Read Online T.J. and the Hat-trick by Theo Walcott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Theo Walcott
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a flash, running straight at Jamie.
‘You can do it, Jamie,’ TJ shouted.
Krissy laughed. ‘Just you try, fat boy,’ she said and she ran straight past him. But Jamie was angry. He wasn’t going to let her get away with calling him names. And anyway, he wasn’t fat. He moved fast. His right leg snaked out and blocked the ball as solidly as a tree trunk. Krissy went tumbling to the ground and Jamie cleared the ball to Rodrigo as the crowd cheered.
Then the whistle blew. ‘Foul,’ Mrs Singh pronounced. ‘Free kick to Hillside.’
TJ wasn’t sure if he should get the others to make a wall, but anyway, it was too late. Krissy smashed the ball towards TJ’s goal and he flung himself into the air in a desperate attempt to stop it. He felt something sting his fingertips and heard a crash as the ball thudded into the crossbar, then he was rolling on the ground. He heard Rob’s voice yelling, ‘Great save, TJ,’ and started to pull himself to his feet. Danny got his head to the ball and it flew straight up into the air. Everyone was yelling.
‘Clear it, Jamie,’ TJ yelled. ‘Anywhere!’
Jamie swung his boot. TJ realized, too late, what was going to happen, and he could only stand and watch as the ball cannoned off Jamie’s shin, and into the net. Jamie put his head in his hands.
‘Idiot!’ hissed Danny.
‘You shut up,’ said Tulsi. ‘It wasn’t his fault. If you’d been working harder it wouldn’t have happened.’
‘Come on,’ Rafi said, grabbing the ball. ‘We can still beat them.’
But by half time even Rafi had stopped believing. TJ had watched two more unstoppable shots fly past him, and even Tommy and Rodrigo had stopped smiling. Mr Wood called them together. ‘You started off really well,’ he said. ‘That was very bad luck, that own goal, and it’s wrecked your confidence.’
He glanced up and they saw Mr Burrows and Mrs Logan approaching. ‘It’s a shame,’ Mr Burrows told them. ‘You were doing jolly well too. I really thought something good was going to happen for once.’
‘Well, you know, Mr Burrows,’ Mrs Logan said to him as they walked away again, ‘perhaps something good
will
happen. Perhaps we shall get back to basics. Reading , writing, arithmetic . . .’
‘Or perhaps we can beat them,’ Mr Wood said, turning back to the team. ‘TJ, I’d like you to come out of goal and play up front. Danny, you go in goal and Tommy can be a defender. How about it, everyone?’
C HAPTER 19
THERE WAS A chorus of protest, and Danny’s voice was loudest of all. ‘Why me?’ he said. ‘I don’t even
like
being in goal.’
‘TJ’s never played except in goal,’ Tulsi said doubtfully.
‘Yeah,’ said Rafi. ‘We don’t actually know if he’s any good.’
But Rodrigo was grinning. ‘TJ,’ he said. ‘Mr Burrows. Bam!’ He punched the air in front of him.’
‘See?’ said Mr Wood. ‘Rodrigo understands. TJ knocked over a head teacher from twenty-five metres! We’re three–nil down and we have to change something. OK, everyone? OK, TJ?’
TJ nodded. He peeled off the gloves and handed them to Danny.
‘Go on, Danny,’ Mr Wood said. ‘It’s for the team.’
‘It’s for TJ, more like,’ grumbled Danny as he pulled the gloves on. ‘You’d better be good,’ he said to TJ.
They walked out onto the pitch. TJ’s legs felt like jelly.
‘He’s your goalie,’ Krissy said to Tulsi. ‘Are you desperate, or what?’
‘You’ll see,’ Tulsi said.
‘Hey, TJ, you’re on the pitch!’ TJ looked round and saw his whole family standing on the touchline close by. ‘And about time too,’ said Joey. ‘You show them, little brother!’
TJ didn’t
feel
as if he was going to show anyone anything, except, maybe, how bad he was. He watched as Hillside kicked off and the ball zipped around the pitch from player to player. The little bunch of Hillside supporters began to shout ‘
Olé
’ with every pass, and TJ began to think he wasn’t even going to
‘You can do it, Jamie,’ TJ shouted.
