Andrea Wong may have been short, but she was standing right up to Coach. She was dishing out just as good as she was getting. Colt hid a grin, not wanting Coach to see.

  “You’ll have to wait to interview the players,” Coach said. “They’re still getting changed.”

  The girl raised her eyebrows. “Then can I interview you right now?” She reached into her bag and pulled out her pen and notepad.

  “I’d prefer you talk to me later in the coach’s office like usual. Since we won I’ll answer one question now.”

  Colt thought Andrea might ask Coach about the big comeback. Or about the three touchdowns the Warriors scored in the second half to win the game. He definitely didn’t expect what he heard next.

  “How do you feel about the injury to the Hurricanes’ star quarterback?” Andrea asked.

  “It was an unfortunate accident.”

  “So, you didn’t order the hit to knock him out of the game?”

  Coach shrugged. “It was just a knee injury. Happens all the time. Football is a tough sport and sometimes players get hurt.”

  Andrea wasn’t buying Coach’s story. “Yeah, right. Three guys nailing the quarterback at the same time looked like a real accident.”

  Colt watched Coach’s shoulders tense. He was no longer in a good mood. “This interview is over,” he said, shutting the door in Andrea’s face.

  * * *

  “I don’t think Coach appreciated my question,” Andrea said. She slid into the red booth beside Colt at the pizza place they went to after games.

  “You knew he wouldn’t, Andy. Why didn’t you just stick to the facts about the game?”

  Colt liked how brave Andrea was, but sometimes wondered if she took things too far. There was no way Coach was going to answer her questions about the hit. Even still, Colt admired her persistence. It was a quality he’d liked from the first time they met. She had interviewed him after a game in the previous season. At first Andrea had only asked questions about the game. Then she’d started asking questions about Colt — what music and games he liked, his favourite food, and favourite class at school. Then she’d asked whether he had a girlfriend. He tried to put her off, but she wouldn’t stop asking until he answered that he didn’t. They had been dating ever since.

  “Anyone can report on a football game,” Andrea said. “So-and-so scored a touchdown. Blankety-blank made an interception. The final score was such-and-such.”

  “So why didn’t you?” Colt said, wrinkling his brow. “Coach would have answered those questions.”

  “I want to dig deeper. Get the story behind the story.” She stabbed the air with her finger to make her point. “I’m working on a series of articles about players getting hurt in high school football. More and more guys are going down with knee and shoulder injuries. And there are even worse problems. Some players are getting their heads hit and suffering concussions.”

  Colt knew players were getting hurt, but he didn’t want to discuss it. He had told Andrea he had his reasons, but not what they were. The main reason was Coach. If he found out Colt had told Andrea about the hit, he’d erupt like a volcano again. He’d probably bench Colt so he couldn’t play. And then ground him so he couldn’t see Andrea. He couldn’t have a school reporter getting close to the truth about who ordered the takedown. Even if that reporter was his girlfriend.

  “So are you going to give me the inside scoop on how the Hurricanes’ quarterback got injured?”

  Colt shook his head. “It was just like Coach said.”

  “Right . . . an accident,” Andrea said, rolling her eyes. “Well, if that’s the case it sure looked like Gunner, Bulldog, and you had a lot to do with causing it.”

  4

  Who Wants to Win

  “Hide your food, my good fellows,” Keegan joked in his best Romeo voice. “A most brutish knave approaches!”

  Bulldog had rolled into the cafeteria and was checking out the table where the football team always sat. He looked hungry. Sanjay and Jamal slid wide apart to make room. Bulldog plopped down. His stocky frame was so wide the butt of his jeans hung over the edge of the bench.

  “Are you sure you’ve got enough food on that tray?” Gunner asked, eyeing the stack of burgers and fries.

  “Hey, this body is in top physical condition, bro,” Bulldog said, patting his round belly. “And, just for the record, I’m not fat, just big-boned.”

