Kickoff!

Chapter One THE END OF SUMMER "Hut! Hut! Go long, Tiki!" Ronde Barber gripped the football with both hands. He dropped back three steps -- just like Joe Theismann of the Redskins, his favorite pro quarterback. Ronde's fingers found the ball's laces, and he cocked his arm back to make the pass. His identical twin, Tiki, sprinted down the sideline. Fast as lightning, Tiki blew right by the defender -- their best friend, Paco, who was big and strong, but not fast. No one was as fast as Tiki, it seemed. Ronde threw the ball -- a perfect spiral! But it landed ten feet short. "Oh, man!" Their teammate Jason threw both hands up in frustration. "Why can't I be the quarterback, like always? Your hands are too small to get a good grip on the ball." "They are not!" Ronde grabbed the football from Paco, who'd brought it back to the line of scrimmage -- right in the middle of Mews Hill Drive -- and spread his fingers over the laces. "See?" "Whatever," Jason said, frowning. "I'm still a better quarterback than you." Ronde had to admit it was true. Last spring their team, the Vikings, had won the Peewee League championship. And even though everyone on the team had a chance to play lots of different positions, Jason had done most of the quarterbacking. All three boys were still proud of that championship -- in fact, they were all wearing their bright purple Vikings jerseys today. Jason had had his growth spurt when he was twelve. Now, at thirteen, he was tall and skinny, with big hands that could grip a football like it was nothing. He could throw a perfect spiral thirty, even forty yards. Ronde and Tiki were still small for twelve. But they'd get bigger sooner or later -- at least, Ronde sure hoped so. They were identical twins, but their friends could tell them apart. Tiki was quieter and liked history. Ronde's favorite subject was math. But one thing was for sure -- they both loved football. They lived for it. "Car!" Adam yelled, and they all retreated to the curb until it passed by. They didn't have to dodge cars too often. This block of Mews Hill Drive was an unpaved dead end, petering out into the driveway of a large empty lot. Once there had been an old mill there, but now it was just a crumbling chimney, surrounded by acres of weeds. Lately, though, there had been more traffic. People in suits came by every day to look at the empty lot. Whenever a car did come along, Adam was always the first to spot it. A tall kid with bad posture and thick glasses, he wasn't strong, or fast, or much of an athlete. His one claim to fame was that he could kick the ball a mile. "Okay, third down," Paco said, panting. "Let's get this over with." "Why? You tired?" Tiki teased. "Yeah, I'm tired -- I'm tired of chasing after you. How come you're not out of breath?" Tiki shrugged. "Beats me. I like running." "Oh, man," Paco said. "Give it a rest." "What's the matter?" Tiki asked, laughing. "You not having fun?" "Forty-nine to seven is not fun," Paco said. "Not when you're the seven." "He's right," Adam said. "It's no fair when you and Ronde are on the same team." "Hey, man," Ronde said, "We're all gonna be on the same team from now on. Starting next week, we'll be part of the Hidden Valley Eagles. Next thing you know, it'll be high school, then college, and right on up to the Redskins, and the Super Bowl. Right, Tiki?" "No, man, not the Redskins -- the Bears!" Tiki corrected him. "Walter Payton's the man!" Tiki, Ronde, and Jason huddled up, while Chris, Paco, and Adam waited at the line of scrimmage. "Okay," Ronde whispered to his teammates. "I'll fake a handoff to Jason. Tiki, fake a screen, then go long again." "I just went long," Tiki said. "And you couldn't reach me!" "Let me be quarterback this play, Ronde," Jason pleaded. "Give it up, dude,"Barber, Tiki is the author of 'Kickoff! ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781416936183 and ISBN 1416936181.