Krissy laughed. ‘Just you try, fat boy,’ she said and she ran straight past him. But Jamie was angry. He wasn’t going to let her get away with calling him names. And anyway, he wasn’t fat. He moved fast. His right leg snaked out and blocked the ball as solidly as a tree trunk. Krissy went tumbling to the ground and Jamie cleared the ball to Rodrigo as the crowd cheered.
Then the whistle blew. ‘Foul,’ Mrs Singh pronounced. ‘Free kick to Hillside.’
TJ wasn’t sure if he should get the others to make a wall, but anyway, it was too late. Krissy smashed the ball towards TJ’s goal and he flung himself into the air in a desperate attempt to stop it. He felt something sting his fingertips and heard a crash as the ball thudded into the crossbar, then he was rolling on the ground. He heard Rob’s voice yelling, ‘Great save, TJ,’ and started to pull himself to his feet. Danny got his head to the ball and it flew straight up into the air. Everyone was yelling.
‘Clear it, Jamie,’ TJ yelled. ‘Anywhere!’
Jamie swung his boot. TJ realized, too late, what was going to happen, and he could only stand and watch as the ball cannoned off Jamie’s shin, and into the net. Jamie put his head in his hands.
‘Idiot!’ hissed Danny.
‘You shut up,’ said Tulsi. ‘It wasn’t his fault. If you’d been working harder it wouldn’t have happened.’
‘Come on,’ Rafi said, grabbing the ball. ‘We can still beat them.’
But by half time even Rafi had stopped believing. TJ had watched two more unstoppable shots fly past him, and even Tommy and Rodrigo had stopped smiling. Mr Wood called them together. ‘You started off really well,’ he said. ‘That was very bad luck, that own goal, and it’s wrecked your confidence.’
He glanced up and they saw Mr Burrows and Mrs Logan approaching. ‘It’s a shame,’ Mr Burrows told them. ‘You were doing jolly well too. I really thought something good was going to happen for once.’
‘Well, you know, Mr Burrows,’ Mrs Logan said to him as they walked away again, ‘perhaps something good
will
happen. Perhaps we shall get back to basics. Reading , writing, arithmetic . . .’
‘Or perhaps we can beat them,’ Mr Wood said, turning back to the team. ‘TJ, I’d like you to come out of goal and play up front. Danny, you go in goal and Tommy can be a defender. How about it, everyone?’
C HAPTER 19
THERE WAS A chorus of protest, and Danny’s voice was loudest of all. ‘Why me?’ he said. ‘I don’t even
like
being in goal.’
‘TJ’s never played except in goal,’ Tulsi said doubtfully.
‘Yeah,’ said Rafi. ‘We don’t actually know if he’s any good.’
But Rodrigo was grinning. ‘TJ,’ he said. ‘Mr Burrows. Bam!’ He punched the air in front of him.’
‘See?’ said Mr Wood. ‘Rodrigo understands. TJ knocked over a head teacher from twenty-five metres! We’re three–nil down and we have to change something. OK, everyone? OK, TJ?’
TJ nodded. He peeled off the gloves and handed them to Danny.
‘Go on, Danny,’ Mr Wood said. ‘It’s for the team.’
‘It’s for TJ, more like,’ grumbled Danny as he pulled the gloves on. ‘You’d better be good,’ he said to TJ.
They walked out onto the pitch. TJ’s legs felt like jelly.
‘He’s your goalie,’ Krissy said to Tulsi. ‘Are you desperate, or what?’
‘You’ll see,’ Tulsi said.
‘Hey, TJ, you’re on the pitch!’ TJ looked round and saw his whole family standing on the touchline close by. ‘And about time too,’ said Joey. ‘You show them, little brother!’
TJ didn’t
feel
as if he was going to show anyone anything, except, maybe, how bad he was. He watched as Hillside kicked off and the ball zipped around the pitch from player to player. The little bunch of Hillside supporters began to shout ‘
Olé
’ with every pass, and TJ began to think he wasn’t even going to
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