  Colt smiled at Bulldog’s good nature. He played tough as nails during games, but kept the team loose off the field.

  “I’ve heard rumours about practice today,” Sanjay said. “Any of you dudes know the scoop?”

  Jamal nodded. “I think Coach has something up his sleeve.”

  “Maybe a trick play we can pull at the end of a game,” Gunner said, wiping a mustard smear leftover from his third hot dog. “Whatever it is, I’m all for it if it helps us win.”

  Colt’s teammates leaned across the table to face him. Bulldog asked what was on everyone’s mind. “Shouldn’t you know what’s going on?”

  “He is your dad, after all,” Sanjay said.

  Gunner narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, the captain should know this kind of stuff.”

  Colt shrugged. “I only know what you guys know. He may be my dad, but lately he only acts like he’s my coach. He doesn’t talk much about the team. And when he does, I’m just another player to him. He just gives me orders. ‘Take out the garbage. Wash the dishes. Do your homework.’”

  “And what if you forget to do that stuff?” Bulldog asked.

  “Then I get grounded.”

  Bulldog shook his head in sympathy. “That’s brutal, bro.”

  Gunner wasn’t so concerned. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Coach’s little boy has problems at home. Whatever. In my house I never get to even see my dad. He’s in the army and is always off fighting a war or helping poor people in Africa. So, don’t give me that sob story about your life at home. At least you know your father is alive.”

  “All I know,” Colt said, ignoring Gunner, “is that Coach wants the practice in the gym, not on the field. Beyond that, it’s a mystery.”

  “A mystery we’ll solve at four o’clock this afternoon,” Gunner said, slyly as though he knew something the others didn’t. “And I can’t wait.”

  * * *

  There was a white sheet of paper on the gym door. Big black letters spelled out: warriors football meeting — players only. Colt, Bulldog, and Gunner cruised in and joined Keegan, Sanjay, Jamal, and the rest of the team. Most of the players wore their black and blue team jackets with the Warriors’ crest on the front. They stood in a large huddle at centre court, joking around while they waited. Their voices echoed through the gym like it was a cave.

  Along one wall of the gym was a series of small offices. A door opened and Coach Taylor marched out.

  “All right, listen up.”

  Conversation stopped dead. All eyes were on Coach, who now stood in front of them. His legs were spread wide. His hands were on his hips.

  “I discovered something last game. I learned that we have two kinds of players on this team. I don’t mean strong players and weak players. I don’t care about that. What I care about are players who don’t follow my orders. Players that don’t do what I say. Players who won’t do anything to win.”

  Gunner punched the air with his fist. “You tell ’em, Coach!”

  “Now, I’ve got a simple solution to fix this problem.” Coach walked in front of his army like he was inspecting a row of troops. “If you disobey me you’ll be benched. It’s that simple. You’ll be riding the pine until your backside gets splinters. Do you hear me?”

  Gunner led some of the players shouting back. “Yes, Coach!”

  “I can’t hear you.”

  “Yes, Coach!” shouted most of the players. The response was loud, but not loud enough. Coach still wasn’t satisfied.

  “I see some of you couldn’t open your mouths.” He narrowed his eyes and scanned the faces. “Let’s find out who’ll be first to disobey me.”

  The gym was deathly quiet.

  “I want everyone who agrees to follow my orders to form a line over there.” Coach pointed to his right.

  Gunner was the first to make a move. “I’m with you, Coach!”

  Soon Keegan, Jamal, Sanjay and almost every other Warrior took a few steps and formed a long line. Colt knew all those players wanted to win. So did he. But he also knew they hadn’t secretly been told to take out the Hurricanes’ quarterback.

  “And now I want everyone who won’t follow my orders to stand over there.” Coach pointed to his left.

  Colt stood his ground. So did Bulldog. They were the only two players who hadn’t moved. Colt didn’t know what to do. He didn’t believe in hurting other players just to win. But he knew the consequences as well. The other players wouldn’t understand. They’d think the captain didn’t want to win. And worse — he’d be benched by his own father.

