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  The sound of a car door slamming solved the problem for her. Hastily, she stuffed the clipping back into the envelope, put the envelope on the counter, and rushed out of the kitchen.

  Amanda waited all day for her mother to comment about the envelope. But she didn’t. Amanda almost asked her about it. But her mother might think it was odd if she did. After all, Amanda had never asked her about her mail before.

  Then, at dinner, she thought she was going to hear about it at last.

  “I got something interesting in the mail today,” Mrs. Caler said.

  “What was it?” Amanda’s sister Amelia asked. Amelia was three years older than Amanda. She had just come home from ballet class. As usual, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a leotard and a pair of shorts.

  Amanda held her breath. Was she about to learn what else was in the envelope and who had sent it?

  She wasn’t. Instead of the plain envelope, Mrs. Caler pulled out a fancy pink one. She waved it at Amelia.

  “We finally got that information about ballet school!” she crowed happily. She pulled a booklet out of the envelope and opened it between Amelia and Amanda.

  “Doesn’t this look wonderful?” she asked the girls.

  Amelia’s reply was a squeal of delight. Amanda didn’t say anything.

  After all, her mother had always told her it was better to say nothing at all if you couldn’t say something nice.

  Chapter 7

  Mrs. Caler and Amelia talked about ballet and the ballet school for the rest of the meal. Amanda finished her dinner in silence, cleared her dishes from the table, and went to her room.

  Who would have sent Mom that envelope? she asked herself for the thousandth time that day.

  She flopped onto her bed and pondered for a while. Suddenly, she sat up.

  “Eddie,” she said out loud.

  Eddie wanted to play halfback. But the ’Cats already had their starting halfbacks — Amanda, Bundy, and Dewey. And Dale was the usual halfback sub. Eddie would only be subbed in at halfback if one of the other four couldn’t play.

  Amanda couldn’t think of any reason why Dewey, Bundy, or Dale wouldn’t be able to play. But what about herself? If her mother thought that soccer was hazardous, she might take Amanda off the team. An envelope full of newspaper articles about soccer’s dangers might make her think about doing just that!

  Eddie had been late to practice that morning. Could she have been busy shoving such an envelope through the Calers’ mail slot?

  Amanda shook her head. She didn’t want to believe Eddie would do something like that. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make perfect sense that Eddie was the culprit —and Amanda was her target.

  Then she remembered something else. In the rest room, Eddie had wondered if Amanda was going to be afraid of the ball after being hit. Then that night, someone had called the coach to ask for heading practice. Could the caller have been Eddie? Could she have hoped that Amanda would shy away from the ball whenever it came near her? If so, then she got her wish, because that’s just what Amanda had done for most of the practice.

  Amanda didn’t sleep well that night. She had bad dreams about huge soccer balls falling from great heights.

  When she woke up the next morning, her dreams still haunted her. She shuffled into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Then she looked in the mirror — and almost didn’t recognize the person who looked back at her.

  I look scared! she thought. I’ve never felt this way before a game!

  She stared at herself for a moment longer. Her tense expression changed to a frown. Being scared is just what Eddie wants. Well, I’m sorry, Eddie, but you’re not going to get what you want today!

  She marched back into her room and pulled on her shorts and Soccer ’Cats T-shirt. Then she stormed downstairs into the kitchen— and ran smack into her mother, who dropped the envelope she was holding. Newspaper clippings fluttered to the floor.

  “Well, well,” Amanda muttered under her breath. “What have we here?”

  Chapter 8

  “Ah, I see you’re ready for the game,” Mrs. Caler observed as she stooped to pick up the clippings.

  “Darned right!” Amanda replied hotly. “You’re not going to try and stop me from playing, are you?”

  Mrs. Caler looked up. “Why, no,” she said with surprise.

  “Because you know,” Amanda went on as if her mother hadn’t said anything, “you can’t always believe everything you read.”

  Her mother arched an eyebrow. “And what is it you think I’ve been reading?”

  Amanda pointed to the clippings. “You know what you’ve been reading.”

  “I see,” said Mrs. Caler. “And you don’t think I should believe what I’ve read in these articles?”

  Amanda shook her head.

  “Why not?”

