Cody and the Heart of a Champion

by Tricia Springstubb

  Their coach explained that the tournament would be a new and challenging experience. They’d learn more about teamwork. And stamina, which meant never giving up. A tournament was the chance to play many different teams.

  “If we don’t get eliminated.” Madison made eyes of darkness.

  “All together,” said their coach.

  “WE, NOT ME!”

  On the way home, the twins were asleep. Cody leaned toward the front seat.

  “Madison is bossy,” she whispered.

  Pearl never called names. She bit her lip. Her forehead wrinkled.

  “I wouldn’t use that word.”

  “I would,” said Cody. “Bossy bossy.”

  “She doesn’t mean to be. She just wants us all to be the best we can.”

  “Bossy.”

  “She really, really wants us to win the tournament.”

  “Winning isn’t the most important thing,” said Pearl’s mother. “You both know that, don’t you?”

  “We know,” Cody and Pearl sang in chorus.

  Cody leaned back. She slid down between the twins. They sucked their thumbs. They made contented, snuffling sounds. Peaceful, not a care in the world — that was the life of a baby. If you were a baby, you didn’t worry if your friend still liked you. You didn’t even know what a friend was. Or soccer. Or winning and losing. You just expected everybody to love you, and they did.

  Cody stared at her orange, zebra-striped feet. She tried to remember being a baby. Very quietly she said, “Goo goo. Gaa gaa.”

  “No baby talk,” said Pearl without turning around. “We speak to the twins in full sentences.”

  Thus ended that conversation.

  Cody sat on her bed and tried to re-mend her jacket.

  If you think poking bendy thread through a practically invisible hole is easy, you probably never tried it.

  Gremlin watched with eyes of encouragement. At last, Cody threaded the needle. She started to stitch.

  Something you should know about thread: it loves to tangle up in knots.

  Gremlin was always proud of Cody. But tonight, he looked worried. Like maybe, possibly, the hole was still there. Only now it looked even worse.

  “Grr.” Cody threw the jacket down. She stared at the tree out her window. A little bird flew up and sat on a branch. A bread crust was in its beak.

  “Hey!” said Cody. “That was supposed to be for the ants.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Wyatt stuck his head into the room.

  “A robber.”

  Wyatt picked up her jacket and shook his head. He sat down, snipped away the tangled mess she’d made, and began to stitch.

  “I didn’t know you could sew!”

  “I’m going to be a brain surgeon, remember? I’ll do a lot of sewing.”

  Sticking a needle into a brain! Cody and Gremlin fell over in a greenish faint.

  “I hope you know this is futile,” said Wyatt.

  “Uh-huh.” Futile must mean “hard but worth it.” Cody watched her big brother sew. What would she do without him? “Wyatt? Remember when I wasn’t born yet? I bet you were so miserable and lonesome, right?”

  Stitch-stitch.

  “I bet every time you got to make a wish, you wished for me. On every star and every candle. Right?”

  Stitch-stitch.

  “Right?”

  “Actually I wished for a Jack Russell terrier. But Mom and Dad said I was allergic, so they had to get a baby instead.”

  Wyatt held up her jacket. The hole had vanished! Cody threw her arms around her big brother.

  “You’re a genius!” she said.

  Houdini headlock time.

  Bidda-la-beep! Wyatt released Cody and looked at his phone.

  “Payton’s coming over to do homework,” he said.

  Cody followed him down the hall. He took off his T-shirt. He put on his collar shirt and buttoned it up. His eyes bulged.

  “You know that monster Big Hands? It’s like he’s got me by the throat.” He shook his head. His hair didn’t move. “Don’t ask me how people wear ties.”

  Cody wrapped her hands around her neck and did the Frozen Scream. Wyatt laughed and did it, too.

  “Tell P.U. you like T-shirts better,” said Cody.

  “I can’t. She’s my girlfriend.”

  “Do you tell her what to wear?”

  “Are you insane?”

  “When you’re on a team, it’s supposed to be we, not me.”

  Wyatt looked at her.

