a rest?”

Julie turned around in her seat. “Leave it, Steve — all right?”

Shay added, “We didn't lose because of Edison, Steve. You know that.”

Jillian called from the back, “We lost because we sucked — all of us.”

“We sucked big time,” Jessica put in.

Julie slumped back in her seat. “We're useless.”

Mr. Field turned around from the front and ordered, “That's enough!” He told Mr. Grease, “Let's find somewhere to pull off the highway.”

Mr. Grease turned sharply into a woods road and stopped.

Mr. Field said, “Everybody out.”

Steve jumped out and stood with his arms folded and his back to everyone. Matthew, Jason, and Brandon walked slowly to the side of the dirt road with their heads down, their shoulders slumped, and their hands pushed deep into their pockets. Toby, Amy, and the twins stood in a silent huddle. Linh-Mai, Shay, and Julie joined them, and Julie muttered, “We may as well give up and go home now.”

Edison wandered up the road and stood by himself.

Linh-Mai followed. “Don't mind Steve. He gets mad easily. He always goes on a rant when we lose. It's just the way he is.”

“But he's right.”

Toby, joining them, asked, “Right about what?”

“He's right that I should have scored. I lost the game for you. Sorry.”

Toby punched him lightly on the shoulder. “If I said sorry every time I screwed up, I'd never stop talking.”

He ambled back toward the van as Mr. Field called, “Someone get a ball. We're playing soccer — girls and Mr. Grease and me against the boys.”

“I don't feel like playing,” said Julie.

“Me neither,” said Steve.

Mr. Field ignored them. He was already pacing out a length on the woods road and improvising goals with fallen branches. He started kicking the ball around with Mr. Grease. Amy, the twins, and Toby joined in. Amy miskicked the ball and it rolled toward Linh-Mai and Edison. Linh-Mai dribbled it back to the group.

“I guess you're on your own, Toby,” said Mr. Field. “You're the only boy playing, so it's Julie, Linh-Mai, Jillian, Jessica, Amy, Mr. Grease, and me against you.”

“You don't stand a chance,” said Toby.

Julie, Amy, and Linh-Mai stood on one side of him, and the twins on the other, passing the ball backward and forward while he tried to intercept. When Linh-Mai charged past Toby and headed for the boys' goal, Matthew, Brandon, and Jason ran to stop her. She passed to Jessica, but Shay ran from the side of the road and took the ball. Julie, following hard on his heels, pushed him into the muddy ditch beside the road. While Matthew and Brandon pulled him out, the girls waltzed the ball easily past Toby and into the goal.

They danced in a circle, their hands in the air, chanting, “Girls rule!”

The boys ran back onto the pitch. Shay robbed Julie of the ball and the boys dribbled it toward the girls' end, where Mr. Field and Mr. Grease stood in the goal, filling it. Toby got the ball and, with a shout of “Edison!” chipped it over them. Edison ran forward and returned it to Toby, who rushed at the goal, but tripped and fell in a muddy puddle. When he stood, Amy burst out laughing and pointed at the dripping wet seat of his pants. Steve was still standing with his arms folded and his back to the game, until the girls scored again, and Shay pleaded, “Help us, Steve.” He rushed onto the pitch and scored quickly. With the game tied, Mr. Grease picked up Linh-Mai and, while she held the ball between her feet, carried her above his head through the boys' goal. Mr. Field awarded victory to the girls, who repeated their dance, while Toby chanted, “No fair!” He stood in front of the boys, waving his arms like a music director as they joined in: “No fair!”

Mr. Field said quietly, “That's better.”

As Mr. Grease swung the van back on to the highway, the twins started singing a country song,
Rollin' up the highway, baby, comin' home to you
. The rest of the girls joined in. When they came to the words, “Just can't wait …” Toby called, “Stop!” and sang the next two lines in a deep voice: “Just can't wait to see my dreamboat man tonight. My hunky man is waiting and he'll make me feel so-o-o right.” He performed them with his arms crossed on his chest and his hands on his shoulders, pretending someone was hugging him, at the same time wiggling his shoulders with the beat. The girls, spluttering with laughter, resumed the song. The next time they came to Toby's lines, all the boys sang them with him. As he sang, Toby leaned toward Amy, rolling his eyes.

She screamed with laughter and said, “Stop or I'll wet myself.”

Edison, his forehead resting on the window, couldn't help comparing this new team with his old one. If the Eagles had just lost an important game and couldn't afford to lose again, and had still to face High Park, the coach would have ranted at them, and analyzed everything they'd done wrong, warning them to make sure they played better — and won — next time. But all Mr. Field did was organize a crazy makeshift game of soccer on a muddy woods road in the middle of nowhere, and now the players were singing as if everything on the tour was going perfectly. He smiled at the contrast.

