Chapter 40

Scooter

After the meeting in Coach’s office, I found my mom waiting for me in the parking lot. She was going to take me to dinner to celebrate the scholarship.

At least that was the plan.

The problem was, I didn’t feel like celebrating. Not after that meeting.

Either Jeff was being amazingly cool about losing his last shot at a scholarship, or he still thought he was getting the scholarship. That would explain why he was in such a good mood. The thought made me feel sick.

I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t like I’d stolen the scholarship. Coach Grand was clear that if I didn’t take scholarship, he’d give it to someone else. Someone not named Jeff Stoddard.

But I still felt guilty. If the scout had never seen me play, maybe he would have been more impressed with Jeff. Maybe he didn’t look fast enough because Eric was comparing him to me.

Mainly, I felt tired.

Tired of thinking about this scholarship and tired of football.

I definitely didn’t want to talk about them.

Or anything, for that matter.

“I don’t want to go to dinner, Mom.”

We were on the road by then. She asked me what I did want to do.

“Can you drop me off somewhere?”

***

Splash!

It turned out I wasn’t very good at skipping rocks. I was at Morgyn’s pond, but Morgyn wasn’t there. I crouched down and picked up another rock. Stepping into it, I chucked the stone toward the water.

Instead of skimming along its surface, it splooshed into the water and quickly sank.

I’d been here for at least twenty minutes, but I didn’t feel better like I’d hoped I would. It’s difficult to feel better when you stink at the thing you’re using as a distraction.

I crouched down again and reached for another rock.

“Try this one,” a voice said.

Morgyn was standing behind me. How long had she been there?

“Is it a good skipping rock?” I asked. “If it is, you should probably keep it. I don’t want to screw up your favorite thing too.”

I thought she was going to ask me what I was talking about, but she didn’t.

“It’s just one rock,” she said. “The only way you could screw up rock skipping for me is if you got rid of every rock and drained the pond.”

She held out the rock. I took it.

“The key to rock skipping,” she said, “is the release. If the rock spins out of your hand the right way, the water doesn’t even have to be calm. You should know whether the rock’s going to skip without even having to watch.”

Morgyn amazed me.

“Close your eyes,” she said.

I did.

I threw the rock and we both listened to it ping across the water.