All Keyed Up Read online

  Copyright

  Text copyright © 2002 by Catherine M. Christopher

  Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Daniel Vasconcellos

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Matt Christopher® is a registered trademark of Catherine M. Christopher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

  First eBook Edition: December 2009

  ISBN: 978-0-316-09468-9

  Contents

  Copyright

  Soccer ’Cats

  Soccer ’Cats Team Roster

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  SOCCER ’CATS

  #1 The Captain Contest

  #2 Operation Baby-Sitter

  #3 Secret Weapon

  #4 Hat Trick

  #5 Master of Disaster

  #6 Heads Up

  #7 All Keyed Up

  #8 You Lucky Dog

  Soccer ’Cats Team Roster

  Lou Barnes Striker

  Jerry Dinh Striker

  Stookie Norris Striker

  Dewey London Halfback

  Bundy Neel Halfback

  Amanda Caler Halfback

  Brant Davis Fullback

  Lisa Gaddy Fullback

  Ted Gaddy Fullback

  Alan Minter Fullback

  Bucky Pinter Goalie

  Subs:

  Jason Shearer

  Dale Tuget

  Roy Boswick

  Edith “Eddie” Sweeny

  Chapter 1

  Here! Send it here!” Jerry Dinh called. He pounded down the field, looking for a pass from his fellow striker and Soccer ’Cats teammate Stookie Norris.

  Stookie glanced up. With a quick jab, he sent the ball bouncing to Jerry.

  Jerry and a Panther halfback ran to meet it. Jerry beat the halfback by a step. He controlled the ball and started dribbling as fast as he could toward the Panther goal.

  The halfback didn’t give up, however. She chased Jerry, determined to steal the ball.

  Jerry did his best to protect the ball. But the Panther was all over him. Jerry had to pass the ball back to Stookie.

  Stookie caught it on his chest and let it drop to the ground at his feet. Then he paused.

  The Panther defense moved in.

  Oh, no! Jerry groaned to himself. Stookie’s going to get slaughtered!

  But Stookie didn’t. Just as the first Panther reached him, he darted to the left, bringing the ball with him. The Panther ran by him, a surprised look on his face. As the second Panther lunged forward, Stookie moved right. The second Panther ended up on the ground.

  “Go, Stookie, go!” Jerry and his teammates shouted. Stookie dodged the last defender. He had a clear shot at the goal! The goalie rushed out to meet him. Stookie faked left. When the goalie moved to block the shot, Stookie darted right and slammed the ball into the net.

  Jerry bounced on his toes, grinning with glee. “All right, Stookie!” he shouted.

  Two minutes later the game ended. The final score was ’Cats 2, Panthers 1.

  Jerry was grabbing his sweatshirt off the bench when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Stookie.

  Jerry’s family had moved in to the house next to Stookie’s a month ago. Jerry had hoped that he and Stookie would get to know each other better. But it hadn’t happened, at least not yet. In fact, sometimes Stookie made Jerry nervous. Stookie could be prickly and hot-tempered.

  Now, however, he looked happy. “Great pass you made at the end,” Stookie said.

  “Thanks,” Jerry replied, grinning at Stookie. “Great goal you made at the end!”

  Stookie laughed. “You want to walk home together?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Jerry answered. The two boys headed off the field toward their neighborhood.

  They chatted about the game, then Stookie said, “Did Coach Bradley tell you that you’re taking my position at center next game?”

  Jerry was surprised. “I am? Why?”

  “My family is going away for three days, so I’m going to miss the game.” Stookie stopped. “Can I ask you a favor? Could you take care of my gerbils while we’re gone?”

  Jerry nodded. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

  “It’d be easier if I showed you. Can you sleep over tonight?”

  Jerry agreed to ask his folks.

  Cool! Jerry thought. Maybe Stookie wants to be better friends with me, too!

  Chapter 2

  Mrs. Dinh helped Jerry pack his pajamas, his toothbrush, and a change of clothes for the next day.

  “Don’t forget Otter,” she reminded him.

  Otter was a puppet Jerry’s dad had brought him all the way from California. He was big and soft and had a hole in the back where you stuck your hand to make the arms move. Jerry slept with him every night.

  But should he bring him to Stookie’s house? What if Stookie made fun of him?

  “Uh, I don’t know, Mom,” Jerry said.

  “Why don’t you pack him, just in case?” his mother suggested. “You know what I always say: Better to have him and not need him than to need him and not have him.”

  Jerry smiled. “Okay,” he said, sticking Otter into his knapsack. He shut off his bedroom light, and together they walked downstairs.

  “Have fun!” Mrs. Dinh called as Jerry walked the short way to Stookie’s house.

  “Come on in!” Stookie said when he answered the door. Jerry said hello to Stookie’s parents, then the two boys hurried upstairs to Stookie’s room.

  Stookie pushed open the door with a grand gesture. “What do you think?”

  “Cool!” Jerry cried. And he meant it. Stookie’s room was covered with sports posters and banners. One bed had sheets with soccer balls on it, the other had basketballs. But the neatest thing was the structure in the corner. It was three levels high and enclosed with clear plastic. Plastic tubes led up to each level where there were wheels, platforms, and other things to climb on.

