Free Kick by Tom Palmer (that summer book .TXT) 📕

‘Did you see that?’ Craig asked.

‘What?’

‘The ice rink?’

‘Yeah, I wish we could –’ Daniel began to say. But Craig interrupted him.

‘Let’s then,’ Craig said. ‘After they’ve all gone to bed. It was easy to get out last night. They’ll never think that we’d try it again. How about it?’

‘OK,’ said Daniel.

Sam was less sure. ‘I can’t risk it. Steve will go nuts.’

‘He won’t find out,’ Craig said.

‘What if he does?’ Sam insisted. ‘I can’t.’

‘Suit yourself,’ Craig said.

Then James was standing over him. Craig looked shocked and stared at James. James knew what he was thinking: that James had called his dad last night to get Craig into trouble.

For a few seconds nobody said anything.

‘I suppose you’re going to split on us, James,’ Craig said. ‘Again.’

‘Not if you let me come with you,’ replied James.

At first Craig looked surprised, as if he didn’t believe James. Then a smile crept across his face.

‘You’re on,’ he said.

Thin Ice

Ryan was too excited to sleep. He was going over the game in his mind: the defending he’d done with James, the penalty shoot-out. He wondered if he’d said the right things to the other players and if his firing them up had worked or not.

Then he heard a noise.

Running footsteps in the corridor.

Ryan waited for a few seconds, then opened his door a crack.

He saw three figures, all in coats. They were rushing, going down the stairs.

At first he thought it could be some of the adults, heading off for a pint. But the figures were too small. It was either three of his team-mates or three strangers.

Ryan pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt. He was captain of this team and he had to see what was going on. He had his suspicions about who he was about to follow. There was something about the figure in the middle that reminded him of someone.

By the time he got down to the entrance hall by the canteen the main door had closed. Ryan breathed in. What now?

Tell Steve?

Follow them and get them to come back?

Do nothing?

Ryan was feeling good about being team captain and if he could stop some of his players doing something stupid he’d do it – before they got into any more trouble with Steve.

Ryan opened the door to the street. There was a piece of card stuck to the lock. To keep it open, he realized. Whoever had gone out was expecting to come back in.

Ryan had to look up and down the street to see them. It took a few seconds, but there they were. Craig, definitely. Daniel, he thought too. And the other figure looked like James, but Ryan knew it couldn’t be him. James wouldn’t be so stupid as to do what Steve had told them not to do.

Ryan followed quickly. He wanted to get to them as soon as he could. Make them stop, make them see sense.

But it was hard. There were still a lot of people about. Most of them were going to or coming away from what looked like the ice rink Ryan had seen from the coach earlier. The roads were busy and noisy. It was hard to cross any of them. And people didn’t move out of the way to let Ryan get by. They seemed happier to walk into him or barge him out of the way.

It wasn’t until he reached the rink that he caught up with the others. They were standing by the entrance under a massive Christmas tree. Craig was going through his pockets.

Looking for money, Ryan assumed. Then James caught his eye.

Ryan went over quickly. He saw James’s face fall.

‘What are you doing?’ Ryan said.

‘Come to join us?’ Craig said. ‘It’ll be a laugh.’

They were standing in a circle now: Ryan, Craig, Daniel, James.

But James hadn’t registered that Ryan was there at all. He was staring over Ryan’s shoulder, still looking sad – or scared.

Ryan looked behind him, then back at James.

‘What are you looking at?’ Ryan asked.

‘You were followed,’ James said in a low voice.

Ryan looked round, puzzled, expecting trouble.

Then he saw Steve. And Paul. And James’s dad. All three with faces like thunder.

Red Card

‘What’s this?’

Steve was the only one to have spoken, and in a quiet voice. Nobody was used to Steve talking in a quiet voice.

‘An ice rink,’ Craig said.

James couldn’t believe Craig. What was the matter with him? He was breaking rules, answering back, like he couldn’t care less. Craig might do that with teachers. What could they do? But with Steve? The United coach? It was madness.

James looked at his dad. His dad appeared calm too. He was just looking at James with a question in his eyes.

‘Ryan?’ Steve said, turning to his team captain.

James broke in. ‘Ryan has only just got here. He was trying to get us to come back. He’s nothing to do with this.’

Ryan looked at James. His plan to save his team-mates from getting into any more trouble had failed.

‘Is that right, Ryan?’ Steve asked.

Ryan nodded.

‘Right, you go back to the rooms with Paul. Is that OK, Paul?’

Paul nodded and headed off back the way they’d come, with Ryan alongside him.

‘Anything else to say?’ Steve asked. His voice was getting louder. He looked at the three boys in front of him.

Nobody spoke.

‘Right. Craig, Daniel. Come back with me. You’re both getting the train home in the morning.’

Craig and Daniel said nothing. James could see they were trying to look like they weren’t bothered, but he could tell they were. They knew they’d made a huge mistake.

‘Cyril. James is out of the team tomorrow. I expect you’d like to walk back with your son alone?’

‘I would,’ James’s dad said.

Steve set off back to the accommodation. Craig and Daniel followed behind, without him having to ask them to.

‘What’s going on?’ James’s