  “Huh,” he said. “Sometimes you’re almost as good as a Jack Russell terrier.” He scratched her behind

  the ear.

  On Sunday afternoon, Cody walked to Spencer’s house. She couldn’t wait to work on the museum. She wanted to make a café. And a gift shop. Those were two of her favorite parts of museums.

  As she walked, she took big lungfuls of air. It tasted cool and fresh as peppermint candy. Those yellow flowers shaped like trumpets were everywhere. Make way for the kingdom of spring! they trumpeted.

  If only she could stop worrying about the tournament. It was next weekend. The soccer table talked about it nonstop. Pearl had chewed up all her erasers. Mom was taking Saturday off. Dad was coming, too. Even Wyatt said he’d be there.

  Winning is not the most important thing, she told herself.

  Oh, yes, it is, argued a voice inside her.

  Not.

  Is.

  Not.

  Is.

  The tournament was giving Cody the whim-whams. She tried not to think about it.

  In this life, trying not to do something can be harder than doing it.

  When GG answered the door, she was holding a wooden spoon.

  “Just in time for soup!” she said.

  GG was playing Cody’s favorite Jackson Five album. They moonwalked down the hall to the kitchen, where a big pot simmered on the stove.

  “It’s my own recipe,” she said. “I call it Bundle of Joy soup. I’m trying to tempt Spencer’s mama’s appetite.”

  GG gave Cody a taste. A little more salt, they decided.

  “Where’s Spencer?” asked Cody.

  “He and his parents went to look at a house.”

  That didn’t sound very interesting.

  “They should be back before too long,” said GG. “How about some tai chi?”

  GG turned off the Jackson Five and put on her peaceful, wobbly-flute music. They breathed deeply. Slowly and gracefully, they raised their arms.

  Whoosh. A stack of papers slid to the floor.

  They tried again. Slowly and gracefully, they raised their knees.

  Clunk. Cody knocked over Mr. Pickett’s golf clubs.

  “It’s hard to go with the flow when you can hardly turn around.” GG sighed.

  “Where are you going to fit the baby?” Cody asked. “And all the diapers?”

  “Pumpkin, if we added a baby to this house, it might explode.”

  If they added a baby? Cody picked up MewMew. She rubbed the spot that switched on her purring motor.

  “I’m going to miss them like crazy cakes.” GG sighed again. “But they’re right. It’s time to get their own place.”

  Wait. Cody stopped MewMew’s head rub. It was possible she stopped breathing, too.

  “Their own place?” she repeated. “What do you mean?”

  GG’s eyebrows did a backbend.

  “Didn’t Spencer tell you? He and his parents are going to move.”

  Cody tried to shake her head, but it was frozen on her neck.

  “They’ve been looking at houses every Sunday. They want to be in their own place before the baby comes.”

  MewMew batted Cody’s hand with her paw. This was cat for “More head rubbing, please.” But Cody’s hand was frozen solid, too.

  “The real-estate agent has been taking them all over. It’s not easy to find the right place.”

  Cody had turned into an alien on the Ice Planet.

  “Oh, pumpkin.” GG made a face
of I’m-so-sorry. “Spencer should have told you himself.”

  GG was a world champion hugger. But even she could not unfreeze Cody.

  “Don’t you worry,” GG said. “You two are friends for life. Nothing can change that.”

  A friend for life would have told her he had to move. He would have asked her to make a plan. Together, they would have figured out something. Maybe they could build a new room onto GG’s house. Or keep the baby in the museum. Or maybe Cody’s parents would let Spencer come live with her. Or . . . something.

  But did he tell her? No. He kept it a secret. Maybe he was going to move away without a word. In the middle of the night. Without a trace.

  Just like the ants. Her other ex-friends.

  Cody set MewMew down. GG tried to get her to eat some Bundle of Joy soup, but Cody said no, thank you. She pulled on her apple-red jacket.

  In the backyard, Maxie was waving her pom-poms. Molly was trying to rip a tree out of the ground.

  “I’m stretching,” she said.