  “Because the person who sent you that stuff wants you to take me off the team!” Amanda blurted out.

  Mrs. Caler stood up. “What!” she exclaimed.

  “It’s true,” Amanda said. She grabbed a banana and a bagel and headed to the kitchen door. “I know it’s not right to say something mean about someone. But this person has been mean to me, so why should I be nice to her?”

  “Her?” Mrs. Caler repeated. “Are you sure — ?”

  “I’m sure,” Amanda interrupted. “But I’m not going to let her get away with it.” She slammed the door behind her.

  Amanda arrived at the soccer field ready to show Eddie — and everyone else — that she was not about to give up her place on the Soccer ’Cats team. If that meant getting hit with the ball, then so be it!

  The game against the Torpedoes started off quickly. The Torpedoes had won the coin toss, so they had possession first. With a flick of his foot, the center striker sent the ball to his right forward, who dribbled rapidly down the sideline.

  Amanda was on him in a flash. She snaked her foot in, stole the ball, and rocketed a high kick to Stookie.

  Stookie trapped the ball against his chest and let it drop to the ground. Then he started dribbling toward the Torpedoes’ goal.

  Torpedo fullbacks were on him in an instant. But just as quickly, Stookie got rid of the ball by passing it to Lou on his left.

  Amanda swooped in behind Lou, ready to counterattack anyone who stole the ball from him.

  Someone did. A Torpedo halfback nabbed the ball when Lou lost control of his dribble. The halfback dribbled away from Lou and Amanda. He scanned the field and pulled his foot back for a kick.

  Amanda charged in for the steal.

  Blam! The Torpedo blasted the kick and sent it soaring right at Amanda’s head.

  Amanda didn’t have time to think. She threw her arms up to protect herself.

  Chapter 9

  The ball ricocheted off Amanda’s arms and bounced to the ground.

  Phweet! The whistle blew. The ref signaled for a direct free kick.

  Stookie ran up to help his teammates defend against the kick.

  “Man,” he growled to Amanda as the Torpedo sent the ball flying high into the air and into the ’Cats’ territory. “Don’t you know handling the ball with your hands or arms is a foul?”

  Amanda reddened. “I do know that. I just —just —”

  “You were just afraid,” Stookie finished for her. “Just like Eddie said after practice yesterday.”

  Amanda stopped short. “Eddie said that, did she? And what else did she say?”

  Stookie didn’t have a chance to reply. The Torpedoes had taken a shot on goal, but Bucky Pinter had made the save. He cleared the ball with an enormous kick to the center of the field. Stookie and the rest of the forward line chased after it.

  Amanda followed. She was so simmering mad at Eddie for talking behind her back that she didn’t notice when a Torpedo forward stole the ball from Lou. Too late, she saw her dribble past.

  “C’mon! Pay attention!” Lou called as he ran after the Torpedo.


  Amanda spun around and gave chase. It was no use. The Torpedo had a head of steam. She made it to the goal before anyone could stop her. With a sharp kick, she launched the ball into the net.

  The scoreboard now read Torpedoes 1, ’Cats 0.

  “Rats!” grumbled Stookie. He shot Amanda a dirty look.

  Amanda jogged slowly to her position.

  “Pull yourself together,” she muttered to herself.

  But she couldn’t. A bad night’s sleep plus anger at Eddie added up to poor concentration on the field. Time and again Amanda missed making an easy tackle, fumbled her dribble, or misdirected a kick.

  The Torpedoes seemed to realize that Amanda’s side of the field was weak. They kept sending the ball to their right forward, who dodged around a flustered Amanda with ease. Each time it happened, Amanda became more frustrated.

  The whistle blew, signaling an indirect free kick. Amanda was about to move into position when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see Eddie smiling at her.

  “I’m subbing in for you!” Eddie said.

  Amanda couldn’t stop herself. “Well, good for you!” she cried. Hot tears pricked her eyes. “You got just what you wanted, didn’t you?” She ran off the field and straight to the rest room.

  Chapter 10

  Amanda sat on a chair inside the rest room, her face in her hands. She had never felt so miserable.

  There was a light tap, then someone opened the door.

  “Go away,” Amanda said, not moving.

