“I don’t care!” Danny contradicted. “Those are our friends down there!”
“Mine too!” Zoe hissed. “We go on three!”
“No, we don’t!” Kevin ordered. “Unless you want something bad to happen to Julian and Roger.”
Zoe glared at him. Oh boy, if looks could kill. Fabio told me the way Zoe looked at Kevin scared even him. “This was your plan!” she said. “They are down there because of you!”
“Exactly, and that’s why I’ll get them out.”
But he didn’t. Not yet. Mickey approached us. He towered over me like a tsunami. My right hand was reaching for the cap in my pocket. That’s where the money was. The money they probably knew was there. Then Darth Vader stopped about two feet away from us and waited for his gang to assemble around him.
“Look what the rats dragged in,” Roger finally said. Oh how I wish he hadn’t said that.
Above them, the Wild Soccer Bunch didn’t flinch. They stayed flat and silent on the roof and waited for a signal from Kevin.
“No, not yet!” he whispered and pointed towards the parking lot where the principal of our school, Mr. Carlson, had just parked. “We jump when he leaves the lot.” Unfortunately, Mr. Carlson wasn’t doing things in our time. In fact, he took his own sweet time. He carefully closed his car door. He straightened his tie. He put his hand to his mouth and smelled his own breath.
The Wild Soccer Bunch waited for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, the principal walked out of the parking lot.
“Now!” Kevin shouted.
With blood-curdling screams, the Wild Soccer Bunch leaped from the rooftop like a waterfall of black ninjas, grabbed the hands of the Unbeatables, and shook them like they were greeting them for the first time. Roger and I were in shock!
“Hey, Octopus, long time no see!” Diego seemed overjoyed. “Where did you get that great tattoo? Or did the spider webs in your brain get scared and crawl out of your ears and onto your forehead?”
“Mickey!” Tyler yelled with his sweetest smile. “How many times do I have to flush before you go away?”
“And Grim-baby, you are still as dumb as a doorknob!” Zoe sung into the Grim Reaper’s ear.
The Unbeatables were completely overwhelmed, but Roger and I were overjoyed. A minute ago they were convinced that Roger and I were easy prey. But then the black ninjas from the sky had fallen into their midst!
Suddenly, Mr. Carlson stood in front of us. He must have heard the commotion and come back. Grey and strict, he riveted us with disapproval over the rim of his frameless glasses. The Grim Reaper barely had enough time to hide his chain down the back of Octopus’ pants.
Silence fell over us all like a blanket of snow.
Only the wind howled. And the wheels in Mickey’s brain turned, trying to understand what had just happened. A fight was out of the question now. Not in front of the principal. Kevin’s plan had worked perfectly. Roger and I were safe, and Mickey the bulldozer had no choice but to thank us for the friendly gesture. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, hard enough to make me cry.
“No worries, we’ll meet again, loser!” he whispered in my ear. “And a good morning to you, Mr. Carlson!” he said loudly.
He grinned as wide as he could, turned around, and stormed off. The other Unbeatables followed him like flies on an unguarded donut.
We wanted to celebrate our triumph, but the principal was still there, fiddling with his glasses, no doubt searching his brain for the right question. “What is the meaning of this, Roger? And Julian Phillips, what business do you have with Mickey?” That’s when Josh, our official superhero, stepped up. He had come straight from home and as soon as he arrived, he picked up Mr. Carlson’s briefcase.
“I’ll carry this for you, sir,” he smiled. “I love carrying briefcases, you know! I think James Bond had one just like this. Very impressive!” he said reassuringly, marching off. It took a second for the principal to pick up on what was happening, then realizing he had no choice, he started to chase after his briefcase, which was already halfway across the lot.
I was joyful! But Roger was furious!
“Dude!” he exclaimed to Kevin. “You cut that really close! Mickey almost ate us alive!”
But Kevin didn’t react. Instead he approached me and put his arm around my shoulder.
“You okay?” he asked seriously.
I swallowed hard.
