by Adrian Beck
But then the whistle blew. Half-time. The crowd started spilling onto the pitch. MiniRoos kids kicked their balls around.
‘Right, I’m staying out here for most of the break, till the very last minute,’ said CJ, planting his feet firmly on the ground. ‘Waiting for the thief to take the bait. Trust me, it’s totally foolish!’
‘I think you mean, foolproof. But what are you talking about?’ asked Charlotte, annoyed that there was already a group of people in between the Jets and the clubrooms.
‘Well, I’ve decorated my op shop boots to make them super colourful, just like my other two pairs that went missing. And I’ve left them right in the middle of the clubrooms. They’re just asking to be stolen.’
‘And you think someone will, what? Sneak them into their bag?’
‘Yep. Might be happening right now!’ said CJ with a glint in his eye.
Lexi’s dad, Mr Li, arrived beside them. ‘Lexi said you were after this?’
He handed CJ the Grade Five iPad.
‘Thanks,’ said CJ, as Mr Li returned to the other Dancing Dads in the crowd. ‘You were great as the ball, by the way!’
CJ zoomed in super close on the Jindaberg map on the iPad screen. There was a blue dot flashing over the clubrooms. The title on the screen read: FIND MY PHONE.
‘Whoa, I think I just worked out what you’ve done,’ said Charlotte. ‘You placed your dad’s iPhone in a pair of boots you knew would be stolen?!’
‘That way, if the thief is not a Jets’ player, I’ll still be able to track down whoever it is!’
‘Don’t mean to alarm you, but isn’t that dot moving right now?’ asked Charlotte.
The dot was going from one side of the clubrooms to the other.
CJ’s eyes lit up. ‘Gotcha!’
CJ dodged through a family eating Honey Joys and burst through the clubrooms doorway. He was the only one in the room. For the briefest moment, movement near the windows above the lockers distracted him, but his focus remained on the bench where he’d left his boots.
It was empty. The thief had DEFINITELY taken his boots.
A creak came from the windows. CJ got up on the bench to investigate, but all he saw was the window swing shut.
Did the thief just escape through the window?
CJ jumped a little higher to glimpse the scene outside.
There were people everywhere. There was no telling who had just left the building. But that was okay. After all, that’s why he had the iPad.
The rest of the Jets entered the clubrooms, exhausted and flat. Everyone started grabbing drinks, but CJ bounded over to Charlotte.
‘The boots were stolen!’ exclaimed CJ with a grin. ‘Look, the thief is still on school grounds. Maybe they’re headed to their stash of stolen boots.’
CJ ran out of the clubrooms with the iPad in his hands.
‘You’d better be back in five minutes for the second half,’ called Charlotte.
Outside, the pitch was swarming with people. It was like the crowd at AAMI Park during a Melbourne Derby. CJ zoomed in on the iPad, desperate to work out where his boots were being taken. The dot seemed to be leaving the school via the main gates …
CJ peered down in that direction but had to shield his eyes. Glitter reflected in the sun. His op shop boots. They were leaving the school gates!
CJ ran.
He BUMPED into people. He TRIPPED over. He SCRAMBLED through the crowd any way he could.
‘Sorry! Sorry! Super sorry! Whoopsie!’
At the school gates he saw the shape of what was probably a kid turning the corner down the street. The kid’s position corresponded to the blue dot. Then a battery warning popped up on the screen, but there was no time to worry about that.
CJ was now sprinting as fast as he could, following the kid’s path. He had to catch the thief and force him or her to return the magic boots before half-time was over. This was going to be TIGHT!
As CJ swept past the café, the owner shouted out, ‘Stay away from my awnings, kid!’
‘No promises!’ cried CJ, his mind focused on running.
He turned the corner.
There was no sign of the thief.
CJ glanced up and down the street. Where had they gone? He checked the iPad again. The screen was black. BATTERY DEAD.
THINK, CJ! THINK!
He tried to put all the clues together, but his brain just seemed to bounce around in his skull. The thief could be anywhere by now. If they had the athletic skills to escape via the clubrooms’ window, who knew where they’d managed to escape to.
Hang on. If the thief was a Jindaberg student, there was ONLY ONE KID in the whole school who had the moves to jump up and out the window like that. Someone nimble and small. Could it be?
