Kickoff! (15 page)

She quickly snapped their picture together, and the flash blinded Tiki for a second. When he could see again, he realized that someone else was there with his mom—Mrs. Pendergast!

“Congratulations, you two!” Mrs. Barber said, beaming. “Congratulations, everybody!”

“Hi, Ma,” Tiki said, hugging her. “Hi, Mrs. Pendergast.”

“Hi,” Ronde said, waving to Mrs. Pendergast before being swept into his mom's embrace. “Ma, you're crushing me,” he said, making Tiki laugh.

“Come on, boys,” said Mrs. Barber. “We're going out for ice cream—we've all got so much to celebrate!”

At Sweet Treats Ice Cream Parlor, their mom shared some more good news. “The company that wanted to build the factory withdrew their plans!” she said.

“That's great, Ma!” Tiki said.

“Yeah,” Ronde agreed. “Now you won't have to do that kind of stuff anymore.”

Their mom and Mrs. Pendergast shared a look. “There are always more battles to fight,” said Mrs. Pendergast.

“There are?” Tiki said.

“Oh, yes,” said their mom. “We've got to do whatever good in the world we can, boys.”

“Well, whatever it is, Ma, you can count on us,” Tiki said.

“That's right,” said Ronde. “We're a team, all of us.”

“Oh, I'm so pleased to hear that!” said Mrs. Pendergast. “I think this calls for a Double-Sized Kitchen Sink Sundae—what do you say?”

Tiki said yes, naturally. But he didn't say what he was really thinking—that in spite of being kind of different, Mrs. Pendergast had turned out to be a pretty cool lady.

 •  •  •

The sun was just about to set, but Tiki and Ronde were still out on the street, throwing the ball around. It was just the two of them now—Adam and Paco had gone home to eat supper, and Chris and Jason never had time for touch
football anymore. Jason had track, and Chris—well, he had debating team, and Model U.N., and Scouts, and a bunch of other stuff.

But the Barber boys didn't mind playing alone. Monday afternoon, they'd be practicing with Matt Clayton again, along with all their new friends on the Eagles.

New friends,
Tiki thought. Until now, all his friends were kids he'd known his whole life. And while Tiki knew he never wanted to lose touch with them, or stop being friends with them, he had so much more in common with the guys on the team. It wasn't just them, either—there were some kids in his classes he'd started having lunch with, too.

And of course, there was always his
best
friend—his brother, Ronde. Even though they didn't wear the same clothes or have classes together anymore, they were closer than they'd ever been.

Their mom had been right about that, Tiki thought, as she almost always was about everything.

Man, how lucky were he and Ronde to have a mom like theirs, who stood up and spoke out. She showed them how to be by the way she was herself. . . .

“Yo, wake up!” Ronde said, startling Tiki back to attention. “You'd better go long before I get myself sacked!”

Tiki laughed as he trotted down the street, waiting for the pass to come.

Life was good, he thought, reaching out to haul in the ball.

“Barber makes the grab!” Ronde shouted, doubling as the sportscaster since Chris wasn't around. “Touchdown, Eagles!”

Tiki had to smile. He'd only been at Hidden Valley a month, and look at all he'd learned already.

And to think he'd been nervous about going to junior high! What a start to the year.

blitz:
a rush on a passer, usually sending more players than the offense can block.

block:
to prevent a player from getting to another player or a specific part of the field.

center:
a member of the offensive line who starts a down by passing the ball between his legs to the quarterback.

chip shot:
an easy, short field goal.

cornerback:
a defensive back defending the wide receiver.

defense:
the team attempting to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

defensive back:
a player responsible for preventing receivers from catching passes.

down:
a complete play, advancing the ball.

end zone:
the area where touchdowns are made, located at either end of the field between the goal line and the end line.

fullback:
a player in the offensive backfield for blocking and line plunges.

fumble:
to lose hold of the ball while it's in play.

halfback:
see
running back.

interception:
when the defense prevents the pass of the opposing team, resulting in a change of possession.

line:
a demarcation across the field parallel to the end line.

line of scrimmage:
an imaginary line that marks the position of the ball at the start of each down.

linebacker:
a defensive player who lines up five to seven yards behind the line of scrimmage to make tackles on running plays or defend against short passes.

offense:
the team in possession of the ball attempting to score.

possession:
control of the ball.

punt:
to kick a ball downfield to the opposing team. The ball is dropped from the hands and kicked with the top of the foot before it meets the ground.

quarterback:
an offensive player who lines up behind the center, calls signals, and initiates most plays.

running back:
an offensive player who lines up in the backfield and whose job it is to run with the ball, block, and catch short passes.

sack:
1. to tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a pass. 2. a kind of defensive back.

safety:
1. when a member of the offense is tackled behind its own goal line, resulting in two points for the defense. 2. a member of the defensive backfield who occupies the deepest position to prevent the other team from scoring.

screen pass:
a short pass made to appear as though it will be a long pass in order to fool the defense into rushing forward.

scrimmage:
1. play that begins when the ball is snapped and ends when the ball is dead. 2. when the team practices, playing against itself to experience play as if in a “real game.”

snap:
to put a football into play with a brisk move.

special teams:
units usually composed of second- and third-string players on the field for kickoffs, free kicks, field goals, and extra points.

tackle:
1. to stop, seize, or throw down an opposing player in possession of the ball. 2. a strong blocking player on the offensive line, primarily in charge of outside protection. 3. a defensive lineman.

take a knee:
an action performed by the quarterback, dropping to one knee after receiving the snap, automatically ending the play. Usually used at the end of a game to run down the clock without putting the ball at risk.

touchdown:
being in possession of the ball on, above, or behind an opponent's goal line when it is declared dead, earning a score of six points.

wide receiver:
a pass-catching specialist who lines up several yards to the side of the offensive formation. Fast and agile, he or she is often responsible for the biggest plays made by the offensive team.

SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
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www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 2007 by Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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IMON
& S
CHUSTER
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OOKS FOR
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OUNG
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EADERS
is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Book design by Kristin Smith
The text for this book is set in Melior.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barber, Tiki, 1975–
Kickoff! / by Tiki and Ronde Barber ; with Paul Mantell. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Paula Wiseman book.”
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-3618-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-4169-3618-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Barber, Tiki, 1975—Childhood and youth—Juvenile literature. 2. Barber, Ronde, 1975 Childhood and youth—Juvenile literature. 3. Football players—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 4. Brothers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.
I. Barber, Ronde, 1975– II. Mantell, Paul. III. Title.
GV939.A1B36455 2007
796.332'092—dc22
[B]
2007016650

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-8466-5 (ebook)