Page 33 of Stealing for Keeps
“Gooooooaaaaaaaaal!” The announcer’s voice booms over the loudspeaker.
“Oh my gosh!” Lacey jumps, latching on to my arm and forcing me to bounce with her.
Cheers for New Guy and Disco, a few for Keller, ring out all around us. No matter what they call him, all eyes are on Austin. His face is pure joy as Rowan bear-hugs him, and then the rest of the team piles on.
Chapter Eleven
Austin
“That was unbelievable!” Blake shakes his head in disbelief, a big grin on his face as he holds out a hand for me to slap. “We’re going to be unstoppable this year.”
The mood is light and happy. We tied, which isn’t the way I hoped it’d go down, but it feels like that last shot helped me turn a corner with my teammates, so I’m taking that as a win.
A cautious win. I’m not holding my breath that they won’t go back to hating me tomorrow.
The only person that doesn’t seem all that happy is Vaughn.
Coach Collins comes into the locker room, and we quiet down to hear what he has to say.
“Nice job tonight. I saw some good things. I also saw some things that weren’t so good.” One side of his mouth tips up in an almost smile. “Practice tomorrow after school. Come ready to work.”
With a nod, he leaves us. The atmosphere isn’t quite as jubilant with the reality of practices and hard workto come tomorrow, but then Rowan turns on some music from his phone, and everyone slips back into party mode.
“Are you heading to the carnival?” Rowan asks as he pulls a clean shirt over his head.
“Yeah. I promised my little brother I’d take him.”
“Nice.” My buddy’s face lights up. “Great job out there. I told you they’d come around.” He cuffs me on the shoulder and then says, “I’ll see you there.”
He shuts his locker and heads off. I dress slowly, hoping I’ll get an opportunity to talk to Vaughn without a bunch of other people around, but before that chance arrives, one of the assistant coaches calls for him, and I decide not to creepily wait in an empty locker room for him.
The carnival is set up in a grassy area beyond the parking lot. All the usual carny games are represented—ring toss, hammer strength, goldfish bowl toss—plus food vendors and more. Mom is making new friends with the other parents, so I take Wyatt with me. Torrance disappeared before I got out of the locker room.
“What do you want to play first?” I ask my little brother as we walk down the row of games.
I spot Claire with Lacey and Andie next to a cotton candy cart.
“That one!” Wyatt takes off at a run toward where other kids are tossing Ping-Pong balls at small plastic bowls with goldfish swimming around.
By the time I reach him, a woman behind the table has already given him three balls, and Wyatt has launched the first one. It goes beyond the tanks by about two feet.
“Easy there, killer. Not so hard.” I ruffle his hair. “Which one are you going for?”
“The one on the right corner,” he says, pointing. He’s the biggest.
“He’s also in the hardest spot to get. If you aim for one in the middle, the ball might bounce or roll into another.”
“I don’t care. I want that one.” His tone leaves no other option, so I buckle in to watch him toss all his balls into the gravel.
“A kid that knows what he wants.” Lacey steps up beside me, smiling at my little brother. A rush of adrenaline spikes through me when I see her.
“Lacey, Claire,” I say, finding my voice, “this is my much cooler brother, Wyatt.”
“The much cooler was obvious from the haircut.” Lacey runs her hand over the top of his Mohawk.
Wyatt grins, but he is far less impressed by the hot girls standing with us than me. He tosses another ball toward the fish he’s decided he can’t live without and misses again.
“Nice goal tonight,” Lacey says. “Consider me impressed.”
