Sabotage Season

by Alex Morgan

  “Forget it,” I said. “We can’t start getting distracted by this stuff. That’s just what the Panthers want.”

  “But we can’t let them get away with it!” Jessi protested.

  “We’ll talk later,” I said as I knotted the SportsWrap before sliding it onto my head. “Let’s get through practice first, okay?”

  Jessi frowned. “It’s like you’re not even listening, Devin,” she said, and then she stomped off.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I definitely did not like arguing with Jessi.

  Mirabelle would love it if she knew we were fighting, I thought. This is just what she wants.

  There was no point in talking to Jessi during practice. She ignored me for most of it, anyway. I thought I could talk to her when we were waiting for our rides home, but something else happened. As we walked away from the field, I saw Steven over by the parking lot. He waved and ran up to me.

  “Hey, Devin, can I talk to you?”

  “Um, sure,” I replied, glancing over at Jessi. But she had already walked past without looking at me.

  “So, uh, how was practice?” Steven asked.

  “Good,” I said. Why was it that whenever I was around him, I couldn’t seem to talk? “How was yours?”

  “Good.” He looked down and kicked the grass with his sneaker. I couldn’t help thinking that his spiky hair looked supercute today. He must have added extra gel or something.

  He looked up again, and that’s when I noticed that his eyes were that gray-green color that you don’t see that often. “So, Cody said he asked Jessi to the carnival, and I thought, like, maybe the four of us could go together?”

  “You want me to go to the carnival with you?” My voice sounded like I had just swallowed a mouse or something.

  Steven nodded. “Yeah, if you want to.”

  My heart was pounding faster than if I had been winging down the field toward the opposing goal. Part of me was thrilled, and the rest of me was freaked out and confused. Then I remembered my pledge to myself to stay focused on soccer until the season was over.

  “Well, yeah, I want to. But we’re, like, trying to make the play-offs and everything, and I’m, like, trying to be focused and everything, so . . .” Had I forgotten how to speak English? “I should stay focused on the play-offs for now. But thanks. It’s really nice of you.”

  Steven looked absolutely crushed, and I felt terrible. I immediately thought about changing my answer, but he didn’t give me a chance.

  “Okay. Well, then, see you around,” he said, and then he raced off like he was being chased or something.

  I still felt terrible, and more confused than before. I mean, I liked Steven, I really did, and part of me kind of liked the idea of going to the carnival with him and Jessi and Cody. But part of me was supernervous about it.

  The honk of a horn got me out of my thoughts, and I saw Mom’s car at the edge of the parking lot. I quickly ran to it and hopped into the front seat.

  “Who was that you were talking to?” Mom asked.

  “Oh, that’s just Steven,” I answered, looking out the window. “He’s on the boys’ team.”

  “Devin has a boyfriend! Devin has a boyfriend!” Maisie chanted from the backseat.

  I turned around to look at her. “He is not my boyfriend.”

  Maisie made a face. “Good! Boys are gross! Ew!”

  “What about Riley? Didn’t you just have a playdate with him?” I asked.

  “Riley doesn’t count,” Maisie protested. “He’s nice.”

  “Well, so is Steven,” I said. Satisfied, I turned back around.

  That night I told Kara about what had happened.

  “I mean, I like him, but I need to stay focused on soccer right now,” I said.

  “Or are you just using that as an excuse?” Kara asked.

  I thought about that. I definitely was kind of afraid of going out on an actual date, and the soccer excuse certainly was convenient.

  “Maybe,” I said, and sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. He’ll probably never ask me out again.”

  “If he really likes you, he will,” Kara said.

  “Thanks.”

  Then I got a message on the screen that Jessi was trying to connect with me.

  “Hey, that’s Jessi. Mind if I get it?” I asked.

  “All right,” Kara said, but her voice was flat. “See you tomorrow.”

  “It’s just that—” I wanted to explain to Kara about the fight, and how I needed to make things right with Jessi, but she logged off before I could finish.

  Jessi’s face appeared on the screen next.

  “Are you still mad at me?” I blurted out.