“Why? What do you mean? Of course I’m okay. I’m fine,” I lied and cursed myself a moment later. Why didn’t I just say something? My friends had just proved they trusted me and that I could trust them. They had risked their lives for me. Why didn’t I return the favor? I didn’t know. All I could think about was the note Mickey had secretly shoved in my hand just before he stormed off.
A Thief in the Devil’s Pit
“No worries, we’ll meet again, loser.” I could still hear the ominous echo of Mickey the bulldozer in my head.
I had locked myself in the boys’ bathroom at school and stared at the piece of paper in my hand. Barely legible, badly spelled handwriting threatened me:
Fear crept down my spine. What should I do? There wouldn’t always be a principal to show up at the right place at the right time to save us from the Unbeatables. And I sure couldn’t drag the Wild Soccer Bunch into this. This had nothing to do with soccer. They had their stadium, their Devil’s Pit, their real life floodlights and they were proud of them all. And tomorrow they’d have their first game. I couldn’t steal this from them.
But at the same time, I felt outside of it all, like I wasn’t a part of the team anymore. I felt outside of everything. I was alone. And all I could think about was my brother. I had to protect him. I had to keep Josh out of this. This was all my fault. I’m the one who went to the Graffiti Towers. I’m the one who made a pact with Mickey the bulldozer. My mom always said I have to keep my promises. Besides, what I was thinking and what I was about to do – maybe this was where I belonged now; maybe I was not being good enough to hang with the Wild Soccer Bunch any more. I went to the Graffiti Towers looking for my father. If he really lived there, then maybe that was where I belonged too.
The first bell rang. Class would start soon. I threw the note into the toilet, flushed it, and then ran out into the hallway as if nothing had happened.
In class I played good old Julian Fort Knox. But in reality I was looking for the slightest chance to escape from this life forever. I was thinking crazy, I knew it, but I didn’t see a way out.
Nothing was easy. When I was a little kid, everything was easy. So when did everything turn so hard? My friends took good care of me, especially Zoe, Tyler, and Fabio. I was never alone, not even for a second, and it was a miracle that I was able to hide my cleats under my desk without them noticing.
The final bell rang so loud in my head, I jumped a mile. Everyone grabbed their bags and ran into the playground. Practice time! This would be our last training at the Devil’s Pit before the big game. The bike racks were crowded when I got there.
“Oh shoot!” I said. “I left my cleats at home!” I said, desperately putting on my best performance.
The others looked at me as if I had left my head at home.
“I know, what a pain,” I said, pretending to be embarrassed. “I’ll just go home and get them. Meet you at the Devil’s Pit in 20 minutes. Promise!”
No one said a word.
“What?” I asked. “You know, I really should go.”
Danny spoke first.
“What’s your shoe size?”
“Who, me?”
“No, the other guy living in your clothes,” said Danny. “Of course you!”
“I wear a 5,” I confessed.
“Good. I have the same size,” Fabio smiled. “And I brought two pairs.”
“Wait, what?” I stammered. “I don’t think I got all of that.”
I stared into their faces, shocked. But they all smiled back at me.
“It’s a no-brainer, Julia
n. You can wear Fabio’s extra pair of shoes,” Zoe explained, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “So, can we go now? Julian, you lead.”
I froze. On the one hand, this was an incredible honor; to lead, I mean! The front of the Wild Soccer Bunch bike caravan was always Zoe’s spot. She was the best biker on the team, after all. She set the pace, and on top of the hill just before the stadium, she signaled the final sprint down the hill. We all knew she’d give up the top spot only if someone beat her … which would only happen if she rode with two broken legs. Even Kevin and Danny, who were our leads in different situations, had never been allowed to ride in the lead. They’d asked, but she had always turned them down, no ifs, ands, or buts.
They complained now, too, but nobody dared to criticize Zoe’s suggestion. As far as bike riding goes, she was top dog.
Without further ado, she shoved me toward my bike. I took the hint and a few seconds later, I raced out onto the street at the front of the Wild Soccer Bunch bike caravan. Honestly, I didn’t feel honored at all. In fact, I felt like a frog under a microscope, with its beating heart on display. I felt X-rayed and gamma rayed. I felt my friends’ eyes burn holes into the back of my head, and I feared they could see the dark secrets of my soul. In other words, I was a total mess. What else is new?
