Soccer Shake-Up, page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
CHAPTER 1
WARMING THE BENCH
CHAPTER 2
TROUBLEMAKERS
CHAPTER 3
CARLOS’S MOVES
CHAPTER 4
FAKE-OUT
CHAPTER 5
UPS AND DOWNS
CHAPTER 6
RESULTS
CHAPTER 7
TIME-OUT
CHAPTER 8
TAKING THE FIELD
CHAPTER 9
FINAL MINUTES
Author Bio
Illustrator Bio
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
Soccer Dictionary
4 New Books
The Fun Doesn't Stop Here!
Copyright
Back Cover
CHAPTER 1
WARMING THE BENCH
Twelve-year-old Dominic Harper slid into the backseat of his mom’s car Monday after school. “I really don’t want to play soccer,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I know Caleb being sick has been hard on you,” Mom said as she strapped Caleb, Dominic’s two-year-old brother, into his car seat. “But you can’t just stay in the house all day and play computer games.”
Dominic sighed.
“This will be a much better way for you to spend your time,” Mom continued. “Caleb’s operation is in two weeks. After that, everything will go back to normal.”
Dominic heard his mom’s voice catch. Even without looking at her, he knew that there were tears in her eyes. Might, he thought. She means everything might go back to normal.
The problem had started months before, when Caleb suddenly became fussy all the time. Mom and Dad had been unable to figure out why he was throwing tantrums, screaming, and crying so much. He stopped sleeping through the night. Finally, the doctor had figured out what was wrong — Caleb had a tumor growing on his spine and would need surgery to remove it.
According to the doctor, the tumor was probably the harmless kind, and Caleb would likely be fine. But still, there was a small chance Caleb might have cancer, and Dominic was really worried about his brother. They wouldn’t know for sure that Caleb was okay until after he had the operation.
Usually Dominic’s parents limited the amount of time he spent playing computer and video games, but because they had been so worried about Caleb lately, they hadn’t been enforcing the rules. Dominic had been playing video and computer games nonstop after school and on the weekends. If he couldn’t sleep at night, he would get up, turn on his computer, and play some more. When he played, he didn’t feel as nervous.
The past weekend, Mom had finally noticed his electronic obsession. “Dominic, you’re playing too many computer games,” she’d said. “Please find something else to do.”
“Sure, Mom,” Dominic had agreed, but he’d gone right on playing games. It‘s better than sitting around worrying about Caleb, he’d told himself.
When Mom realized Dominic hadn’t stopped playing, she’d finally unplugged the computer, taken away the keyboard, and said, “That’s it, Dom. I’m signing you up for soccer at the community center. It’ll be good for you to get outside and run around a bit.”
Without his games, the rest of the weekend had passed slowly for Dominic. Now he was off to his first soccer practice — and he was not happy about it.
When Mom stopped the car next to the soccer field, Dominic could see several boys already gathered there. A few of them were dribbling down the field doing some sort of relay race. Several other boys were sitting on the bench.
“I’m sorry I don’t have time to walk you over there, Dom,” Mom said. “But Caleb has an appointment soon, so I need to get going.”
Dominic stayed glued to his seat and stared out the window. “I only see one kid I know,” he said.
“At least you know someone!” Mom said brightly. “Now, shoo, shoo!”
“His name is Nathan,” said Dominic, still firmly planted in his seat. “He’s always in trouble at school.”
“Oh, then maybe you should stay away from him,” Mom said. “Anyway, go on! And try to have fun.”
Dominic reluctantly climbed out of the car and kicked at the gravel surface of the parking lot. This is the last thing I want to do, he thought.
As Dominic walked over to the field, he saw Nathan and the other boys on the bench messing around and pushing each other, laughing.
A man carrying a clipboard approached Dominic. “You must be Dominic Harper. I’m Coach Everett. Welcome to the Rockets! Your mom called me earlier and said you’d be joining us today,” he said. “We’re doing some passing drills right now and could use another player. How about it?”
Dominic looked at the players taking turns kicking the ball on the field. “Uh, no thanks,” he said.
The coach raised one eyebrow and stared at him, waiting for more explanation. Finally Dominic said, “I just don’t feel like it. I think I’ll just sit here on the bench for a while.”
Coach Everett shook his head. “Suit yourself,” he said. “But you’re at soccer practice now, and I’d appreciate you joining your teammates.” Then he turned away and blew his whistle to gather up the players on the field.
CHAPTER 2
TROUBLEMAKERS
Dominic didn’t join his teammates — not the ones who were on the field anyway.
“Hey, Dom. What’s up?” Nathan said as Dominic went to the bench and sat down.
“Not much,” Dominic replied. “How come you guys aren’t out on the field?”
“I’m just here because my mom thinks I need to get involved in team sports,” Nathan said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, Johnny and I were just about to have a burping contest. You want in?”
“Sounds better than playing soccer!” Dominic said. He took a deep breath and swallowed as much air as he could. A second later, he let out a loud, bold burp.