The thought hit him like a PUNCH IN THE GUTS.
Suddenly, CJ knew where to go. He stopped at the strip of shops.
CJ was about to confront the boot thief.
CJ paused. He knew he had no time to waste, but did he REALLY want to do this? Did he REALLY want to reveal the culprit? Knowing it would change things. Perhaps FOREVER.
Yes.
Not only did the thief have his magic boots, he also had his mum’s boots too. CJ couldn’t let that go.
CJ was certain that the thief was … BENJI NGUYEN!
That’s right. CJ’s BEST MATE magic boots.
Sure. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but Benji was the one kid in school who could’ve escaped the clubrooms through that tiny window. Plus the iPad had led CJ in this direction, straight to the Nguyen family newsagency.
CJ took a deep breath and began to step inside the newsagency to confront his friend … or, FORMER friend.
But then he heard rustling. It was grass or trees or something, coming from the overgrown section between the Nguyen newsagency and the next shop.
Benji fell from the gap, his bum thudding onto the footpath. He shook himself, then noticed CJ. ‘Dude! Am I glad to see you!’
‘You sure about that?’ said CJ, searching Benji’s face for signs of guilt. ‘Why would you want to be caught red-handed?’
‘Huh?’
‘Stealing my boots! My MAGIC boots.’ CJ took a step closer, leaning over Benji. ‘Why, Benji? You’re meant to be my best mate!’
‘I am your best mate.’
‘No. You’re the boot thief,’ said CJ, through gritted teeth. He was too fired up to listen to the tiny thought that was nagging away at him far off in the distance. This doesn’t add up.
‘No, CJ. I’m not the boot thief … I’m chasing the boot thief,’ said Benji. ‘Who do you think just pushed me out of the bushes?’
CJ’s face went from all screwed up and angry to wide-eyed and open-mouthed as the truth dawned on him. ‘It was Lenny.’
Lenny stepped out of the bushes. ‘Secret’s out,’ laughed Lenny, holding all three pairs of CJ’s missing boots tied up together by their laces.
CJ’s stomach swirled with a mixture of guilt, anger and even a little fear, as he helped Benji back onto his feet.
‘B-b-but, why?’ asked CJ. ‘We used to be teammates.’
‘Used to be,’ snorted Lenny. He stepped closer to the boys. Benji backed up half a step, but CJ stood his ground. Fists clenched.
‘Jeez, am I glad those days are over. I’m a Hammerhead all the way now,’ said Lenny, swinging the boots in the air as he slowly paraded around the footpath. He stopped in front of CJ, holding the boots just out of reach and gave the smuggest grin CJ had ever seen. ‘Remember round one?’
How could CJ forget? He and Charlotte had combined for the winning goal and it had been DISALLOWED.
‘Well, let me jog your memory, just in case. When I left the visitors’ clubrooms with the other Hammerheads, we decided to snoop around your clubrooms, seeing as you’d all left. Didn’t find any secrets on the whiteboard though. But what I did see was these stupid sparkly gold boots. And I grabbed –!’
‘I love a good prank as you know, Lenny,’ interrupted Be
nji, glancing at his watch. ‘Very funny, I guess! But are you going to give CJ’s boots back now? The second half is about to start.’
‘I know. I was there watching,’ said Lenny. ‘Although you knew that, didn’t you, Benji-boy, cos you spotted me in the clubrooms swiping these beauties.’
‘Even went out the window to try to block your way after you shrugged me off,’ said Benji. ‘Didn’t work.’
‘Was the Paulveriser in on this too?’ asked CJ.
‘Ha! Think I’d risk him opening his big fat mouth? Yeah right,’ said Lenny, and with a laugh he held out all the boots in one hand, directly over the storm water drain. ‘But when Pauly mentioned how badly you were kicking, I took it upon myself to keep messing with you. Stashed away quite a collection of your boots in my secret hiding spot back there.’
CJ’s eyes flicked from the boots to the storm water drain and then back up to the boots. If Lenny let the boots go, all three pairs would be lost down the open drain. Forever. Lenny knew it. CJ and Benji knew it. But no-one put it into words.
Lenny grinned. ‘If the Hammerheads meet the Jets in the finals, CJ, I won’t have you spoiling all our fun.’
