Read Online Kickoff! by Tiki Barber - Free Book Online

opening spots for new kids.
    â€œJust hang in there, boys,” said Coach Pellugi. “You’ll get your chance to play.” He walked into the office, leaving the group of disappointed boys standing there.
    That was when Jason showed up. “Yo, dudes!” he said, a big smile on his face. “Did you make the starting team?”
    Tiki and Ronde looked down at the floor and shook their heads.
    â€œAw, man . . . Well, don’t take it too hard. Not everybody can be a starter right off the bat.”
    He looked up at the list, checking for his own name. Then he found it. “Third team,” he cried. “No way! No possible way!”
    Jason’s usually pale face got as red as a chili pepper. He slammed his book bag on the ground. The zipper popped open, and all his books scattered across the floor, but he didn’t even bother to pick them up.
    â€œThis stinks so bad!” he said, pounding on the list with his fist. “Man, I am not riding the bench for the whole season, just so I can watch some other kid play quarterback just because he’s an eighth grader!”
    â€œBut Jason,” Tiki began, “you just said we should be patient—”
    â€œYeah, well, I take it all back,” said Jason. “That’s for losers. Not for me.”
    â€œJason, what else can we do but be patient?” Ronde asked. “That’s just the way it is.”
    â€œNot for me it isn’t,” said Jason. “I was the best quarterback at both practices. And don’t give me that ‘Matt Clayton’ baloney. He is still in a cast. I should have been the starter, hands down, and you know it!”
    â€œHey, man, chill out,” Tiki advised him. “Quit making a scene, all right?”
    Teachers were popping their heads out of the office to see what all the commotion was about.
    â€œYou chill out,” Jason said, kicking his book bag one more time before bending down to gather up his stuff. “I’m outta here.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI quit this stupid team,” Jason said, stuffing his books and papers back into his bag any which way. “I’m gonna try out for some other team, where I’ll actually get to play. If you two idiots want to put up with this garbage, go ahead. That’s your problem.”
    He stormed off down the hall, just as the early bell rang, warning everyone that it was time to head to first period classes.
    â€œWhoa,” Ronde said. “I’ve never seen Jason so ticked off.”
    â€œNo lie,” Tiki agreed. “Hey, man—you think he’s right?”
    Ronde shook his head. “I know how he feels, though. I mean, it’s embarrassing—Adam and Paco make the starting team, and we’re all riding the bench?”
    â€œI hear you.” Tiki didn’t know how he was ever going to face Adam and Paco. Even worse, he couldn’t bear the idea of showing up for games just to sit on the bench the whole game.
    Today was already the worst day of his life, Tiki thought. And it was only just beginning!
    His football dreams were ruined. If he and Ronde couldn’t even make second team, let alone first, how were they ever going to make it all the way to the NFL?
    â€œMaybe Jason’s right,” Ronde said. “Maybe we should quit the team. I mean, if we tried out for soccer, or lacrosse or something, we could probably start right away.”
    â€œSoccer? Lacrosse?”
    â€œYeah, man, they’re pretty cool—and not that many kids try out.”
    Tiki shook his head. “Ronde, when we sit around thinking about what we want to do when we grow up, we don’t think about playing pro soccer.”
    Ronde sighed. “No, I guess not.”
    â€œDoes pro lacrosse even exist? I don’t think so.”
    â€œDoubt it.”
    â€œMaybe we should just chill out. Remember what Coach Pellugi said—and Matt Clayton, too. Let’s just