Highpants was clearly miffed that Baldock ruined his rap. But no-one messed with Baldock. Instead, Highpants put down his mic and called all the Jets together. It was hard to tell if he was more SWEATY OR ANGRY.

‘Highpants is about to go ballistic. Let’s check the iPad footage straight after training,’ said Charlotte to CJ. ‘We’ll find the boot thief, but right now we’ve got to be co-captains and focus on the team.’

‘Children, children, children,’ sneered Highpants, pulling up his low hanging jeans and accidently exposing his My Little Pony socks. ‘So far your season has been disappointing … to say the least. Despite all my efforts, you have not won a single game.’

‘We just need to get serious. In my heart of hearts I know we can do better,’ agreed Charlotte.

Benji nudged CJ. They both cracked up laughing. Charlotte glared at them. Benji looked away, muffling his mouth. CJ felt he should explain. ‘Sorry. It’s just that it sounded like you said “heart of farts”.’

Charlotte grit her teeth. ‘Heart … Of … Hearts.’

Highpants loomed over them. ‘Here’s a tip, lads. If you don’t take yourself seriously, no-one else will.’

Then Benji spoke up to Highpants, which almost never happened. ‘Hang on. Isn’t football meant to be fun?’

Highpants GLARED. CJ looked to Charlotte. In fact all the Jets looked to Charlotte, wondering who she was going to side with.

Charlotte glanced back at them all. ‘I agree with the coach. Let’s get serious.’

Highpants grinned. His teeth seemed somehow brighter than his fake bling.

The Jets dragged their feet as they dumped their bags in the clubrooms then returned to the pitch for some drills. CJ got everyone to split up in to smaller groups for dribbling practice. Benji seemed to be getting better every day. He could kick on both sides, plus he was light on his feet, able to keep upright when the ball was being contested. All those years as the Jets mascot, where he would perform amazing gymnastics moves, were now paying off. Benji was BEAMING with delight. Except when Highpants came over to check on their progress. Benji immediately got nervous and started stuffing up.

‘Focus, Benji!’ said Highpants.

CJ glanced around at his teammates. Any one of them could be the boot thief. Pretending he was practising making a wall to block a free kick in defence, CJ took the opportunity to gather all his teammates at the top of the square. He created a good old-fashioned line-up of suspects, just like in the movies.

CJ took his time walking from one end of the line to the other. Every so often he slowed to get right up in one of his teammate’s faces, but he regretted getting so close to the Paulveriser when the big guy let out a deafening BUUUUUUURP!

Charlotte stepped out from the line-up to stand beside CJ. She looked like she was about to suggest another drill when CJ addressed the group. ‘You know where I think we’re going wrong, Jets?’

‘Where, CJ? Do tell,’ said Saanvi, arms crossed.

‘No trust.’

‘Is this necessary?’ whispered Charlotte. ‘We have the iPad footage.’

CJ searched their faces. He wanted to give the thief an opportunity to confess, but he didn’t want to get into the whole ‘I used to have magic boots’ thing.

‘We’re meant to be a team, after all! But one of you has let me down. Whoever you are, I hope you understand what I’m imploding.’

‘Imploding? Sure you don’t mean implying?’ suggested Charlotte.

‘Both,’ said CJ, trying to look tough. No-one confessed. Most looked confused or offended, or both.

Charlotte quickly suggested they practise the Jets’ latest set play – STINKY NAPPY. She sent CJ off to the clubrooms to grab some witches hats. While they waited CJ noticed her handing everyone seven sheets of paper stapled together. She called it a FUN FOOTBALL QUIZ! But the Paulveriser perfectly summed up the mood of the team.

‘This SUCKS!’ he declared, with an upturned lip.

Once inside the clubrooms, CJ spotted the iPad sticking out of Lexi’s bag. He scrolled through all the files until he found the video he needed. He hit PLAY. Lexi banged on about the first game of the season. She was standing in the middle of the room, but over her shoulder CJ saw himself. He was spraying a sports drink over Benji. HILARIOUS! As Lexi talked and talked and then talked some more, including detailing the various stages her hair went through during the match, CJ kept his eyes on the background. The magic boots remained resting against his sports bag.

