Soccer Duel by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online

say nothing.
    He went over to where his stuff was, at the side of the field. He gathered it all up, then started to walk home. Coach and the others would wonder why he'd left early, but Renny didn't care. All the energy had been drained out of him by his encounter with Turk Walters. Suddenly, he was even more afraid of the Orange Crush than his teammates had been.
    Come on, suck it up! he told himself, still shaking all over. He's not gonna really do anything.
    Yet deep inside, Renny wasn't so sure. Turk had a reputation for playing rough, and he'd come right out and threatened Renny.
    Renny told himself not to back down. He just hoped that when the time came, he'd have the courage to stand his ground under fire. That's what Bryce McCormack would do, he reminded himself.

10
    B ryce didn't need an alarm clock to wake up the next morning. He was up at eight sharp and out of the house by nine. His mother hadn't even woken up yet, so he rode his bike down to the dew-covered field, drawn there as if by a magnetic force.
    Renny Harding was playing at nine-thirty. So was Turk Walters. And Bryce had finally made up his mind to do something about it.
    He liked the kid, he realized now. Sure, Renny was kind of naive and innocent, but he was also genuinely nice. Besides, Renny's dad had left the family, just like his own father had. And though Bryce's father had been gone for years and years, Renny's had left only recently. That poor kid. Bryce knew how he must feel.
    No. He had to do something for Renny. He couldn't admit to having schemed against him, but there was somebody else he could be straight with, and Bryce now sought him out on the sidelines.
    It was ten minutes till game time, and Turk Walters was loosening up, banging into a tree for practice.
    “Doesn't that hurt?” Bryce asked him by way of saying hi.
    “Soccer's a contact sport; didn't anybody ever tell you that?” Turk shot back. “Hey, man, I've gotta thank you for the advice. I already tested it out on that kid, and he's shakin' in his cleats, believe me.”
    “Uh, yeah, about that…” Bryce said. “Listen, I was wrong about that kid.”
    “Huh?” Turk stopped banging the tree and turned to pay closer attention to Bryce.
    “I don't think it's a good idea to actually foul him. Just scaring him's much better. That way, the Hornets don't get any free kicks or anything.”
    Turk snorted. “Don't worry,” he said with a laugh. “I'm not gonna get caught. I'm gonna hit him when the refs aren't looking — when he hasn't got the ball.”
    “Yeah, but I still don't think —”
    “Hey, you know what?” Turk said, taking a step toward Bryce. “Enough already. Just shut up now and let me do the dirty work.”
    “Don't hurt him, Turk,” Bryce said, holding his ground.
    “Aw, poor Bryce, his heart is bleeding for the kid,” Turk taunted him. “So now you want me to forget the whole thing, huh?'
    “That's right,” Bryce said; “It's a bad idea, Turk. Let it rest, okay?”
    “Oh. Okay. So why don't I go tell the kid it was you who gave me the bright idea? That would be ‘right,’ wouldn't it?”
    Bryce went cold. Turk laughed.
    “Go take a seat and watch the show,” Turk said. “It's gonna be real physical. And you'd better keep your mouth shut, understand?”
    Bryce backed away. He headed for the wooden bleachers where the parents sat, feeling lower than a worm. If Renny got hurt, he'd never forgive himself.
    On the other hand, what more could he have done? He'd tried to talk Turk out of it, but it was no use! The damage had already been done, hadn't it? It's too late to fix things now, Bryce told himself.
    Watching the teams line up for the start of the game, Bryce smiled sadly. He had been worried about facing Renny Harding in the play-offs, but now he could relax. That wasn't going to happen. Bryce's nasty trick had worked, and now the Yellow Jackets would be facing the Orange Crush in the play-offs instead of the Blue Hornets.
    Turk's team