  “I think I’d rather stay,” came a voice. Amanda looked up to see her mother standing before her. Without another word, Mrs. Caler folded Amanda into her arms and hugged her.

  “What are you doing here?” Amanda asked, her voice muffled against her mother’s clothes.

  “I came to watch you play, of course,” her mother replied.

  Amanda looked up. “But aren’t you afraid you’ll see me or someone else get hurt?”

  Mrs. Caler smoothed Amanda’s hair with her hand.

  “Amanda,” she said. “Who do you think sent those newspaper clippings to me?”

  Amanda frowned. “It was Eddie,” she said. Her face crumpled as she fought back new tears. “Eddie sent those clippings. She was hoping you’d take me off the team when you read that soccer was dangerous. She’s been trying to make me afraid of being hit with the ball, too. That’s why she called the coach to ask if we could practice heading the ball. Eddie wants to take over my position on the team.”

  “I do not!”

  Amanda turned with surprise. There stood Eddie, hands on hips and eyes flashing.

  “I called the coach about heading practice because I thought it would help you get over your fear of the ball,” Eddie said.

  “What?” Amanda was confused.

  Eddie ran her fingers through her hair. “My mother always says that if you fall off a horse you should get right back on again. Otherwise you might never get on again because you’ll be too afraid.” She shrugged. “I thought if you were forced to head the ball over and over, you’d get over any fear you had.”

  “But yesterday, why did you tell Stookie I was afraid of the ball?”

  Eddie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t. Well, not exactly. He said something about how you weren’t playing that well during the scrimmage, and I tried to explain to him what I thought was wrong.”

  Amanda had never felt so foolish in her life. Here she’d been thinking Eddie was out to get her, when all the time she’d been trying to help her!

  “But what about the envelope with newspaper clippings? Who sent it?” she asked.

  “I think I can answer that.” Coach Bradley stood in the doorway. “I sent it. It’s a standard package of information I like to give parents who are worried their little soccer players might get hurt. The articles talk about ways to make playing safe.”

  Mrs. Caler smiled at Amanda. “I was going to tell you that this morning, but you ran out the door so fast I didn’t get a chance.”

  Amanda looked from her mother to the coach to Eddie. “I feel so stupid,” she said.

  “Not as stupid as I feel standing in the door of this rest room,” Coach Bradley said with a laugh. “Which reminds me: Mrs. Caler, there’s a phone call for you. Someone in the stands heard your pocketbook ringing and answered your cell phone.” He handed her the phone.

  Mrs. Caler spoke into it. Then she turned white as a sheet. “It’s Amelia! Someone in ballet class accidentally kicked her in the nose! Amanda, if you’re all right, I really should go be with her.”

  Amanda said with a smile, “Gee, Mom, I thought ballerinas didn’t get bloody noses.”

  Her mother flashed a smile back, then hurried away. The coach followed her, and Eddie turned to leave, too. Amanda stopped her.

  “Eddie, I’m really sorry,” Amanda said. “Can you forgive me?”

  Eddie narrowed her eyes. “On one condition.”

  “Anything,” Amanda said.

  “That next time you’ll talk to me before you jump to conclusions,” Eddie replied. Amanda nodded.

  “And one more thing,” Eddie added.

  “What?”

  “Next time, don’t be afraid to answer my question with the truth.” She slung an arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “And the truth is, I stink at halfback! I hope I never have to sub in for you again!”

  “Don’t worry,” Amanda said, roping her arm around Eddie, “I’ll make sure you don’t have to! Now let’s go win that game!”

  And that’s just what they did.

  SOCCER ’CATS

  #6

  Heads Up

  Matt Christopher

  Illustrated by Daniel Vasconcellos

  Amanda Caler thought getting a nosebleed during a game was bad. But now things have gone from bad to worse—she finds she’s afraid of the ball! And as if that isn’t enough, it looks like someone is trying to steal her spot at halfback. Could one of her teammates really be capable of such a dastardly thing?

  Here is the sixth entry in Matt Christopher’s Soccer ’Cats series, an exciting line of first chapter books perfect for sports fans ready to start reading on their own.

  Matt Christopher is the name behind more than seventy-five bestselling sports novels for young readers. For a list of books in the Soccer ’Cats series, please refer to the last pages of this book.