  “What is that?” he asked.

  “That’s where my gerbils live,” Stookie said proudly. Jerry looked closer. Sure enough, one gerbil was scurrying up a tube. The other was buried in the wood shavings that lined the bottom.

  “Gerbils are pretty easy to take care of, and they’re really fun to watch,” Stookie continued. “All you have to do is make sure they have enough water in their bottles and food in their trays. I usually fill the water at night and the food in the morning.”

  He lifted the mesh top of the cage and pulled out a bottle. He showed Jerry how to fill it, then returned it to its holder. “Just make sure you close this top,” Stookie warned as he lowered the mesh cover. “If these guys get out, they can make a mess.”

  “Gotcha,” Jerry said. “What are their names?”

  “That’s Peanut Butter,” Stookie said, pointing to the climbing gerbil. “Marshmallow is the one sleeping.”

  “Are they boys or girls?”

  “Boys. Mom made sure when we bought them.” Stookie grinned. “She didn’t wan
t any baby gerbils in the house, she said.”

  “That’s right.” Jerry and Stookie looked up to see Mrs. Norris in the doorway. “You boys ready to come have some popcorn and watch a movie?”

  “You betcha!” the boys chorused. They left the room, Jerry taking one last look at the gerbil habitat.

  I’ll take good care of you guys, he promised the animals silently.

  Chapter 3

  After the movie and popcorn, Jerry and Stookie got into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, and climbed into bed. Jerry hesitated for a minute, then reached to the floor for his knapsack.

  “Stookie, will you laugh at me if—” He hesitated.

  “If what?” Stookie said sleepily.

  “If I sleep with a stuffed animal?” Jerry held his breath.

  Stookie chuckled. “I won’t if you won’t!” That’s when Jerry saw that Stookie had a special toy, too. His was shaped like a snowman.

  Jerry pulled Otter from the knapsack. From his bed, he could see out the window to his own room. He could see the stars, too.

  “The stars look cool tonight, don’t they?” he murmured to Stookie.

  Stookie grunted. “You like looking at stars?”

  “Yeah,” said Jerry. “I’ve got a telescope in my room so I can see them up close.”

  Stookie rolled over and looked at him. “Really? Can I see it sometime?”

  “Sure!” Jerry said. He gave Otter a squeeze. Soon both boys were asleep.

  The next morning, Jerry packed up his pajamas, yesterday’s clothes, his toothbrush, and Otter. He and Stookie ate a big stack of pancakes for breakfast. Then Jerry practiced filling the gerbils’ water bottles.

  “See?” Stookie said. “Easy as pie.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. It was on a small ring with a tag that said “Norris.” “Here’s the key to the house. Just make sure you lock the door when you leave.”

  “I will,” Jerry promised. He slipped the key into his knapsack.

  Stookie suggested that they round up some of the other ’Cats for a game of soccer. Half an hour later, eight ’Cats showed up at the field, ready to play.

  Stookie and Bundy Neel were elected captains.

  “Who’s got a coin to flip to see who chooses first?” Bundy asked.

  “I think I’ve got one in my knapsack,” Jerry said. He dug around and came up with a dime. Stookie won the toss. He chose Amanda Caler. Bundy took Dewey London. Stookie picked Jerry, and Bundy pointed to Lisa Gaddy. Stookie chose Jason Shearer.

  “Guess I know where I’m going,” Ted Gaddy grumbled as he joined his twin sister.

  “Let the games begin!” Jason cried, flinging his baseball cap in the air.

  “Stop horsing around and get in the goal,” growled Stookie.

  Jason bowed. “At your service,” he said. He dodged Stookie’s punch and jogged backward to the goal as the rest of the ’Cats laughed.

  Jerry laughed, too. He was surprised that Stookie had chosen Jason. When it came to soccer, Stookie was all business, even if it was just a pickup game played for fun.

  The game started. Since Stookie had had first choice of players, Bundy’s team got the ball first. Bundy toed the ball over to Dewey. Dewey started downfield, dribbling swiftly.

  Stookie charged him. In the blink of an eye, he’d stolen the ball and made it halfway toward the opposite goal. Lisa jumped forward, but Stookie dodged past her. Ted hopped like a frog in front of the goal, trying to guess where Stookie would shoot.

  He guessed wrong. Stookie faked left, but he shot right when Ted went for the fake. Goal!

  His teammates gathered round to congratulate Stookie. But Stookie impatiently waved them back to their positions.

  “It’s only one goal,” he reminded them. “They could still beat us!”

  “Oh, lighten up, Stookie,” Jason drawled. “It’s just a silly practice game.”

  Stookie’s temper flared up. “If it’s so silly to you,” he cried, “then why don’t you just leave?!”

  Jason just shrugged and strolled back to the goal. Stookie watched him with narrow eyes.

  Man, Jerry thought to himself. I sure would hate to get on Stookie’s bad side!