  “Well, kind of,” she admitted. “Listen, I didn’t mean to storm off like that. It’s just . . . I’m frustrated. We need to do something. We can’t just sit around and let Mirabelle get to us.”

  “We should just ignore it,” I said.

  “And wait till she does something worse?” Jessi asked. “No way.”

  I sighed. “Jessi, I don’t want to fight, okay? I just don’t agree with you.”

  “I don’t want to fight either,” Jessi replied. “Just promise me something. I have an idea. I’ll tell everybody at lunch. Just promise me you’ll listen, okay?”

  I didn’t want to fight with Jessi anymore. “Okay. I’ll listen.”

  “You’re gonna love this. Just wait,” Jessi said, her brown eyes gleaming. “Bye!”

  The screen went dark. Once again it seemed Jessi was getting to be just as dramatic as Frida! But I had to admit, I was curious to know what she had in mind.

  The next day Jessi asked me, Emma, Zoe, and Frida to meet outside in the library courtyard for lunch.

  “So here’s the plan,” she announced once we all got there. “I spent some time scrolling through the Panthers’ group profile page online, and they’re always complaining about how their coach is a sunscreen freak.”

  “Well, sunscreen is very important,” Emma said.

  “That’s beside the point,” Jessi said quickly. “So the Panthers have a ten o’clock practice on Sunday. If we get to their field early, we can add this to their sunscreen bottles.”

  She held up a small bottle. I leaned close to read the label.

  “Blue food coloring?” I asked.

  “Perfectly safe and harmless, but it will get our point across,” Jessi said. “They use spray sunscreen, so they won’t see the blue until it’s on their skin. Then they’ll be Kicks blue. It’ll be classic.”

  Zoe looked horrified. “But that’s terrible! And won’t we get in big trouble?”

  “How?” Jessi asked. “They won’t be able to prove it’s us, just like we can’t prove that they sabotaged our banner.”

  “I don’t know,” Zoe said nervously. “I just got the sling off. I don’t want to do anything risky.”

  “I’ll do it!” Frida said eagerly. “But how will we get there?”

  “I’ve already got it worked out,” Jessi informed us. “The Panthers field is next to Pinewood Park, which has this really cool outdoor training course. I told my mom that we wanted to do the course Sunday morning to get ready for our game, and she already said she’d take us.”

  I shook my head. “No way, Jessi. I’ve listened long enough. This plan is insane.”

  “It is not,” Jessi protested. “The Panthers’ pranks are getting bigger and bigger. What if their next prank makes us lose a game?”

  Then we might not get into the play-offs, I admitted to myself. Jessi definitely had me intrigued.

  “So this way we send a message,” Jessi said. “A message that they can’t mess around with us anymore. It’s for our own protection.”

  “A message doesn’t sound so drastic,” Emma said timidly.

  “It’s a great idea!” Frida agreed. “If we don’t do something now, who knows what will happen?”

  My friends were starting to make sense. Or maybe I was just afraid of what the Panthers might do next.
We had been playing so well, and I didn’t want to lose just because of some stupid stunts the Panthers were playing. I looked at my friends.

  “So you all agree with Jessi?” I asked.

  “Definitely!” Frida said, and Emma nodded. Zoe looked at me.

  “I guess, if you do, Devin,” she said hesitantly.

  I took a deep breath. “The blue stuff washes off, right?”

  Jessi nodded. “Easily.”

  “Then maybe it’s not a bad idea,” I said. “We should tell Grace, though. After all, she’s co-captain and this involves the whole team.”

  “No!” Jessi hissed. “I mean, we need to keep this small. And that way, if something goes wrong, the rest of the team is cleared.”

  “What do you mean, ‘if something goes wrong’?” Zoe asked nervously.

  “Nothing will go wrong,” Jessi said quickly. “But you have to be prepared for anything. So are you with me?”

  “Yes!” Frida and Emma cheered.

  Zoe nodded. “I guess. As long as you’re sure we won’t get caught.”

  “We won’t,” Jessi said firmly.

  I didn’t answer right away. Jessi had a good point about not telling Grace. A million things could go wrong if the whole team got involved. But if we kept it simple . . .