CJ tried to sneak a few centimetres closer to the boots. His brain kept repeating, GRAB THEM, GRAB THEM! But he wasn’t quite close enough.
‘Oh, I so hope we do meet in the finals, Lenny,’ said CJ, inching even closer.
Lenny laughed. ‘I’ll bet you do.’
CJ was just about close enough now. Any second.
‘And I can’t wait,’ said Lenny. ‘Cos you’ll be going … DOWN!’
Lenny let go of the boots. They fell. CJ lunged for them, just out of reach. His fingers swiped through the air. He saw the storm drain, water rushing furiously below, and the boots were heading for the opening.
‘NOOOOOO!’
Then there was a blur of brown.
‘Huh?’
It was GARLIC. He’d leapt from the footpath and GRABBED THE BOOTS in his mouth. Then he dropped them at CJ’s feet.
‘Nice one, Garlic!’ exclaimed CJ.
‘Pfft. Always been a mangy old mutt,’ said Lenny, turning away. ‘I’m outta here.’
‘See you in the finals!’ cried CJ, then he gave Garlic an enthusiastic pat. ‘You really are a wonderdog!’
WOOF!
‘Even if you did follow the scent of my boots to take us on a wild goose chase to the post box and the tip,’ said CJ.
‘Um, CJ. Did Garlic lead you to the post box? You realise that’s right outside the donut shop.’
‘So?’
‘And the tip too, did you say? Isn’t that opposite the quarry? They’re both regular hangouts for Lenny and the Paulveriser! They must’ve swung by both places and Lenny probably had the boots with him the whole time!’
‘Aw yeah,’ said CJ. Maybe Garlic had been on the right track after all.
Benji picked up the boots. ‘We better get our butts moving. Choose some boots and let’s get back.’
Benji had all three pairs dangling in the air. CJ reached out.
‘Did I hear you say one of these pairs is magic?’ asked Benji, trying to keep a straight face.
CJ pointed to the pair in Benji’s left hand. ‘They help me kick straight.’
Benji held them out for him.
Just as he was about to grab his magic boots, CJ’s mind took him back to the last time he’d seen his mum. It was in the hospital room, nearly a year ago now. CJ didn’t like to think of that moment very often. His mum hadn’t looked like herself. She was super thin. Pale. Tired.
CJ hadn’t known what to say on that day. His mum didn’t have the strength to talk anymore anyway. So he just reached out and slipped his hand under hers. Her fingers were bony. He could feel his eyes getting hot. He was sweating. But then he felt his mum squeeze his hand. Twice.
I’m thinking of you.
CJ looked at the tangled collection of boots dangling from Benji’s hand. He knew exactly which pair he was going to wear. Without a second thought, he took his mum’s boots.
‘You sure those are the ones you want, dude? I thought the other pair helped you kick goals.’
Benji was right. CJ’s magic boots had always been his secret weapon. He’d kicked his first ever goal in them, plus heaps more after that. Every time he’d scored, he’d been wearing his magic Troisi boots. But that was just a silly superstition.
CJ wanted his mum’s boots. No question. When it came down to it, they were the ones he missed the most. He smiled at the thought that football ran in his family! And he was 100 per cent sure that his mum’s boots were the ones he wanted to wear.
Even if it was a MASSIVE risk …
By the time CJ and Benji weaved through the fete crowd and returned to the school football pitch, the second half of the game was well underway. The scoreboard read 1–1. At least the Jets were BACK IN IT!
‘Who scored?’ CJ asked Principal Swift.
‘Lexi, as a matter of fact. Should make quite a popular clip for her YouTube channel,’ said Principal Swift, as her big eyes swept down onto CJ’s boots. ‘And maybe now you’ll be next, Mr Jackson.’
As usual, CJ wondered just how much Principal Swift knew about everything that had been going on, but before he could ask, Baldock started grunting at Highpants. He seemed to be suggesting that Highpants sub CJ and Benji back onto the pitch as soon as possible. And no-one disagreed with Baldock.
The boys ran on. CJ headed straight to Charlotte to help fill a gap in the midfield as the Redbacks passed among themselves, setting up to push forward. ‘CJ, where the heck have you been? I had to do the big half-time speech without my co-captain!’
‘Well, we scored. Your speech must’ve worked! What did you say to them?’
‘Have fun.’