  “Give me a K!” Maxie yelled. “Give me a O. Give me a D. Give me a E. What do you got? Cody!”

  Molly released the poor tree. “Want to come for a run with me?”

  Run? Cody could barely walk. She was like a clump of old leaves, heavy and soggy.

  “Just around the block,” said Molly. “But first, a word of advice. Don’t try to keep up with me. You’ll only collapse in agony.”

  Cody took off her apple-red jacket. She folded it carefully and set it on the back steps.

  They started down the sidewalk. Molly was fast, but not too fast. Cody’s shoes hit the sidewalk. Running was so easy, compared to soccer. No balls. No rules. No win and lose. Just your feet, thud-thud. And your heart, thump-thump.

  They ran all the way around the block. As they passed the house, Maxie shook her pom-poms.

  “Stomp!” She stomped. “Scream.” She screamed. “For the Molly and Cody team!”

  The spring breeze tickled. The bright sun smiled. A cloud shaped like a Hercules beetle floated overhead. Cody’s heart thump-thumped. Her legs grew lighter.

  Back around the corner. Cody could see Maxie trying a cartwheel and falling on her bungie.

  She could see the big car pulling into the driveway.

  And the Picketts climbing out.

  And Mr. Pickett shaking a lady’s hand.

  And Mrs. Pickett giving Spencer a big, happy hug.

  Cody turned and began running in the opposite direction.

  “Where are you going?” called Molly, but Cody didn’t stop.

  At home, she lay on her belly beside the deserted ant colony.

  Then she lay on her back and looked up at the empty sky.

  Belly, back. Belly, back.

  “Cody!” called Dad. “Phone for you.”

  Cody jumped up. When Spencer said he was sorry, she’d tell him how he hurt her feelings. When he said sorry again, she’d tell him this wasn’t how friends behaved. When he said sorry again, she’d say okay. They would make up. And make a plan so he would not have to move.

  “Hello?”

  “You need to wear red and black tomorrow.”

  Pearl.

  “We’re wearing team colors all week,” she said. “Because of the tournament.”

  Cody leaned against the wall. She slid down to the floor.

  “Cody? Are you there?”

  Cody nodded. “I mean, yes.”

  “Madison says it will bring us luck.”

  “You are under her spell.”

  Pearl went silent.

  So did Cody.

  It turned into a war of silence. Who would speak first?

  Finally, Cody surrendered.

  “I know a new cheer,” she said. “Stomp. Scream. For the world’s best soccer team.”

  “Red and black. Madison says if we forget, we’ll be in a world of trouble.”

  “That big boss.”

  “Good-bye.”

  Cody waited all night for the phone to ring again. But the only person who called was a man who wanted to know if they had a dry basement.

  Before bed, Cody laid out a pair of black pants. She could wear them with her apple-red jacket.

  Oh, no. Her jacket! She’d left it on the back steps! There was no telling what those Meens would do with it. Mr. Meen might use it to clean dead bugs

  off his steel-toed boot. Molly might make it into a pirate flag.

  No jacket.

  No Spencer.

  No Pearl.

  No ants.

  A world of trouble. That’s where she lived right now.

  Cody didn’t mean to be a traitor. But the next morning, she had no choice. She had to wear her new reversible jacket. She chose midnight-blue-cat-side out.

  She just couldn’t help it.

  Spencer waited on the corner. Cody’s insides were a teeter-totter. Up, she was happy as ever to see him. Down, she would never forgive him. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up . . .

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she burst out. “Some friend you are!”

  Spencer’s face squished up. For a second, Cody was sure he would cry. Oh! She hated when someone cried. Especially when that someone used to be her best friend for life.

  Spencer tugged his woolly hat. He crossed his arms. His face un-squished.

  “I’m walking to school by myself,” he said, and marched away.

  Cody could not believe it. She ran after him.

  “You’re not allowed! We have to stay together at all times. That’s a Non-Negotiable rule.”

  Spencer kept marching.

  “Fine! Go ahead! I don’t care! Look at me. La, la, la! Do I look like I care?”

  March-march.

