Penalty Shot (3 page)

I sure hope it doesn’t snow, he thought. It’ll be easier to play on the pond tomorrow if we don’t have to clear the ice. I
wonder if I’ll be able to get the same number on my uniform that I had last year?

At last, the bell rang. As Jeff hurried out of the room, he could feel Ms. Collins’s eyes on his back. But she didn’t call
for him to stay.

The final two classes breezed by quickly. Jeff grabbed the books he needed for his weekend homework, threw on his coat, and
ran over to the rink. With all the other newly
appointed Blades, he stood in line to receive his uniform.

“Welcome back to the team,” Coach Wallace said as he handed him a bright yellow jersey with a 19 on the back. Sam Metcalf
noted the number in the book he was holding, then handed the book to Jeff for his signature. As Jeff was signing, Coach Wallace
added, “I hope I’ll see that number on the ice the whole season this year, not folded away like last year.”

“Yes, sir!” Jeff answered with an enthusiastic nod. “You can count on it!”

I hope, he added silently. He gathered up his uniform and moved aside for the next in line. I sure do hope so.

S
aturday dawned bright, crisp, and clear. Jeff jumped out of bed, dressed quickly, and pounded down the stairs to the mudroom.
He was throwing equipment into his duffel when Candy wandered in.

“I wondered what that racket was!” she said with a yawn.

Jeff answered, “I’m meeting the guys for a game, but we have to get there early before someone else gets the best spot!”

“Well, eat something first,” his mother called out as he barged into the kitchen.
Obediently, he wolfed down a bowl of cereal before heading out the door.

Ten minutes later he met up with the rest of the guys at the pond. It was still early in the day. With a little luck, they’d
have a good couple of hours before the pond filled up with skaters. The only damper on his enjoyment was Ranger. Kevin had
tied the big dog to a tree, but even so, Jeff was on the ice — and away from the dog — before anyone else.

They all took time to warm up, but before long Bucky called them together to choose teams. There were six boys in all, which
meant they could go three-on-three. Bucky selected Hayes and Shep. Jeff, Kevin, and Chad made up the other side.

Since they didn’t have an extra guy to drop the puck for a face-off, they threw fingers to see who would be on offense first.
Bucky’s
side won. As they skated into position, Jeff, Kevin, and Chad called out for their men.

“I’ve got Shep!” Kevin said. Chad yelled that Hayes was his. That left Bucky for Jeff.

“Remember, no rough stuff!” Kevin reminded them as Bucky’s team started down the ice. “We don’t want any injuries before the
season even starts!”

The trick with playing three-on-three without a goalie was to keep the offense from getting a clear shot. Anticipating a pass,
stealing the puck off a stick, and crowding your player out of position were the keys to getting the puck headed the other
way.

Bucky brought the puck down the ice with control. But Jeff stuck with him, looking for any opportunity to snag the disk away
from him. Bucky was forced to make a pass; Hayes missed it completely. With a crow of victory, Chad snapped it up and skated
furiously down the ice undefended. He drew up
short right in front of the goal and casually slid the puck between the stakes.

“Hayes! Why didn’t you chase him?” Bucky yelled.

Hayes poked his stick at the ice. “I knew I couldn’t catch him,” he said lamely.

Bucky shook his head angrily. “You always have to
try.
If you give up too easily, the other team will
always
beat you.”

Though Jeff agreed that Hayes should have tried harder, he didn’t like the way Bucky was talking to his younger brother. He
had started to tell Bucky to cool off when Chad skated up with the puck

“Care to try again?” he said with a devilish grin and a wag of his eyebrows. Everyone broke up laughing, even Bucky.

“Be prepared,” was all Bucky said as he took the disk.

Bucky started with the puck again. This time, he skated in long strides to the very
edge of the ice, then spun around and passed to the middle, where Shep was waiting. Kevin was caught off guard and couldn’t
cover his man. Shep controlled the puck easily and streaked toward the goal. Jeff made a split-second decision. He left Bucky
wide open and went after Shep, yelling, “Switch!” to indicate that Kevin should get on Bucky.