  “I’m in,” I said finally, and Jessi let out a whoop.

  “Let’s get ready for some revenge!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Good morning, Devin!” Mrs. Dukes said cheerfully as I climbed into Jessi’s minivan Sunday morning. Zoe and Frida sat in the very back while I took the seat next to Emma. Jessi turned around from the front passenger seat to grin at me.

  “I have to say, I’m impressed with you girls and your dedication,” Mrs. Dukes said. “A training course in the morning, and a game this afternoon!”

  Zoe made a little grimace, and I felt the same way. We weren’t exactly being truthful about why we wanted to go to Pinewood Park, and I felt guilty about that.

  Luckily, Mrs. Dukes kept right on talking, saving us from having to answer.

  “You all have motivated me to get back into my fitness routine,” she said. “While you girls are doing the training course, I’ll be walking. I’ve got my iPod all ready to go, thanks to Jessi.”

  Jessi smiled. “I’ve got some surprises for you on there, Mom.”

  “Uh-oh,” Mrs. Dukes groaned, while the rest of us laughed.

  She pulled up to the park, which was pretty empty, since it was only eight thirty on a Sunday morning, even though it was another beautiful, sunny day.

  We all piled out of the van, and Mrs. Dukes, wearing a turquoise-and-black tracksuit, started doing some stretches.

  “Will an hour be enough time to do the course?” Mrs. Dukes asked as she did a leg lunge.

  Jessi nodded. “That should be plenty of time, Mom. Thanks!”

  Pinewood Park was very pretty, I thought as I looked around. And pretty fancy, too, but I had kind of expected that since it was so close to Pinewood, the private middle school that Mirabelle now went to. We had parked in the lot closest to the children’s playground, and in the distance I could see tennis courts and a field with a picnic area. Everything was superclean and nicely landscaped, with green trees and shrubbery everywhere you looked.

  Where we stood, the walking path went to the right or the left. The stops for the fitness trail were placed around the walking path.

  Jessi nudged me and whispered into my ear, “We need to go to the left. That’s the quickest way to the Panthers’ field.”

  Mrs. Dukes stopped stretching and popped an earbud into her ear.

  “I’m off!” she said happily. “We’ll meet back here in an hour, then.”

  She started walking on the path to the right, and we stopped at the first stop on the fitness trail on the left. It was a bar to do pull-ups on. I hated doing pull-ups, but I reached up and pulled myself up. Emma, Jessi, and Frida did the same, until Mrs. Dukes was out of sight.

  Zoe shook her head. “I don’t think pull-ups are a good idea for my wrist just yet. But I’ve got some bad news. The doctor wants me to wait one more week before playing again.”

  I felt bad for the team, but I felt worse for Zoe. I knew I’d be going crazy if I couldn’t play for three weeks.

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I’m just glad you’re getting better.”

  Jessi dropped down from the pull-up bar and looked around.

  “Come on. Let’s go,” she said.

  We followed behind her, and Zoe kept looking around.

  “You’re sure nobody’s going to catch us, right?” she asked nervously.

  “Yeah,” Jessi replied. “Well, mostly sure.”

  Zoe turned pale, and I definitely sympathized. I felt the butterflies begin a jamboree in my own stomach, especially when the path curved and I could see the Panthers’ field. It had been the scene of our biggest defeat and our greatest win this season. And now it would be the place where we finally got even for all the mean tricks Mirabelle and the Panthers had been playing on us!

  Since Pinewood was an exclusive, expensive school, the grounds and buildings were really impressive. The gym and locker rooms were housed in their own shiny new building, flanking the field. We left the walking path and crossed over until we were behind the gym. A couple of cars sat in the parking lot. Since the Panthers didn’t have practice until ten a.m., none of the players were here yet. At least we hoped.

  “The coach might be inside,” Jessi whispered as we all crouched in some bushes, watching the building. “But that’s a good thing. It will mean the door will be open.”

  “Wait.” I put out a hand to stop Jessi as she started to leave our hiding place in the bushes. “If the Panthers aren’t here yet, the sunscreen won’t be here either.”