  Chapter 4

  The practice game continued. This time, Dewey started with the ball. The minute he touched it, Stookie raced forward to try to steal it. Jerry positioned himself between Dewey and Bundy, ready to grab the ball if Dewey passed it.

  But Dewey surprised them. Instead of sending it sideways to Bundy, he knocked it backward to Lisa.

  Lisa controlled the ball, then darted down the field, dribbling madly. Amanda squared off against her, and Lisa almost lost the ball. But she recovered and with a quick move sent the ball rocketing toward the goal.

  Jason ran out to meet it, but it took a strange bounce over his outstretched hands and into the goal.

  “Whoops,” Jason said, shrugging. He retrieved the ball and handed it to Stookie. Stookie didn’t say a word, but the glare he gave Jason was withering. Jason just stared back, chewing his gum, until Stookie walked back to the center of the field.

  After that, Stookie was unstoppable. He scored three more goals single-handedly before Bundy’s team scored their second one. When Bundy did finally get it into the net, Stookie shouted at Jason for not having played better. Jerry cringed, but Jason just rolled his eyes and told Stookie to lay off.

  Finally, when the score was eight to three, Bundy’s team had had enough.

  “Let’s go down to the town pool!” Ted suggested.

  “Yeah, maybe Stookie can cool off his hot head there!” Jason said.

  Stookie grinned. “Aw, come on, Jason,” he said. “You know my bark is worse than my bite. Anyway, I can’t go to the pool. My folks and I are leaving for our trip this afternoon.”

  “How about you, Jerry?” Lisa asked.

  “Sure, I’ll meet you guys there after lunch.” Everyone agreed that was a good plan. Stookie and Jerry walked home together.

  “Hey, have fun with your folks this weekend,” Jerry said as they parted to go to their houses.

  “I will. And have fun at the pool. Just make sure you’re back in time to feed my gerbils,” Stookie warned.

  Jerry patted his knapsack. “I’ve got the key right in here. Nothing to worry about.”

  “I hope not,” Stookie said as he climbed the steps into his house. “If anything happened to those gerbils, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  Jerry gulped.

  Chapter 5

  What had Stookie meant by that? Jerry wondered as he hurried to his room to get his swim things. Aw, he was probably just joking around. Like he said, his bark is worse than his bite. Not that I have to worry about that, because nothing is going to go wrong!

  He emptied his knapsack out on his bed. He was stuffing a beach towel and bathing suit into it when his mother called up.

  “Jerry! Please bring your dirty clothes downstairs so I can wash them!”

  “Okay, Mom!” Jerry replied. He gathered up the clothes and headed downstairs. “I’m going to the pool after lunch, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said. She looked out the window. “I see Stookie’s not going. He and his family just pulled out of the driveway with a car full of camping gear.”

  “Yeah, they’re gone for three days,” Jerry said. “I’m taking care of Stookie’s gerbils.”

  “That’s a big responsibility,” his mother said. Then she frowned. “Are they leaving their house unlocked for three days?” she asked.

  “No,” Jerry said. “Stookie gave me a key.”

  “Well, you better put it in a safe place, then,” his mother advised.

  “Good idea,” Jerry said. He hurried back to his room and looked through his knapsack. It was empty!

  That’s funny, Jerry thought nervously. I’m sure I put the key in here this morning.

  He checked all the pockets. Nothing.

  Maybe it’s tangled up in the clothes! He raced back to the washing machine, pulle
d over a chair, and lifted the lid. He plunged his arms into the warm, soapy water and started pulling clothes out.

  “What are you doing?” his mother yelled from behind him. Startled, Jerry whipped around, sending a stream of water drops over the floor. He looked from the shirt in his hand to the pile of dripping clothes on the floor.

  “Sorry, Mom! Sorry!” he cried. “I —I can’t find the key to Stookie’s house. I know I put it in my knapsack, but now it’s not there. I thought it might have gotten caught in my pajamas or clothes or something.” He lifted his sodden pajama top out of the wash. “But I can’t find it here, either.”

  His mother shook her head. “I always give your clothes a good shake before I put them in the wash. I didn’t find a key.”

  Jerry dropped the wet top back into the wash.

  His mother ruffled his hair. “Now, don’t worry. Think about where the key might have fallen out of your knapsack.”

  Jerry’s head snapped up. “The soccer field!” he cried. “Stookie and I went right to the field from his house! I bet it fell out on the way, or when I was looking for that coin!”

  “The best way to find something you’ve misplaced is to retrace your steps,” his mother said. “I’ll clean up this mess. You go find that key!”

  Chapter 6

  Jerry set off at a trot for the soccer field. He scanned the sidewalks, streets, and grass along the way. Once he saw something gleaming in the grass, but it turned out to be a bottle cap.

  “Nuts!” he said, winging the cap into a nearby trash can. When he reached the field, he was relieved to see it was empty. At least he could look around without having to wait for people to clear off.

  Not that it would have mattered. Twenty minutes of careful searching turned up nothing but one of the wrappers from Jason’s gum and the dime they’d used for the coin toss.