But Bucky was too quick. The minute Jeff stopped covering him, he skated furiously toward the goal. Too late, Jeff realized
what was about to happen. Shep glanced up, found his teammate, and slapped a pass to him seconds before Jeff reached him.
It was pinpoint accurate. All Bucky had to do was deflect the puck into the goal to tie the score.

“That good enough for you?” Bucky challenged Chad with a smile.

Chad shrugged. “If I’d been involved in the play, I’m guessing I’d be taking the puck down the ice solo again. But I’m sure
Jeff and Kevin did all they could.” He sighed dramatically while his teammates rolled their eyes.

The two teams traded goals and good-humored jibes for another hour. Only when Bucky criticized Hayes for not playing aggressively
enough did the friendly atmosphere dissolve. It was after one such comment that Jeff called for a break.

The hungry boys crowded onto the bench and shared the snacks they’d brought.

“So where do you think Coach will put each of us this year?” Chad asked around a mouthful of crackers.

“I’ll probably be at center again,” Bucky said.

“I’d like to be at wing,” Hayes piped in.

“Ha! If you keep playing the way you’ve been playing today, the only place you’ll be is on the bench!” Bucky snorted.

Jeff couldn’t believe that Bucky had said something so mean to Hayes right in front of them. He half wished Hayes would tell
Bucky off, but Hayes was silent. The other boys were suddenly busy with their laces or rummaging in their duffels for more
snacks.

Kevin stood up and wiped the crumbs from his coat. “I’m going to let Ranger run around for a while, okay?” he said as he undid
the leash.

Before Jeff had a chance to protest, Ranger wriggled free of Kevin’s grasp and bounded over to the bench. He nosed each boy
in turn, looking for a treat. They all patted him and pushed him away. When he reached Jeff, Jeff dropped the cookie he was
holding as if it had burned his fingers.
Ranger snapped it up and gulped it down in one bite.

Licking his chops and panting, he took a hopeful step toward Jeff.

Jeff shrank back into the bench.

“Jeff, what’s wrong? You’re not afraid of the dog, are you?” Chad asked.

Kevin collared Ranger and tugged him away from Jeff.

“’Course I’m not afraid,” Jeff said, embarrassed. “I just didn’t like the smell of his breath, that’s all.”

Chad nodded his head seriously. “Must have been the cookie Shep’s mom made. That was the last thing Ranger ate!”

All the guys laughed, but Jeff caught a look exchanged between Bucky and Hayes. The look seemed to say that neither boy believed
it had been bad breath that had made Jeff jump.

B
y the time they had reassembled on the ice, several other skaters had joined them. Mothers with children just trying out skates
for the first time, solo skaters doing fancy moves, and another group of hockey players vied for position on the small space.

“Hey, isn’t that Sam Metcalf over there?” said Bucky, pointing to the second hockey group.

Kevin shaded his eyes and nodded. “You wanna see if they’d be up for getting a real game going? Looks like they have about
six players, too.”

“Good idea.” Bucky skated off.

While they waited, Shep, Kevin, and Chad passed the puck back and forth. Jeff decided to let Hayes know he didn’t approve
of what Bucky had said earlier.

“Hey, Hayes,” he began.

Hayes held up his hand. “Listen, I know what you’re going to say. But don’t worry about me. Before tryouts began, I asked
my brother to keep me on my toes this year. Even though he’s kind of a jerk about it, he’s just trying to help me be a better
player.”

“But you’re on the team already,” Jeff persisted. “So why do you need him to keep razzing you like that?”

Hayes gave Jeff a lopsided grin. “You may have forgotten about those two alternates, but I haven’t. I may be on the team now,
but that’s no guarantee I’ll stay on it.” Jeff was about to give Hayes a word of encouragement when the other hockey team
skated
up. As they started introducing themselves to the others, Hayes added one last comment.

“I would have thought you, out of anybody, would understand I don’t want to be yanked from the roster. You know, since you
have experience with that.”

Jeff wanted the pond to open up and swallow him. Instead, a gloved hand grasped his and shook it.

Sam Metcalf was grinning at him. “Did you hear the news?” he said excitedly. “I’m officially an alternate for the team now!
One of the guys who was chosen decided he would play for an intramural squad instead, so Coach Wallace promoted me from manager
to player.”