Johnny and Nathan cracked up and tried to match Dominic’s burp. The three boys kept going, each one trying to outdo the others, until the rest of the team finally came over to the bench for a water break.
As the rest of the team lined up at the watercooler, one player marched over to Dominic, Johnny, and Nathan, looking irritated. “If you’re not going to play, could you at least stop being so distracting?” he snapped. “We’ve got a big game coming up, and these drills will help with our offense.”
“But, Seth … we’re the cheerleaders,” Johnny replied. “Cheerleaders are supposed to be loud!”
“Why didn’t you just stay home?” Seth asked. “You’re already bringing the team down, and it’s only the first practice.”
Nathan stood up, looking like he was about to argue back. Before he could, Coach walked over and interrupted.
“Enough!” he said. “Everyone out on the field!” He looked sternly at Dominic, Johnny, and Nathan. “That means you three as well.”
The boys obeyed, but the fun continued on the field. Dominic, Johnny, and Nathan laughed and pushed each other while they waited in line for their turns, ignoring the glares coming at them from their teammates.
During one drill, when Dom was supposed to be passing to a teammate, he purposely kicked the ball in the wrong direction. Nathan and Johnny cracked up in response.
By then, Coach had had enough. “All right, you three. Back to the bench!” he shouted.
Dominic walked over to the bench and lay on his back so he could stare up at the clouds. I can’t believe I have to be here every day. Soccer practice is so boring, he thought. I’d much rather be at the doctor’s office with Mom and Caleb. At least then I would know what’s going on with him.
At the thought of his brother, Dominic’s stomach ached in a familiar, anxious way. It always did that when he thought about Caleb and what might happen to him because of his illness.
He’ll be okay, Dominic told himself. He has to be.
When practice was finally over, Seth marched over to the bench, where Dominic was still reclining.
“Why did you even join the team?” Seth demanded. “Some of us actually take soccer seriously.”
“None of your business,” Dominic snapped. He turned away, grabbed his things, and started walking toward the parking lot to look for his mom.
It’s none of your business that I don’t actually want to be here. It’s no one’s business that my brother might be really sick and that the only thing that distracts me from worrying is playing computer games, Dominic thought. It’s no one’s business but my own.
CHAPTER 3
CARLOS’S MOVES
When Dominic arrived at practice Tuesday afternoon, he felt sick to his stomach. Caleb had been extra fussy on the car ride over to the field, and his body had started shaking as if he was cold, even though it was seventy degrees outside.
Dominic’s mom had been so concerned that she’d called Caleb’s doctor. The doctor had assured them it was probably just a reaction to Caleb’s new medication, but Dominic was still worried.
He wanted to go home, but Mom had insisted it would be good for him to be active — that it would take his mind off things.
Dominic reluctantly made his way over to the bench. Johnny and Nathan were already there. A moment later, Coach Everett approached the three of them.
“Look, guys. I need you out on the field, and I really need you to work hard today,” Coach said. “Our first game is a week from Saturday, and we’re up against our league rival — the Warriors. Carlos won’t be here for the game, and we’ll need all the help we can get. This is our last practice until next week, so we need to make the most of it.”
“Who’s Carlos?” Dominic asked, looking around at the other players.
“I am,” said a boy wearing a red jersey. He was standing by the watercooler filling up his water bottle. “If you had played with the team for more than five minutes yesterday, you might remember me.”
“Wait,” Dominic said. “How come we’re not practicing again until next week?”
Coach gave him a frustrated look. “If you had been paying attention yesterday, you’d know that the community center is getting some work done on the field at the end of the week,” he said. “Practice is canceled until Monday, so today’s practice is extra important. Let’s get going. We’ve already broken into two teams to scrimmage.”
Johnny and Nathan stood up to join the team on the field, but Dominic stayed seated. “I’ll just watch,” he said.
“Have it your way, Dominic,” Coach replied. “I can’t force you to play. But if you’re going to sit on the bench, I at least want you watching and encouraging your teammates.” He turned around and walked out to center field.
Dominic crossed his arms and watched from the bench. He stared out at the field just in time to see Carlos score a goal.
“Way to go, Carlos!” the players shouted.
The two teams met at the center circle again for the kickoff. Right away, Carlos got control of the ball and dribbled down the field. Another player tried to steal the ball, but Carlos faked him out, doing a quick half-turn in the other direction and dribbling toward the goal.
Wow, Dominic thought. Carlos is good.
Dominic was watching the field so closely that he didn’t even notice Coach Everett had sat down beside him.
“Hey, Dominic,” the coach said. “I wanted to talk to you. I heard your little brother is sick.”
“He’ll probably be fine,” Dominic said, looking down at his feet. “We’ll find out next week, after his operation.”
Coach nodded. “Still, it must be hard on your whole family,” he said.
Dominic shrugged and looked at the ground. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not here. Not with his coach.
“Come on out and practice. It might help get your mind off things,” Coach said, smiling slightly. “I’d like to see you kick the ball at least once today.”
