Read Online The Contract by Derek Jeter, Paul Mantell - Free Book Online

of Scrabble tiles to replace the ones he’d just laid out.
    â€œYour turn,” Derek said. He reached up to massage his left arm, which was still throbbing from the fastball that had hit it that afternoon.
    â€œDid you ice that down?” his dad asked him.
    â€œNah, I’m all right.”
    â€œYou sure? Ice is good for swelling. You might want to try it.”
    â€œMaybe later.”
    â€œOkay . . .” Mr. Jeter studied his rack of tiles, then laid them out one by one in front of the word Derek had just made. “ I-N-V-E-S-T-I-GATE . ‘Investigate.’ Let’s see. That’s fifty points for using all seven letters . . . plus two double letter scores . . .”
    â€œDad,” Derek moaned.
    â€œHey, it’s not my fault I had such good letters,” said Mr. Jeter, raising his arms in a gesture of helplessness.
    â€œTwo I s and a V are not good letters!” Derek pointed out, getting up from the table.
    â€œHey, where are you going?” his dad called after him as Derek left the living room for the kitchen.
    â€œI’m going to get some ice!”
    He made himself an ice pack and wrapped it around his left arm.
    Though he had never come within thirty points of his dad, he still believed he could beat him if he just kept at it. Besides, as his father often pointed out, playing Scrabble certainly helped Derek’s English grades. He’d been acing vocabulary and spelling tests ever since they’d started playing, back when Derek was in second grade.
    He went into the living room and sat back down.
    â€œSee?” his dad said, smiling. “I told you ice would make it feel better.”
    â€œI guess.” Derek sighed deeply. “I just don’t feel like playing anymore, Dad.”
    â€œWhat’s the matter? Too much losing for one day?”
    Derek could tell his dad was just teasing him, and usually Derek took it very well, giving back as good as he got. Today, though, he just wasn’t in the mood.
    â€œIt’s just not fair.”
    â€œWell, hey, I understand you’re frustrated. So here’s the way to get to where you can win.” He lifted up the thick, heavy dictionary that lay on the nearby end table and handed it to Derek. “Just start with the letter A and keep reading.”
    â€œDad, it’s not about Scrabble .”
    â€œOkay. You want to talk about it?”
    â€œI hate being on a team where I don’t get a chance to play shortstop!”
    â€œOh, so that’s it. I had a feeling.” Mr. Jeter took off his glasses. “You probably would make a better fit at shortstop than the coach’s son. But that’s how things sometimes go down in life. If you’re going to make it all the way to the major leagues, you’re going to have to accept some things not going your way.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œDerek, I know it’s not fair. But you’ve got to accept that it’s the coach’s decision . You may not like it, but you’ve got to abide by it, and respect it. Even if he’s doing it to keep peace at home.”
    â€œThen why aren’t you the coach?”
    Derek could feel a stinging sensation as his eyes welled up with tears. He turned and ran straight upstairs to his room, without waiting for an answer. He threw himself facedown on his bed, feeling horrible.
    He knew what came next, too. His dad would be coming up the stairs any minute.
    But instead of his dad’s footsteps, he heard the front door open downstairs and his mother’s cheerful voice. His father’s reply was muffled, and Derek couldn’t make any of it out, but right away his mom’s voice got less cheerful, softer, more concerned.
    When Derek finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs, they were his mom’s, not his dad’s. “You want to tell me about it?” she asked, standing in the doorway.
    â€œNot really,” said Derek, staring at the