  Jessi smiled. “Yes, it will. I checked the Panthers’ online profile again, and the coach posted a whole flyer about it. She stores it in the locker room so there are no excuses, and if players don’t use, it, they can’t play. She’s, like, a serious sunscreen freak.

  “If we get caught inside the locker room,” Jessi continued, “we’ll just say we were looking for the bathroom. Okay?”

  Zoe’s eyes got really wide and the color left her face. “Ugh. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “We’ll be fine, Zoe. Don’t worry!” Emma said, patting Zoe’s shoulder.

  Frida grinned at Jessi. “I think this is totally fun!” she said, and Jessi grinned back.

  Zoe and I exchanged glances. I guess we were the only nervous ones in the group. I gulped.

  “Remember ‘Kentville Can’t Kick’ and ‘Loser,’ ” Jessi reminded me, trying to rile me up for revenge.

  Mirabelle’s laughing, gloating face popped into my mind, to be quickly replaced by her turned Smurf blue. She totally had it coming! Jessi’s tactic had worked.

  “Let’s do this!” I said.

  “The girls’ locker room is this way.” Jessi pointed to a side door with GIRLS written on the front. We walked over to it, and Jessi pulled on the handle. The door swung open.

  “We’re in,” Jessi whispered with a smile.

  We crept into the hall and turned left. When we heard music playing, we stopped in our tracks. A light was on, coming from the office directly in front of the girls’ locker room.

  “The coach!” Zoe whispered loudly, her eyes wide with fear.

  Jessi put a finger to her lips and crept closer to the door. She peered inside quickly before lowering her head and coming back to us.

  “The coach is in there. She’s got the radio on,” Jessi said. “But luckily the door is shut. The top part is glass, but the bottom is solid. If we crawl past the door, she won’t see us.”

  Jessi dropped to her knees and started to shuffle forward. Frida and Emma quickly followed her. I looked at Zoe, and I knew we were both feeling the same. What if the coach looked out the window? Or opened the door? We’d be toast!

  Jessi, Frida, and Emma were past the doo
r already. I had to decide. Turn back, or join my teammates.

  Jessi turned and frantically waved for me and Zoe to follow. Emma started to giggle nervously and had to put her hand over her mouth.

  “I’m doing it,” I whispered to Zoe, and then I crawled forward, practically closing my eyes the whole time. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure the Panthers’ coach could hear it.

  I finally reached the locker room door, and I could hear Zoe behind me. Jessi popped up and opened the door to the locker room. We all quickly scrambled inside.

  “I feel like a burglar,” I said, flattening myself against the wall. It was a total relief to be out of that hallway, though.

  “Phase one, successful,” Frida said, and I guessed she was pretending to be some kind of secret agent.

  Jessi flicked a switch, illuminating the dark room. Wow, I thought, Pinewood sure was a fancy school. Instead of metal lockers there were open wooden shelves. Each one was labeled with the player’s name, with a shelf on top that held their shin guards and cleats, and an open closet where their game-day jerseys hung, looking as if they had been professionally cleaned. Underneath were drawers for more storage space.

  Jessi started flinging open the drawers and searching.

  “No sunscreen!” she cried.

  “That’s because it’s over here,” Frida said. There was a large table at the other end of the room. There were cases of water on top, and bottles of sunscreen. A big sign was taped to the wall over the bottles. BURN IT UP ON THE FIELD, NOT ON YOUR SKIN! it read.

  Jessi reached inside her pocket and pulled out five little bottles of blue food coloring.

  “Here you go!” She handed each one of us a bottle and opened the lid of one of the sunscreen bottles. She poured in some food coloring, closed the bottle, and began to shake.

  “Hmmmm.” She frowned as she opened up her bottle to peer inside. “We might need to add some water to get it to mix better.”

  She scanned the locker room. “Let’s try this way,” Jessi whispered, nodding toward a short hallway. We each carried a bottle of sunscreen and followed her. Doors led to other changing rooms, but luckily we found the bathroom at the very end. Frida had reached to turn on the sink, when we all heard the sound of a door opening.