  “I see we have a couple of rebels,” Coach said. “A couple of guys who aren’t willing to follow my orders.” He crossed his thick arms and glared at Colt and Bulldog. “I’m going to give you one last chance. One final offer to do the right thing and join your team. A team that will do whatever it takes to win the championship.”

  Colt shot a glance at Bulldog and nodded. They had no choice. Coach had all the power. The two holdouts shuffled silently to the end of the long line.

  5

  Headline News

  Every Friday night the Warriors got together for chicken wings. It was a tradition.

  Colt and Bulldog sat at one table. Gunner, Keegan, Sanjay, and Jamal sat a few rows over shooting nasty glances back at them. Bad blood remained after the showdown in the gym. Gunner and a few other players still weren’t convinced Colt and Bulldog wanted to win enough to do anything.

  Colt wished Andrea was there. She often came to wing nights to interview the players for her next newspaper story. But she said she couldn’t go that night. She was working on a top-secret project.

  The restaurant was rocking though. Music pounded from the speakers. The place was packed with high school and college students. Everyone wanted to celebrate the end of another school week. No more math or science classes for the whole weekend! Servers sped by carrying big plates of chicken wings. Colt ate there so often he could pick out the smell of every sauce that wafted by — Spicy BBQ, Teriyaki, Honey Garlic . . . His mouth watered like a hungry dog’s.

  “I can’t wait to order,” Bulldog said. His sausage-like fingers grabbed the menu. “I haven’t eaten in at least an hour. I’m starving.”

  “Are you ever not hungry?” Colt joked.

  Suddenly, Colt’s phone lit up and buzzed on the table. It was a text from Andrea.

  Meet me in the library ASAP!

  Colt snatched up the phone before Bulldog could read the message. “I’ve got to bounce.”

  Bulldog’s eyes widened. “We just got here, bro. If you leave who am I going to talk to?”

  “You’ll be too busy cramming wings into your mouth to talk. You won’t even miss me.”

  Colt didn’t want to let on where he was going. Ditching his teammate and heading to the library on a Friday night sounded pretty lame. But Andrea’s text looked urgent. Colt’s mind raced trying to make up a good excuse for leaving. He panicked.

  “Something’s come up at home. My mom needs help . . . cooking in the kitchen.”

  “Cooking?” Bulldog arched his eyebrows. “You can barely boil water, bro. Since when did you become a chef?”

  “Oh, it’s a brand new hobby for me,” Colt said, putting on his jacket to leave. “You’d never guess how new.”

  The Edmonton library was six blocks from the restaurant on the other side of downtown. Andrea’s message sounded like an emergency. Colt didn’t want to make her wait. He sprinted every block, streaking by the office buildings that towered overhead. He raced through the front doors of the library gasping for breath. His eyes darted left and right as he hurried through the stacks of books. No Andrea. His heart pounded as he reached into his pocket for his phone. He typed a short message:

  Where r u?

  The reply came instantly.

  In the basement

  The basement? Maybe she had fallen and hurt herself? Maybe some crazed janitor was holding her hostage in a broom closet, just like in one of those horror movies. He leaped down the stairs two at a time.

  At the bottom Colt came face to face with a sign on the wall: archives. He took a deep breath and stepped into the dark room. He was hit with an overpowering, musty smell. This must be where they keep all the old newspapers and books, he thought. He waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Then he saw a row of computer monitors, and a girl with long black hair sitting in front of a glowing screen.

  “Andrea!” he whisper-called.

  She waved him over without taking her eyes off the screen.

  “So, why the emergency text?” he puffed.

  “I was doing some research on my story about football injuries.”

  Colt nodded, his chest still heaving.

  “And I found something you’ll want to see.”

