Read Online Boys Against Girls by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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them.
But they clearly needed basemen. Jake and Josh looked at each other. Then Jake gave a sly grin, as though it were all a joke.
“Sure¡ Let ‘em be our basemen¡ Why not?” he said, tongue in cheek,Eddie walked over to first and said she'd cover right field. Caroline took second and center field, and Beth took third and covered left field. Peter moved up to shortstop.
Josh took another turn at bat and made a home run while Caroline was running after the ball.
Jake and Josh exchanged places, and Jake made it to second while Peter fumbled the ball.
Wally took his place at bat, while Josh pitched, and made it to first.
Without any teams or any lineup the boys kept batting and running, until finally Peter sat down on the ground and said he was tired of the game.
“Well, see you later,” Jake said to the girls as he gathered up his bat and ball.
“What do you mean?” said Eddie. “Aren't you going to field for us? Don't we get some batting practice?”
“Time for dinner,” Josh said, and the boys all laughed.
“Why, those rotten rats!” said Beth. “We ran our legs off out here and they're not even going to give you a chance, Eddie!”
Eddie glared after them. “I'm going to make that team, don't think I won't,” she said.
•
There was a football game that weekend, Buck-man versus Salem. Caroline and her sisters and their mother went as usual, and sat in some of the best seats on the fifty-yard line. Caroline knew all the Buckman College cheers by heart, so that if she didn't succeed as an actress when she was grown, she might be a professional cheerleader instead. The problem was that she got so caught up in the cheers that she shouted them louder than anyone else, and sometimes even sprang to her feet, fists in the air, when the cheerleaders did their final handsprings at the end.
Two bits, four bits,
Six bits, a dollar;
All for Buckman
Stand up and holler.
Yeaaah, team).
Or:
What do we want?
Touchdown¡
When do we want it?
Now¡
To which Caroline leapt to her feet, and added:
What do we do to Salem?
Biff¡ Bam¡ Pow¡
“Caroline, for goodness’ sake, sit down,” said Mother, yanking her arm. “Must you act like a pagan?”
A pagan? Caroline instantly fell in love with the word. A pagan to her meant a wild, mysterious woman with a primitive soul, sort of a female abaguchie. Or maybe a princess. A pagan princess, worshiping the sun, who had to escape because she was going to be sacrificed to the deity to make crops grow or something.
She got so wrapped up in her fantasy that when she saw a player intercept the ball and make a touchdown, she cheered before she realized it was the opposing team.
“That does it, I'm going for a Coke,” said Eddie. “I'm too embarrassed to sit on the same bench with her.” She made her way past a row of knees, little white clouds of breath coming out of people's mouths, Beth behind her, and Caroline bringing up the rear.
“Not you, Caroline!” Eddie said, when she saw her sister following along.
“I won't cheer, I promise,” Caroline said.
They went down to the concession stand and bought Cokes, and as they were standing in the milling crowd, sloshing the ice around in the tall paper cups, Beth gave Caroline a nudge.
“Look.”
Caroline turned and, on down the fence, saw Jake and Wally hanging over the top, watching the game. And then, as the girls stared, Jake's and Wally's heads disappeared, and Peter's and Josh's appeared in their place.
“You know what they're doing?” Beth cried delightedly. “They're taking turns standing on each other's shoulders and watching from over the fence.”
“Definitely illegal,” said Eddie.
Caroline sloshed the ice some more. “So what if we sneaked up behind them and dumped our ice down the necks of the guys on the bottom?”
“Perfect!” giggled Beth.
They went out the gate and made their way around to where the boys were standing, just as Beth said, on each other's shoulders. Peter and
But they clearly needed basemen. Jake and Josh looked at each other. Then Jake gave a sly grin, as though it were all a joke.
“Sure¡ Let ‘em be our basemen¡ Why not?” he said, tongue in cheek,Eddie walked over to first and said she'd cover right field. Caroline took second and center field, and Beth took third and covered left field. Peter moved up to shortstop.
Josh took another turn at bat and made a home run while Caroline was running after the ball.
Jake and Josh exchanged places, and Jake made it to second while Peter fumbled the ball.
Wally took his place at bat, while Josh pitched, and made it to first.
Without any teams or any lineup the boys kept batting and running, until finally Peter sat down on the ground and said he was tired of the game.
“Well, see you later,” Jake said to the girls as he gathered up his bat and ball.
“What do you mean?” said Eddie. “Aren't you going to field for us? Don't we get some batting practice?”
“Time for dinner,” Josh said, and the boys all laughed.
“Why, those rotten rats!” said Beth. “We ran our legs off out here and they're not even going to give you a chance, Eddie!”
Eddie glared after them. “I'm going to make that team, don't think I won't,” she said.
•
There was a football game that weekend, Buck-man versus Salem. Caroline and her sisters and their mother went as usual, and sat in some of the best seats on the fifty-yard line. Caroline knew all the Buckman College cheers by heart, so that if she didn't succeed as an actress when she was grown, she might be a professional cheerleader instead. The problem was that she got so caught up in the cheers that she shouted them louder than anyone else, and sometimes even sprang to her feet, fists in the air, when the cheerleaders did their final handsprings at the end.
Two bits, four bits,
Six bits, a dollar;
All for Buckman
Stand up and holler.
Yeaaah, team).
Or:
What do we want?
Touchdown¡
When do we want it?
Now¡
To which Caroline leapt to her feet, and added:
What do we do to Salem?
Biff¡ Bam¡ Pow¡
“Caroline, for goodness’ sake, sit down,” said Mother, yanking her arm. “Must you act like a pagan?”
A pagan? Caroline instantly fell in love with the word. A pagan to her meant a wild, mysterious woman with a primitive soul, sort of a female abaguchie. Or maybe a princess. A pagan princess, worshiping the sun, who had to escape because she was going to be sacrificed to the deity to make crops grow or something.
She got so wrapped up in her fantasy that when she saw a player intercept the ball and make a touchdown, she cheered before she realized it was the opposing team.
“That does it, I'm going for a Coke,” said Eddie. “I'm too embarrassed to sit on the same bench with her.” She made her way past a row of knees, little white clouds of breath coming out of people's mouths, Beth behind her, and Caroline bringing up the rear.
“Not you, Caroline!” Eddie said, when she saw her sister following along.
“I won't cheer, I promise,” Caroline said.
They went down to the concession stand and bought Cokes, and as they were standing in the milling crowd, sloshing the ice around in the tall paper cups, Beth gave Caroline a nudge.
“Look.”
Caroline turned and, on down the fence, saw Jake and Wally hanging over the top, watching the game. And then, as the girls stared, Jake's and Wally's heads disappeared, and Peter's and Josh's appeared in their place.
“You know what they're doing?” Beth cried delightedly. “They're taking turns standing on each other's shoulders and watching from over the fence.”
“Definitely illegal,” said Eddie.
Caroline sloshed the ice some more. “So what if we sneaked up behind them and dumped our ice down the necks of the guys on the bottom?”
“Perfect!” giggled Beth.
They went out the gate and made their way around to where the boys were standing, just as Beth said, on each other's shoulders. Peter and
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