GAME TIME

My day wasn’t over yet either. Not by a long shot. You haven’t forgotten about the big game against the Belleville Raiders, have you?

By the time we were jogging onto the field for warm-ups that afternoon, I was feeling pretty good. Everything with BNICE had gone even better and bigger than I’d hoped.

And speaking of big, the crowd at this game was about twice the size as at the last game. And even though all those people weren’t there just to see me, it was fun to pretend they were. For a minute, anway. It felt like everyone was there. Mr. Fanucci was sitting with Mom, Grandma, and Georgia, which was weird. Jeanne was working the snack bar again, and hopefully watching more than the popcorn this time. Marley and her friends were sitting at the top of the bleachers with their heads all stuck together like usual.

I thought Coach might put me in the starting lineup this time, but he didn’t. For the whole first quarter, I just sat there leaving a Rafe-shaped butt mark on the team bench.

But finally, after the first play of the second quarter, the Falcons took possession and Coach yelled at me to get ready with the rest of the offensive squad.

Part of me got excited, because I wanted to score another touchdown. Or two. Or ten. But part of me was also shaking in my cleats, because I didn’t know if I could.

Either way, I wanted to find out.

When we got into the huddle, Tug laid out the play for us. I was so busy trying to focus, I forgot to listen to everything he said. I just heard, “Blah blah blah blah blah blah, and KHATCHADORIAN, you cut up the middle.”

At least I got my part, anyway. So I took my place on the line and got ready to go.

As soon as Tug took the snap, one of the Belleville guys came right for me. I scrambled like a human egg and managed to get past him somehow.

After that, I took a fast run downfield and turned around. Tug saw I was open and got off a nice spiral pass, headed right for me.

I saw the ball…

kept my eye on the ball…

reached up to catch the ball…

and—WHIFF!—watched the ball go right through my hands, just before it landed on the field like football roadkill.

Hello, embarrassing.

“All right, all right!” Coach yelled from the sidelines. “We’ve got this, guys! Just focus and try again!”

It took a few more plays before I got my next chance. This time I was more determined than ever.

I was supposed to go wide, and I did. I got clear of the Belleville defenders, maybe because they weren’t taking me too seriously anymore. Either way, I put up my hands, Tug sent another special delivery my way, and—

WHIFF!

I didn’t even get a piece of it this time.

Which stunk. Miller was starting to look at me like I was a walking waste of space. And I was starting to wonder if my first-ever touchdown had also been my last-ever touchdown.

It wasn’t looking good. At this rate, I was going to be moving back to Miller the Killerville sooner than later. Like maybe right after the game.

Except then something completely unexpected happened. I got a lucky break—and that’s not even the most unexpected part.

Because this time, it came from Miller himself.