Plenty of players walked through the shot. A few even danced. Saanvi, Antonio, May, the Paulveriser, Charlotte and a whole heap more. He just had to wait till one of them grabbed the shoes. It went on and on. People started to leave. CJ got bored. He pressed fast-forward. No-one was stealing the magic boots. Then he saw himself grabbing his bag and leaving the clubrooms with Charlotte. HE’D LEFT THE BOOTS BEHIND!

On screen, Lexi kept talking to the camera as she followed the others out of the clubrooms. She was the last to leave. Her video clip continued all the way home, till she reached her house.

CJ sighed. There was NO FOOTAGE of a thief in action. He’d left his magic boots behind, but where were they now? He’d already checked Principal Swift’s lost property box.

He double-checked that the boots weren’t under the bench. They weren’t in the locker either. So, whoever took his boots did it after the Jets had left that day. CJ’s tummy flipped. Maybe he was wrong to suspect his teammates after all?

Then he heard Charlotte calling. ‘CJ, stop messing around! We need you out here!’

CJ gave up on the iPad, grabbed the witches hats and bolted out the door. As he ran through the exit, he almost collided with Baldock who was pruning some hedges.

‘Stinky kid,’ muttered Baldock, as Garlic jumped up onto CJ for a pat.

‘Not now, mate.’

After training everyone started packing up their stuff in the clubrooms, but Highpants called CJ and Charlotte outside for a chat. CJ felt the wet grass ooze up through his football socks. He’d taken off his mother’s boots because the tissue paper solution wasn’t as comfortable as he’d remembered.

‘I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, but Saturday’s game occurs during the school fete.’

Charlotte nodded. ‘I know, I’m making biscotti for the cake stall.’

‘Me too,’ said CJ, lying. He’d forgotten all about the fete, and wasn’t quite sure what biscotti was.

‘The Jets football team will be on show,’ said Highpants, as CJ and Charlotte waved off Lexi, Saanvi, Fahad and the other Jets as they left the pitch. None of them seemed all that cheery to their co-captains. Plus, it appeared CJ’s arch rival, Lenny, had arrived to meet the Paulveriser, as they were both walking past too. Behind Highpants, Lenny lunged in CJ’s direction and made a silent RARR! CJ didn’t budge.

‘Are you paying attention, Mr Jackson? The whole suburb will be watching this Saturday, so you and your prankster pal better be one hundred per cent focused or else,’ warned Highpants, locking eyes with CJ for an uncomfortably long time before turning to help Miss Harmon pack up the turntables.

SNIFF.

‘Eww, stinky.’ Charlotte looked down and noticed CJ was shoeless. ‘Oh no! We forgot to check Lexi’s video.’

‘Nope. I checked it myself.’

‘Oh, great. And?’

‘And the video makes it pretty clear, I left my magic boots behind in the clubrooms after our first game. Every Jet left the room empty-handed. So it’s possible that it wasn’t a teammate who stole my boots after all.’

Charlotte screwed up her forehead. ‘I’m kind of relieved, but that doesn’t really help us. I mean, who goes into the clubrooms apart from us?’

Just then, CJ and Charlotte both noticed Baldock, limping over to the clubroom doors jingling his big set of school keys.

‘Wow, I’m a genius! I think I’ve solved it,’ said CJ. ‘By a pretty clever process of illumination.’

‘Elimination.’

‘It has to be Baldock. He locks up the rooms. He must have seen my boots and stolen them.’

‘But why?’

‘Dunno. Souvenir from a legend?’ CJ pointed to himself.

‘He probably turfed them out because of their rancid smell.’

CJ leaned forward to sniff the air above his socks. Yep. A little ripe. Maybe Charlotte was right. Then it occurred to him that he’d left his mum’s boots inside the clubrooms, right now. UNPROTECTED. ‘Whatever the reason, Baldock’s about to steal another pair!’

‘Go!’ yelled Charlotte.

CJ bolted over to the clubrooms, ‘Freeze, Baldock!’ His mind was fixed on his mum’s boots rather than just how scary Baldock was. ‘Stay away from my mum’s football boots!’