“Fine,” Dominic said reluctantly. He stood up slowly and walked toward the field, but when play began, he avoided the ball. Instead, he jogged up and down the field, pretending like he was trying to get open. But Dominic also watched Carlos — his fakes, his cuts toward the goal, his crisp passes.
It is nice to get moving, Dominic admitted to himself. But if I can’t play like Carlos, what’s the point of playing at all?
CHAPTER 4
FAKE-OUT
As the week continued, so did Caleb’s fussiness. After bringing him to the doctor, Mom and Dad had decided he should stay in the hospital until his surgery the following week. That meant Dominic was spending much of his free time at his grandpa’s house.
On Friday afternoon, after Dominic had spent the past two afternoons watching TV in the living room, Grandpa came in from doing yard work and sat down beside him.
“Hey,” Grandpa said. “How ’bout helping me do some raking before it gets dark?”
Ugh, Dominic thought. I can’t really say no to Grandpa. Instead, he forced a smile and said, “Sure. I’ll meet you out there.”
* * *
Dominic trudged into the garage and picked out a rake. As he walked into the backyard, Grandpa called, “Look what I found!”
Before Dominic could reply, Grandpa kicked a soccer ball to him. The ball sailed right to Dominic’s feet.
“Grandpa,” Dominic said, surprised, “that was a good kick!”
“I played a little soccer in my day,” Grandpa said.
“I didn’t know that,” Dominic said. “Want to teach me some moves? My team has our first game in a week.”
“You bet I do!” Grandpa said, smiling. “Show me your dribbling.”
Dominic dribbled across the yard, but the ball kept getting out too far in front of him. When he managed to keep it closer to his feet, he almost tripped over it.
“Instead of kicking the ball so far ahead, try giving it some light taps,” Grandpa said. “It makes it harder for a defender to steal it. Kick the ball over, and I’ll show you.”
Dominic kicked the ball to his grandpa, who trapped the ball and dribbled across the yard, tapping the ball between his feet.
When he reached the edge of the yard, Grandpa ran at the ball like he was about to give it a hard kick. Instead, he put his foot on top of it, rolled it backward, and dribbled in the opposite direction.
“First, you have to get good at handling the ball,” Grandpa called, still dribbling. “The point of a fake, like the one I just did, is to help you break away from a defender.”
Grandpa paused, thinking for a minute. Then he said, “Wait here. I’ll show you the best way to practice dribbling.”
When Grandpa came back a couple minutes later, he was carrying a tennis ball. “Dribbling a tennis ball is like running with weights on your ankles,” he said. “When you take the weights off, you run faster. After you get used to dribbling a tennis ball, dribbling a soccer ball will feel easy.”
Dominic tried dribbling the tennis ball and tripped over his feet. He laughed. It was difficult, but he was having fun. And for once, he wasn’t worrying about Caleb.
After Dominic did one particularly good fake, Grandpa whistled. “Look at you! You’re getting good!” he shouted.
“Maybe someday I’ll get as good as Carlos,” Dominic said.
“Who’s Carlos?” asked Grandpa.
“A kid on my team,” Dom said. “I’ve never seen anyone play like he does before.”
“Have you ever seen a professional soccer game?” Grandpa asked.
Dominic shook his head.
Grandpa glanced at his watch. “Well, you’re in luck,” he said. “I think there’s a game on now. Come on.”
The two of them headed inside to watch the game, grabbing snacks on the way. As they settled onto the couch and turned on the TV, Dominic was impressed right away.
“These players are amazing. Even better than Carlos!” Dominic said as he watched the players passing, dodging, faking, and dribbling. “This is awesome!”
“Yes, it is,” Grandpa agreed, smiling.
CHAPTER 5
UPS AND DOWNS
Dominic spent the rest of the weekend at Grandpa’s house. Even though Caleb’s operation wasn’t until Friday, their parents were staying at a hotel near the hospital so they could check on Caleb every day.
Sunday morning, Dominic’s mom called to say he’d be staying at his Grandpa’s for the rest of the week, too. Mom picked him up so he could get more clothes from home, then dropped him back off at Grandpa’s with a promise to call and check in each night.
Dominic felt nervous for his brother, and he hated not knowing what was going on. Since there were no video or computer games at Grandpa’s, Dom turned to soccer. He and Grandpa spent a few hours practicing outside on Sunday afternoon, and that evening, they watched an exciting professional soccer game on TV. After a full day of soccer, Dominic finally started to feel calm again.
* * *
On Monday afternoon, Dominic arrived at the soccer field for practice. For the first time, he was excited to play with the team. He and Grandpa arrived early, before anyone else. They brought a soccer ball with them so Dom could get some extra practice in before the rest of the team arrived.
Dominic kicked the ball out to the field and chased after it while Grandpa watched. “Let’s see you dribble, kid!” he called.
Dominic took the ball down the field and back, touching the ball lightly with the insides of his feet like Grandpa had taught him. He was so focused on his dribbling that he didn’t even notice someone else was there.