Jeff smiled warmly. “That’s great!” he said, liking Sam’s enthusiasm. In fact, he decided he liked Sam, period. It was a feeling
that grew through the afternoon as the two teams
battled for the puck. Sam was a good player, confident in his own abilities but generous with his praise for his teammates.
By the time the sun was setting, Jeff found himself wishing Sam had been promoted to full player instead of just alternate.

But in order for that to happen, one of the existing players would have to go. Much as he liked Sam, Jeff didn’t want that
to happen.

T
wo days later, Jeff found himself wishing he were back on the ice. The minute he walked into English class Monday afternoon,
he knew something was wrong.

“Jeff, could I see you for a minute?” Ms. Collins asked quietly. She handed him the composition he’d written the week before.
It was covered with green correction marks — and a big, fat “E.”

Jeff waited for his teacher to lecture him. But she didn’t. Instead, she handed him a slip of paper. “This is the name of
a tutor. You have a choice: work with her to improve
and this grade stays out of the book. Or, continue as you’ve been doing. I can promise if you choose that option, though,
that you’ll wish you hadn’t.” She softened her tone slightly. “Jeff, I’m not insisting that you get all A’s instantly. Just
show me that you’re
trying.
You can start by doing another composition under the instruction of your tutor.”

Jeff unfolded the piece of paper and read the name. Beth Ledbetter. Below there was a phone number and an address. Jeff recognized
them both.

Oh, great, Jeff thought to himself. This is Bucky’s and Hayes’s sister! Wonder how long it will take before word gets around
the team and people start taking bets on whether I’ll be thrown off again or not?

Out loud, he said, “Thanks, Ms. Collins. I’ll — I’ll call her right when I get home tonight. Right after hockey practice,
I mean.”

Ms. Collins smiled at him wearily. “Of course. But Jeff, keep in mind that sometimes good grades are more important than sports.
You have to learn to train your mind as well as your body. I’ll look forward to seeing a different, improved composition from
you in two weeks. Okay, take your seat.”

For the rest of class, Jeff tried to concentrate on what he was doing instead of on the call he had promised to make. But
he kept drifting back to it and to what Ms. Collins had said before she told him to sit down.

Train your mind
… where had he heard that before?

Midway through math class it dawned on him. Eric Stone had said the same thing in his letter. Jeff knew it was time to listen
to what they were saying, but he couldn’t help wishing it didn’t mean getting tutored by his teammates’ sister! He sighed.

“Yes, Mr. Connors? Are you experiencing
some hardship? Perhaps you’d like to share it with the rest of the class?” his math teacher asked drily.

Jeff shook his head. No way! he thought, as he turned his attention back to the problem on the board. I’d like anything
but
that!

At practice that afternoon, Jeff suited up right away and was one of the first players out on the ice. He skated around for
a few seconds, just to get the feel of it, then came back to the bench when the coach blew his whistle.

After fifteen minutes of drills, Coach Wallace handed out red pinnies to half the players. Jeff was one of them. As he tied
his pinny over his jersey, he listened to the coach explain that they were going to scrimmage for the rest of the practice.
He wanted to see how certain combinations of players worked together.

Jeff lined up at right wing. Bucky took up position at center, with Hayes to his left. Looking over his shoulder, Jeff saw
that Kevin was backing him up at right defense. Shep was at left defense. It took Jeff a moment to realize that the figure
in the goal covered in pads and protective gear was Michael Gillis.

This could be the starting lineup, Jeff suddenly thought. His heart pounded. If I do well in this scrimmage, maybe I’ll earn
a permanent spot here.

Six other boys took up position on the other half of the ice. Jeff looked up to see Chad facing him.

“Are you ready to go down?” Chad whispered in his best menacing voice.

“You first,” Jeff growled back. They grinned at each other and waited for the scrimmage to begin.

Coach Wallace dropped the puck for the
face-off. The red team took control. Jeff circled around until he reached the right zone. He caught Bucky’s eye. Bucky’s stick
flashed and a moment later the puck hit Jeff’s stick. Without looking down at it, he checked around him to see where his teammates
were. Was anyone in the clear?

Hayes was. Jeff skated forward to close the space between them a bit more, then shot him a pass. Hayes fumbled it for a moment,
then gained control. But that brief delay gave his defender enough time to close in.