Hot-Shot Harry (2 page)

“Well, Harry can be – sometimes,” Charlotte said.

“Really?” replied Leela. “Maybe you won't think he's so cute, Charlie, when I tell you he reckons all girls are dummies.”

The boys were having a lunchtime kick-about on the playing field.

“Watch this!” cried Oliver.

He was always looking for new ways of celebrating a goal, but he was better at football than gym.

He did a clumsy cartwheel across the grass, followed by a bumpy forward roll.

“Ground's too hard,” he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

Brad laughed. “That needs a bit more practice, Ollie.”

The girls were sitting on a grassy bank nearby.

“Just look at that lot,” laughed Charlotte. “What a bunch of idiots!”

“Sure are,” Leela agreed. “I'm almost glad they won't let us join in.”

“You sound as if you want to,” Charlotte said.

“No way,” said Leela.

Then the ball came rolling towards them.

“Boot it back, Charlie,” shouted Harry.

But Leela pounced on the ball and dribbled it to the goal.

“Come on, just give it back,” Harry demanded, but Leela kept on running, with the ball under control.

Brad tried to tackle her, but Leela skipped past him.

Another member of the Fives squad, Ravi, was in goal, standing between the bags being used as posts.

“Come on, then,” Ravi shouted to her. “Bet you can't beat me from there.”

Leela's shot swerved past him and went between the bags.

“Goal!” she cried, and did a perfect cartwheel and forward roll. Leela was a member of the school gym club.

Harry pulled a face. “Huh! You ought to be on telly,” he grunted.

“I will be one day,” she told him with a grin. “Scoring at Wembley.”

“No chance!” said Harry.

Ravi called across the field. “Hey! Charlie! You want to play in goal?”

Harry gave him a dirty look. “I told you. No girls.”

“Why not?” Ravi argued. “She's the best keeper we've got.”

“She's the only keeper we've got,” Harry said. “You're no good.”

“I'm better than you,” Ravi snapped.

“You wish,” said Harry.

“Yeah? Come on, then. Prove it!” Ravi yelled.

Leela liked seeing somebody else standing up to Harry.

“Yes, let's see how good you are in goal, Harry,” she said. “If you dare.”

Harry couldn't back down now.

“OK, then, I don't mind going in goal for a bit,” he said. “But you two still can't play.”

“That's all right,” Leela smiled. “We'll just watch.”

The two girls stood right behind the goal, knowing that would annoy Harry and might help to put him off.

“Clear off!” he told them.

“No,” said Charlotte.

“Charlie wants to watch you in goal.” Leela grinned. “She thinks you're cute.”

Charlotte giggled. Harry glared at both of them.

“Keep your eyes on the game, not Charlie,” Leela told Harry.

“Mark your man,” Harry shouted at his defenders. “Ravi – you take Ollie. Brad, back him up.”

Oliver was very hard to mark. He seemed to drift into spaces that no other players had noticed.

He found a space now. As the ball floated onto the goalmouth, Ollie timed his run perfectly. He reached the ball before Harry, kicking it past him and between the bags.

“Oops!” giggled Charlotte. “You missed that one, Harry.”

“A bit slow off your line there,” mocked Leela.

“Like to see you do any better,” Harry snarled as he tramped past to collect the ball.

“Charlie would have saved it,” Leela said.

Harry booted the ball away as hard as he could.