The Great Quarterback Switch by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page B

to believe
     that his first pass of the game could have been intercepted and then run for a touchdown.
    Buck up, Tom!
Michael tried to tell his brother through his extrasensory powers.
Don’t let it get you down. It’s still early in the game.
    The score remained 14-0 going into the second quarter. The ball was on the Eagles’ forty-one-yard line. It was second and
     seven, Eagles’ ball.
    “Four! Six! Nine! Hip! Hip! Hip!” Tom barked.
    He took the snap from center, fumbled it, picked it up, stumbled back.
    Fumbled again! Luckily, Vince was right there to land on the ball, but the play went for a loss of yardage all the same.
    C’mon, Tom, you’re losing your concentrationout there! Let me in, and give yourself time to get your head together,
Michael thought desperately. As if he had heard him, Tom shook his head.
    But suddenly, the decision was taken out of both their hands.
    “Kirk!” Coach Frank Cotter’s voice boomed. “Get out there and take Tom’s place!”
    Kirk Tyler, the Eagles’ backup quarterback, pulled on his helmet as he sprinted out to the field.
    Tom saw Kirk going in and started off the field, head down.
    “I hope he’s not too bummed out,” a voice near Michael’s elbow murmured.
    He looked at the speaker. It was Vickie Marsh. Next to her stood the ever-present Carol Patterson.
    “So do I,” said Michael.
    “Is Kirk any good?”
    “I don’t know. He’ll be playing under pressure. That’s the worst time.”
    As Tom approached, his eyes met Michael’s. They looked tired and worried.
    “Have a seat, Tom,” Coach Patterson said. “You need a break.”
    If only he had let me give him that break!
Michael thought dismally.
Then one of us would still be in the game.
    He caught Tom’s eye again. The worried look was still there.
    What are we going to do?
Michael read Tom’s thoughts.
Kirk isn’t good enough to handle the team. I think you’re better than he is, Michael. But are you strong enough to play for
     the rest of the game? And even if you are
—
how are you going to get in?

10
    I t was the Eagles’ ball on their own thirty-six-yard line. It was third down and twelve to go. Michael looked on helplessly
     as the team broke out of the huddle and trotted to the line of scrimmage. Some of the guys walked as if the spirit of playing
     had been drained out of them.
    Kirk called signals, took the snap, and faded back to pass. He threw a long bomb to Stan down the left side of the field.
     But it sailed far over Stan’s head, and was incomplete.
    Vince punted on the fourth down andmanaged to get the ball down near the Cheetahs’ twenty-five-yard line.
    Michael looked at Tom, saw him sitting with his helmet in his hands and his elbows on his knees. His hair was rumpled, and
     sticky with sweat.
    We’ve got to do something, Tom. We can’t just sit here like a couple of dummies.
    But what else could they do? Michael wondered. He certainly couldn’t just get out of his chair. And Tom was sitting on the
     bench, probably for the rest of the game.
    Maybe, Michael reflected, the guys on the field had a lot to be dispirited about, at that.
    But that was like giving up. And you cannot give up. Ever.
    Out on the field the Cheetahs were moving again like a formidable herd. Charlie Jarvis had just bolted around left end for
     a first down.
    “I think it’s just terrible,” Vickie said at Michael’s elbow.
    “What is?” asked Michael, startled briefly by the sound of her voice.
    “Tom’s being taken out, just because he made one or two mistakes.”
    “I think he should be able to get in again. That is, I think so,” Michael said emphatically.
    “I sure hope so,” said Vickie.
    “Come on, Vick,” Carol broke in, grabbing her arm. “Let’s get back to our seats. I’m getting tired standing.”
    “Okay. See you, Michael.”
    “Sure,” said Michael.
    He looked around at her a minute, wondering how she and Carol— as different as day and night— could get along so well