The third time the girls reached the boys' lines, Linh-Mai poked him in the ribs and said, “Wake up, Edison. Sing it,” and he joined in.

He was surprised when the van passed a sign stating
Shanklin Bay.
He'd hardly noticed the scenery change from woods to suburbs. He peered around as they stopped in front of a row of cabins with an office in the middle. A flashing neon sign above it said,
Bay Line Motel. No Vacancy
.

“We have reservations,” said Mr. Field.

Edison watched Mr. Field walk through the open door of the office. He saw the receptionist, a thin man in a shiny blue suit, consult his computer and shake his head. When Mr. Field produced a sheet of paper, the receptionist shrugged.

Mr. Field returned to the van. “The receptionist claims he has no record of our reservations.”

“What are we going to do?” asked Shay.

Mr. Field grinned. “Follow me.”

Edison thought of the tours he'd made with elite teams, staying in comfortable downtown hotels where the players were waved through reception. He smiled to himself again. You never knew what was going to happen next with Brunswick Valley.

The team climbed from the van. Edison was last. At the door of the office, Steve stood with his back to Edison, barring his way.

Inside, the receptionist was surveying the students, a worried look on his face.

Mr. Field said, “We'll wait in case you have a cancellation.” He turned to the team. “Find something to do while you wait.”

The twins started singing
Rock Me, Baby, All Night Long
. Julie and Shay joined in. Toby challenged Matthew to recite all the multiplication tables in less than two minutes. Matthew said he'd work backward and launched into the twelve-times table, speaking loudly so that Toby could hear above the singing. Brandon and Jason clapped a steady beat to accompany Matthew's recitation.

The telephone rang and the receptionist answered. He said into the mouthpiece, “You'll have to speak up.”

Amy told Linh-Mai, “I'll show you a hand-clapping routine.” She held her hands in front of her and started, “Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black …”

Edison said, “Excuse me,” and pushed past Steve.

The twins had reached the chorus, “All night long — yeah, yeah. Rock me all night long.” They danced as they sang, with Julie and Shay imitating their movements. Matthew was on the nine-times table, his voice getting louder and faster. Amy said, “Let's start again. Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black …”

Steve followed Edison inside, saying, “Watch who you're shoving.”

Edison raised his voice above the commotion. “What
is
your problem?”

“
You're
the problem. You — taking my place and screwing up.”

The receptionist said into the telephone, “Hold on.” He covered the mouthpiece and shouted, “Will you stupid kids be quiet!”

At the same time Mr. Grease appeared in the doorway. The receptionist watched him nervously as he crossed the little office and leaned on the counter.

“He's with us,” said Mr. Field. “He looks after the kids. He makes sure they're treated right, and stuff like that.”

The receptionist put down the phone. “Why don't I find you alternative accommodation?” He worked at his computer for a few minutes, then said, “I've found rooms at the Shanklin Bay Carleton. It's downtown on the waterfront.”

* * *

Edison felt at home in downtown Shanklin Bay. With the city's big malls, tall office buildings, carefully tended parks, and wide streets filled with cars and buses and taxis, it was like being back in Canterbury.

He felt even more at home when they found the hotel. Mr. Grease stopped under an awning that extended from the roadside to the wide glass doors of the entrance. A uniformed attendant opened the van door and said, “Welcome to the Shanklin Bay Carleton.”

As they entered, Amy gasped, “This isn't a hotel. It's a
palace
.”

It was like the hotels Edison had stayed at when he was travelling with his parents and with elite teams. He took in the gleaming dark wood of the reception desk, the sparkling chandeliers, and the staircase that wound up to a balcony overlooking the foyer.

Toby, stopping to gawk just inside the entrance, his gaze finally settling on the deep pile carpets, said, “Someone keep hold of Linh-Mai, or we'll lose her in the rug.”

Mr. Field called the team together. “We have one room for the girls and two for the boys. Have you thought about how you're going to sleep?”

“What usually does the trick for me is putting my head on the pillow and closing my eyes,” said Toby.

Mr. Field rolled his eyes and continued, “I mean, who do you want to share with?”

“You'd better decide,” said Shay.

“Okay,” said Mr. Field. “Steve, Toby, and Edison share one room, and Shay, Matthew, Jason, and Brandon the other.”

Steve opened his mouth as if to protest.

Mr. Field looked at him. “Okay?”

Steve muttered, “I guess.”

Mr. Field went on, “We'll meet here in a half hour and walk over to the Shanklin Bay Mall for a couple of hours.”

He led the way to the team's rooms, which were side by side on the top floor. The room assigned to Edison, Steve, and Toby contained twin beds, a big television, a desk, two armchairs, and a low cot in a corner.

Toby eyed the cot warily. “That thing doesn't look too comfortable — or safe.”

Edison said, “I'll take it.”

Toby peered into the bathroom and said, “We could play soccer in here.”