  Cody’s fingers itched to pull that dumb winter hat right off his head and . . . oops!

  Spencer spun around. “Give me back my hat.”

  “Here. And for your information, winter is over!”

  March-march.

  “It’s spring!” she said to his back. “Wearing a winter hat is dumb.”

  “Dumb is not a nice word.”

  “Dumb dumb dumb!”

  He kept right on marching, across the playground and to the school door, where he stood with his arms folded.

  “You are not wearing team colors.”

  Cody spun around. The world was a blur of red and black. Pearl and Madison were covered in it, head to toe. Even their sneakers had one red lace and one black one each.

  “I was going to,” Cody said. “But I forgot my jacket and . . .”

  “Never mind. I made these for all team members.” Madison handed her a barrette with red and black ribbons. And then she sneezed.

  Cody was not big on ribbons and bows. But she clipped the barrette in her hair.

  “Be sure to wear it every day,” Madison said. And then she sneezed again. She scowled and turned to Pearl. “I better not be getting your cold,” she

  warned.

  “I sanitized constantly,” said Pearl.

  “Whenever I get a cold, it turns into strep.” Madison clutched the neck of her red-and-black sweatshirt. “I cannot get sick. Not with the

  tournament this weekend. I. Can. Not.”

  Madison staggered away, and Pearl ran after her. But suddenly she turned around and ran back.

  “I love your new jacket,” she said. “The cats are so cute.”

  Pearl couldn’t help being nice. Even after she turned into your un-friend, she couldn’t help it.

  “Thank you,” said Cody. “I like it, too, but I miss my old one.”

  “Like that song. Make new friends, but keep the old.”

  “Exactly!”

  Cody smiled. Pearl smiled. Smile twins, that’s what they were.

  “That would make a perfect cheerleader barrette,” said a small voice.

  Cody looked down. What in the world? Maxie was wearing the apple-red jacket. It came to her knees. Another Maxie or two could fit inside.

  “For your information,” said Cody, “t
hat is my jacket.”

  “Molly said it’s too small for you. She said you don’t want it anymore.” Maxie flapped the sleeves like wings. “Red’s my best favorite. And I love pockets. Soon it’ll fit me. Before you know it, I’ll be big as you.”

  She spun around. She stomped her feet. “Give me a F. Give me a R. Give me a E. Give me a . . . a . . . Z! What do you have?”

  Pearl and Cody looked at each other. “Frez?” they guessed.

  “No, silly. Friends!”

  “Pearl!” called the Big Boss. “You —” A-choo! “You said you’d help me with these barrettes!”

  “Coming!” Pearl ran.

  “Can I have your barrette?” Maxie asked.

  “I wish,” said Cody. “But I have to wear it.”

  “You have to?” Maxie blew a breath. “When I get big as you, I’m doing whatever I want.”

  At practice, Coach Y! explained the tournament. Every time you won, you advanced to the next level. If you kept winning, you made the semis.

  “Then the finals!” Madison pumped her first. “To the top!”

  All at once she started coughing. Her eyes watered. Her face turned pale. Coach Y! patted her on the back.

  “Mad, you need to take it easy. Sit down. Have some water.”

  “I’m okay!” Cough-cough. “Soccer is not for weaklings!”

  Cody and Spencer were not on speaking terms. They walked to school in single file. After school, Spencer stayed in his room while Cody tried to teach MewMew cat sign language. Every day, she ran around the block with Molly.

  “I have to admit, you’re not bad,” Molly said. “Maybe you can be a track star, too.”

  Cody pictured herself in a bright-orange track suit. The mayor hung a gold medal around her neck. The crowd cheered. She waved and smiled. A reporter took her picture and said it must feel so wonderful to be World Champion.

  Even though winning was not the most important thing.

  As they ran back around the corner, she saw Spencer crawl out of the museum. Why was he working on it when he was about to move away?

  When Spencer went inside his house, Cody crawled under the porch. Spencer had been busy as a worker ant. There were many new exhibits:

  A photo of him and Cody at the winter concert