I tromped down on the pedals as if I was chased by wild killer bees. Why did they do this to me? I thought they were my friends, but it was clear that they didn’t trust me any more. They wanted me to ride up front so they could keep an eye on me; they were afraid I was going to run away with the money. Was I being paranoid? No, more like my conscience wouldn’t shut up. Money was the last thing on my mind. I was worried about my brother. How could I protect him? I heard my mom’s voice in my head again, so I raced like crazy up that hill ahead of the Wild Soccer Bunch, because my secrets were making me sick!
I sped up even more. I just wanted to get away from everything. I was ashamed. I was angry with everyone and everything. Not for a second did I consider that my friends wanted to help me. Even the extra pair of cleats was proof of their distrust. They wanted to make sure I didn’t go home. And the way they came to the rescue this morning? Did they really save me from Mickey? No! Oh no! You don’t believe that, do you? No, they just wanted to make sure he didn’t get our money. I mean their money. My anger grew. I pedaled even faster, and when I reached the top of the hill overlooking the stadium, I yelled as loud as I could:
“Sprint!”
The wooden fence around our soccer field shot towards me. Zoe and Tyler were in hot pursuit on my right and on my left. But they couldn’t pass me. I was too fast. I pulled both brakes so I wouldn’t crash into the fence. Dust whirled around me and engulfed me, pebbles flew through the air, my bike reared, and I did a 180. Then I just stood there, waiting until a nanosecond later. Zoe’s and Tyler’s bikes reared like ponies and came to a halt right next to me.
They looked at me and didn’t say a word until the rest of the Wild Soccer Bunch stopped their bikes next to us. Then Zoe whistled through her teeth and Tyler murmured: “Wow!”
“That was really wild!” Danny whispered and Tyler looked at me. “Nobody’s ever done that before.”
“Outstanding, dude, you beat Zoe!” Roger shouted. I couldn’t believe it.
Zoe nodded respectfully at me. She was too exhausted to do anything else. Tyler was just as exhausted. “Julian, that was a monumental sprint! All the way from school to the Devil’s Pit. Nobody has ever done that before.”
I grinned. Maybe life wasn’t so bad after all.
“Is that true?” I could barely believe it.
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Zoe laughed at me. “But it’s a loss I’m willing to take because I have never seen anybody ride that fast before.”
I blushed. My face was like a lighthouse in the fog, but I didn’t care. None of my friends seemed to care either, and together we pushed our bikes into the Devil’s Pit, the one and only stadium the Wild Soccer Bunch ever wants to play in.
Larry was waiting for us, and our joyous mood was contagious. Usually cranky and with a face as withered as his jacket, he greeted us with a suggestion that never ever had crossed his mind before, let alone his lips: “Let’s just scrimmage today!” he shouted and kicked the ball in the air. “Defenders against forwards! Julian, Alexander, Tyler, Josh, Kyle, and Zoe play Joey, Kevin, Danny, Diego, Fabio, and Roger.”
No one moved. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“What are you waiting for?”
What were we waiting for? Absolutely nothing!
We dropped our bikes to the ground, piled our pants, jackets, shoes, and sweaters into the mix and minutes later, we stood on the field in full uniform. Except me. I wore my street pants, obviously. The Larry birthday present money bank vault was staying with me.
Then we started the game.
Diego just tipped the ball and Kevin stopped it. I thought he’d play it back to Fabio who on his turn would send Danny, our fastest mid-fielder dangerously close to our goal. So I ran towards Danny to cover him, and Tyler ran past Kevin to stop Fabio’s pass. But Tyler walked into nothing. The pass never happened. Kevin hadn’t even stopped the ball. He just caressed the ball with the tip of his cleats, and then he accelerated.
Kevin was fast, and before Tyler realized what his brother was planning, Kevin had passed Zoe. Alex, too, slid into nothing as Kevin slalom-dribbled past him. I had no choice but to run back into the penalty area.