  Colt let out a long sigh. He was relieved to see his girlfriend was safe. But she was just looking at some old newspapers. How big a deal could that be? He doubted it was big enough to drag him away from Bulldog on wings night.

  “Staring at some old papers in the dark doesn’t sound very exciting,” Colt said, rolling his eyes.

  “You’d be surprised. And it’s not just any newspaper.” Andrea’s dark eyes flashed. “It’s the Pittsburgh Post from 1989.”

  Colt stared back at her. “That’s about the time my dad played pro ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

  “It was his last year on the team,” Andrea said, nodding. “I’ve read all the stories about him. He had quite a reputation.” With one click she zoomed in on the paper. “Check this headline.”

  Colt pulled his chair closer to the screen. taylor accused of headhunting. He raised his eyebrows. “My dad never talked about this. All I know was that he played linebacker with the Steelers for five years.”

  Andrea nodded again. “The story says he’d go after quarterbacks with his helmet. Hit them at the knees and sometimes even head to head. He was one mean dude back then.”

  “He still is,” Colt muttered. He clammed up before saying anything else. He didn’t want to make Andrea suspicious about how the Hurricanes’ quarterback got hurt. He had to keep it secret.

  “I hope you never play like that,” Andrea said.

  “Like what?”

  “Like your dad did. Trying to hurt guys on purpose. I don’t think I could ever have a boyfriend who did that.” “I hope I never have to either,” Colt said. But inside he worried that Coach might tell him to make another dirty hit.

  Andrea focused back on the screen. “Did your dad ever tell you why he stopped playing football?”

  “He never talked about it. I just figured he got too old.”

  “Then this is going to interest you,” she said, clicking to another headline.

  Colt read the words out loud. “concussion forces taylor to retire.”

  “The story says he tackled the Denver Broncos’ quarterback with a crushing helmet-to-helmet blow,” Andrea said. “The pop from the two helmets hitting was so loud you could hear it all the way in the stands. They both got a concussion. But your dad got it worse. He was knocked out for a few minutes. They had to carry him off the field on a stretcher. After that he kept getting headaches that wouldn’t go away. He never went back. That was the last game he ever played.”

  Colt’s eyes grew wide. His jaw dropped. After all these years he was just finding out the truth about why his dad had to give up pro football. Why he became a high school coach. And maybe why he was still getting headaches.

  6

  Mutiny

  “We’re fifteen minutes late,” Bulldog said, looking panicked.

  “I know, I know, it’s my fault,” Colt replied, piling books into his locker. “I had to stay after English class for a lecture from Mrs. Drago. The Dragon Lady said if my grades didn’t get better she’d have to tell my parents. And that’s something I don’t need. Coach is already one step away from making me stay on the bench for games. If he hears my marks are sucking, he’ll make me stay at my desk for weekends, too.” Colt snapped his lock back on and spun the dial.

  Bulldog shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to be you, bro. Let’s head to practice.”

  Colt and Bulldog raced down to the locker room. They walked in like they always did. But something was wrong. The room was completely empty. There were no players. There was no coach. No one was putting on pads. No one was joking around. No one was playing music. It was quiet as a cemetery. They turned around and walked right out again.

  Colt wondered what was going on. He glanced at Bulldog who looked just as bewildered. Was practice cancelled?

  There wasn’t much Colt could do about it. If there were no players it was going to be pretty hard to practice. Unless he wanted to run around the field just to stay in shape.

  “You want to get suited up and run laps?”

  Bulldog rolled his eyes. “You think I’m going to make this sumo-sized body run around that football field just for the fun of it? Get serious, bro.”

  “I’m with you, man,” Colt said. “The best way to stay in shape is by playing. I only run laps when Coach tells me to. And Coach isn’t here right now.”

  “Well, there’s no sense staying if there’s not going to be a practice,” Bulldog said.

  Colt nodded. “Let’s cruise back to our lockers, get our homework, and head out. I should get started on my next book report, anyway.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8