Making the Save by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page B

have a practice tomorrow morning, and our last game is on Saturday. I think we should have the car wash on Wednesday. Okay?”
    Stookie was silent, but everyone else agreed. Bucky ran inside to call his mother to make sure it was okay to have the car wash at their house. When he returned, he gave the team the thumbs-up.

    “I’m going home right now to make the signs,” Amanda said. “I’ve got tons of art supplies and cardboard.”
    “I’ll help you,” Lisa offered. “Then we can put them up today!”
    “I’ll come, too,” Eddie said. The three girls hopped on their bikes and took off.
    “Anyone want to help me make the lemonade stand?” Dewey asked. Lou Barnes and Jerry Dinh volunteered.
    “C’mon, Alan.” Jason grabbed Alan Minter’s arm and pulled him along. “Let’s go find some lemons.” Alan followed him out of the yard. That left Bucky, Bundy, and Stookie.
    “Wanna start rounding up some buckets?” Bundy asked. Bucky nodded, but Stookie rolled his eyes.
    “I gotta get going,” he said, pocketing his game. “See you at practice tomorrow.” He threw a leg over his bike and disappeared around the corner.
    “That Stookie,” Bundy said. “He can be such a spoilsport.”
    “Yeah,” Bucky said. “He’s a really good player and all. But you know what? I sometimes hope we’re not on the same team next year.”

Chapter 4
    T hat night, Bucky lay in bed listening to a light rain on the roof and imagining the coach taking the jacket out of the gift box and slipping it on.
    Suddenly, Bucky sat up.
What if it doesn’t fit?
he thought frantically. He flopped back down to think about the problem. As his head hit the pillow, the tag on his pajama top scratched his neck. His mother usually cut off the tags, but she had forgotten this time. The night was hot, so Bucky decided to sleep without his shirt. He struggled out of it and started to toss it on the floor. Then he stopped.
    The tag!
he thought happily, staring at his pajama top.
That’s it!
He snuggled back into his bed. Tomorrow, if he was clever, he could find the answer he needed.
    After the night’s rain, the next morning turned out to be warm and sunny. Bucky showed up at the field a few minutes early. Coach Bradley was already there setting up two long lines of orange cones on the field. Bucky put his plan into action right away.
    “Hey, Coach!” Bucky called. “Phew, it sure is a hot one today! I might just practice without my shirt on! How about you?”
    The coach shrugged. “I’ll keep mine on. And unless you’re wearing sunscreen, don’t take yours off, okay? I can’t have my star goal-keeper getting a burn before our last game.”
    “Oh. Right,” Bucky said.
Rats,
he thought. The rest of the team slowly trickled in. Coach Bradley had them all do warm-up exercises, then he separated them into two groups and explained their first drill.
    “Bucky, you go in one goal, and Jason, you take the other. Group one, you’re with Bucky, and two, with Jason.” The kids followed the coach’s instructions. “Two people from each group, take up positions near the goals.” Dewey and Amanda trotted down near Bucky. Eddie and Lisa went to the opposite goal. “Now, everyone else line up behind the cones. First in line, dribble in and out of the cones. At the end, pass to one of the players near the goal. That player shoots on goal, then goes to the end of the line. The dribbler takes his or her place.” He clapped his hands. “We’re working on control and quickness. Ready? Go!”
    Bucky crouched down, hands in the classic W goalkeeper’s pose, ready to stop the ball when it came toward him. Stookie Norris dribbled expertly through the cones, then passed to Amanda. Amanda fired a shot to the upper left corner of the goal. Bucky smacked the ball away and returned to his starting position. Amanda trotted to the end of the line, and Stookie took her place near the goal.

    Next in line was Lou Barnes. Lou dribbled around the cones and