Fire on my heels, I raced over the field. Could I prevent the goal? Kyle the invincible came too far out of the goal and threw himself into Kevin. But Kevin just lifted the ball over Kyle’s fists, jumped over him, and won it back. I knew we were doomed. Kevin could score easily, but for whatever reason, decided not to kick the ball into the empty goal where Josh was on guard like a furious watchdog, covering for our missing goalie. This gave me time to approach from the right. Kevin glared at me, but didn’t hesitate a second, not even for one-hundredth of a heartbeat.
He prepared the very best lightning passes; everyone knew that. And that’s why he heeled the ball back and to the left, because he knew where every one of his teammates were by pure instinct. Joey, who was always behind him and slightly to the left, intercepted the perfect pass, moved the ball to the left, and was about to shoot off toward the goal.
But not so fast! I, Julian Fort Knox, the all-in-one defender, made a clean and perfect slide towards Joey’s legs and made it impossible for him to shoot. But he was quick enough to release the ball to Fabio, who was trying to steal it. Fabio didn’t like things easy, and a direct shot to the goal was too easy. He stopped the ball first with his chest and lifted it above his head with his knee. He was about to bid the ball farewell and send it into the net, when I crashed his party. The all-in-one defender stole the ball from his shoe, played around Danny, forced the ball forward a few more feet, and then passed a deadly shot to Tyler. He was lurking at the halfway line, took off with the ball, and no matter how much Kevin, Fabio, Joey, and Danny yelled, they couldn’t catch him. All our hopes rested on Diego and Roger. They were in Tyler’s way. But Zoe came from the left. Since her birthday tournament, she and Tyler were a team as if they were born to play together.
Without any trouble, Tyler passed the ball to her. She passed back to him and they continued passing to each other four times while Diego and Roger practiced zigzagging after the two of them. Finally, Zoe, who got the last pass from Tyler, just hit the ball hard from close range and the ball slammed into the far corner of the net!
Oh, I will tell you, life was beautiful! The Graffiti Towers and Mickey the bulldozer had ceased to exist. All that mattered was the Devil’s Pit, my friends, the Wild Soccer Bunch, and tomorrow’s game.
After practice, we gathered at the kiosk for our ritual lemonade. Danny whispered into my ear: “Tonight, midnight, surprise birthday party for Larry.”
For a split second I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Pass
it on!” he whispered again.
That’s when I woke up and reality hit me like a sledgehammer: Larry’s birthday present; the second-hand shop we’d go to in a few minutes; the money in my pants that would be gone forever. There were no easy-popping balloons after all; no, the Unbeatables were real. Mickey’s bullying words burned into me and I could see his note even though I had flushed it down the toilet back at school. Who would protect Josh? Only the money could save him and I was his big brother and I couldn’t let anything happen to him. I couldn’t let them spend the money. I had to prevent the trip to the store at any cost.
“Come on, pass it on!” Danny hissed again, but instead of passing it on, I jumped up, ran to my bike, and raced off.
Danny looked at Tyler and Tyler looked at Zoe. She looked at Kevin and he nodded.
“Yes, but don’t go too fast!” he said. “If he sees you, it’s all over.”
Larry raised an eyebrow. He had no clue what they were talking about. After all, he knew nothing about Mickey the bulldozer or the birthday money in my pocket. But Larry never treated us like children. He understood that we had to solve some of our problems ourselves, and this seemed to be one of them. He respected that. And so he just watched as Zoe took off, following me. Even if Larry had known what lay ahead, he would never stop us.
The Worst Day of My Life
Nice chapter title, right? Well, it’s true.
Larry wouldn’t have stopped us, but I wanted him to. I wanted Larry to step in and stop what was about to happen. And I’m asking each and every one of you for your forgiveness. Those of you who followed my request and swore the oath. Those of you who bookmarked the page with the oath. I’m sorry to each and every one of you who trusted me. You trusted me even though you didn’t even know me and even though you didn’t know my father. You trusted me because you know that I am one of the Wild Soccer Bunch.
There you have it, in writing. Honestly, I don’t deserve to be one of the Wild Soccer Bunch. Go on! Close the book, flatten the bookmark, and give this book away as a present to your worst enemy. A book that teaches you how to let down your friends is only good for one thing. Enemies.
Julian the Mighty Page 5