“Geez, Bobby, I thought you were my friend.”
“I am.” Bobby’s voice was a mere whisper, barely audible over the shouts of the crowd.
“Then . . . why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I was sore at you.”
“For breaking your leg? It was an accident!”
“An accident that wouldn’t have happened if you’d just let me use your music player!” Bobby said.
“An accident that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t taken it after I asked you not to!” Rocky retorted.
They fell silent. Then Bobby spoke again.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said. “To take advantage of you, I mean. It’s just . . . when you told me you were taking over my position, it was like you stabbed me in the back. I love playing football and I was going to have a great season, I know I was! Then this” — he thumped his cast angrily — “ended it all. I — it wasn’t fair, that’s all.”
Rocky drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What wasn’t fair was the way you treated me. But I guess I’m partly to blame. You’re one of my best friends. I should have known you were upset.” He gave a half smile. “And I really should have said no to some of the things you were asking me to do!”
A smile crept over Bobby’s face too. “I should have let you know I was mad. If I had, we would have gotten this out of the way a week ago — and I wouldn’t be stuck running for student council!” He made a disgusted face.
Rocky laughed. “And I wouldn’t have been stuck selling your chocolate bars!”
Bobby had the decency to look ashamed at that. “Say, Rocky, how about I sell the rest of them, huh?” He stuck out his hand then. “Friends again?”
Rocky shook it. “Absolutely.”
“Awesome.” There was a loud shout from the field. Bobby craned his neck around to try to see what was happening. “Say, Rock Star, I just have one last favor to ask . . .”
Rocky groaned. “Now what?”
“Move your caboose so I can swing my leg — my poor, poor, broken leg — onto the bench and watch the rest of the game!”
And that, Rocky found, was one favor he didn’t mind doing.
THE MATT CHRISTOPHER®#1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS
Read them all!
Baseball Flyhawk
Baseball Pals
Baseball Turnaround
The Basket Counts
Body Check
Catch That Pass!
Catcher with a Glass Arm
Catching Waves
Center Court Sting
Centerfield Ballhawk
The Comeback Challenge
Comeback of the Home Run Kid
Cool as Ice
The Diamond Champs
Dirt Bike Racer
Dirt Bike Runaway
Dive Right In
Double Play at Short
Face-Off
Fairway Phenom
Football Double Threat
Football Fugitive
Football Nightmare
The Fox Steals Home
Goalkeeper in Charge
The Great Quarterback Switch
Halfback Attack*
The Hockey Machine
Ice Magic
Johnny Long Legs
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Lacrosse Face-Off
Lacrosse Firestorm
Line Drive to Short**
Long-Arm Quarterback
Long Shot for Paul
Look Who’s Playing First Base
Miracle at the Plate
Mountain Bike Mania
Penalty Shot
The Reluctant Pitcher
Return of the Home Run Kid
Run For It
Shoot for the Hoop
Shortstop from Tokyo
Skateboard Renegade
Skateboard Tough
Slam Dunk
Snowboard Champ
Snowboard Maverick
Snowboard Showdown
Soccer Duel
Soccer Halfback
Soccer Hero
Soccer Scoop
Stealing Home
The Submarine Pitch
The Team That Couldn’t Lose
Tennis Ace
Tight End
Top Wing
Touchdown for Tommy
Tough to Tackle
Wingman on Ice
The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
Matt Christopher®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Lance Armstrong
Kobe Bryant
Jennifer Capriati
Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Jeff Gordon
Ken Griffey Jr.
Mia Hamm
Tony Hawk
Ichiro
LeBron James
Derek Jeter
Randy Johnson
Michael Jordan
Peyton and Eli Manning
Yao Ming
Shaquille O’Neal
Jackie Robinson
Alex Rodriguez
Babe Ruth
Curt Schilling
Sammy Sosa
Tiger Woods
* Previously published as Crackerjack Halfbac (back to text)
** Previously published as Pressure Play (back to text)