‘You said “have fun”? Are you feeling okay?’
CJ and Charlotte watched the football sail out of bounds; a Redback kick had bounced off Saanvi. CJ headed down field, Charlotte ran nearby.
‘The thing is, late in the first half, Benji stopped that attack on goal with one of his silly mascot moves.’
‘Yep. Bit out there, but it worked.’
‘Basically, the grin on Benji’s face reminded me of the expressions The Dancing Dads had at AAMI Park, and they were dancing pretty good … for them. So I thought I’d try, y’know, just having fun. Anyway, whatever happens I’m going to thank Benji for the inspiration straight after the match.’
CJ nodded, impressed. ‘Best idea you’ve had all season. The Dads also seemed to fully trust each other, didn’t they?’
‘Yep. Especially with their trust falls.’
CJ breathed in. Then he ran to the centre of the pitch and called out to his teammates. ‘Jets! I know I’ve weirded out on you this week!’
Saanvi nodded at CJ, Antonio listened intently, and all the other Jets paused to hear what CJ had to say.
‘I just want to say that I’m sorry,’ said CJ, as he looked at each of them. ‘But from now on, we’re in this together!’
There was no time to ensure all was forgiven because the Redbacks threw the ball in. A smaller kid with braces started dribbling towards Charlotte. Then something weird happened: Charlotte winked at CJ. She was ENJOYING HERSELF for the first time in a while. She ran at the kid with braces, who tried to fool her with some footwork, but Charlotte just grinned at his attempts. Then she thrust her foot at the ball, nudging it just out of his reach. She got her other foot to it and dished it off sideways to Antonio.
‘Here comes the aeroplane!’ yelled Charlotte. Even though this set play was also inspired by baby Sofia, it wasn’t a tactic they’d ever used in a game before, only when they were mucking around at practice.
Charlotte held her arms out like a PLANE and zipped towards goal. CJ did the same thing, he even made jet engine noises. He glimpsed Principal Swift in the crowd, laughing. Highpants was scratching his bald head. Baldock was nodding ever so slightly.
Fahad sent a through ball to Charlotte. It w
as perfect. She and CJ jetted their way towards goal. By now the crowd were copying the Jets’ sound effects. Everyone had their arms out, pretending to be ZOOMING through the air. It seemed like the whole school fete was watching the game now.
The Redback goalie wasn’t just going to wait for CJ and Charlotte to arrive. He stormed towards Charlotte. When he was almost on her, Charlotte glanced over at CJ, one eyebrow raised. CJ nodded.
GIVE IT TO ME!
Charlotte dished the football off to CJ. He had a clear shot at goal.
THIS IS IT!
Were his mum’s boots going to be BAD LUCK? Should he have stuck with his magic boots after all? Was this going to be another embarrassing miss?
The jet sound effects filled the air. The crowd were laughing and cheering. Everyone was having a blast. After all, that’s what football’s all about.
CJ grinned and thought, Why don’t I stop thinking and just BOOT IT!
SMACK!
CJ laughed. Whatever happened, this was awesome!
The ball soared. It rocketed up over the Redback goalie’s head, then straight through the goalie’s hands.
GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
The crowd roared. It was deafening. CJ leaped skyward. ‘Woooohooo!’
The Jets came running from all sides. They collided in the air, trading high fives, hugs and cheers. The group fell to the ground, everyone laughing. Then Garlic ran onto the pitch. He climbed to the top of the mountain of players and howled into the sky.
CJ’s mum’s boots had come through! Or maybe it wasn’t about the boots at all. Maybe it was something else.
CJ’s head had ended up shoved right up into Benji’s armpit. ‘Sorry I thought you were the boot thief.’
‘That’s cool, dude. I get it,’ said Benji.
Charlotte had CJ’s foot squished into her forehead. She looked miffed. ‘Hey, you two. Aren’t you forgetting something?’
Benji sighed. ‘Here we go.’
‘Relax, Benji, I’m talking about CJ’s goal celebration!’
‘Oh yeah!’ cried Benji.
With CJ at the front, all the Jets stuck their arms out like planes again and ran to the corner flag for CJ’s signature move. He threw his arms at the flag and spun right round it at full stretch, then landed on the pitch lying on his side. All the Jets copied, each stretched out like superstars in front of the crowd.