Even the Score (13 page)

“Well, guess what?” Alex was bursting to share her good news. “With all the donations and the money we're raising today, not only will we fix the fields, but we're going to buy the new scoreboard, too. Ms. Palmer called the company. Since it was still in the warehouse with our name on it, they're delivering it this week.”

“We're going high-tech!” Corey bellowed.

A deafening cheer rose up.

Logan produced a piece of paper and tore it into tiny pieces. With a whoop, he tossed them into the air. Confetti rained on Alex's head.

“Was that your petition?” Alex asked.

“You knew about it? It was a stupid idea,” Logan admitted. “We were wrong. You're a great class president, and you've proved that you're totally pro-football.”

Alex grinned. It felt good to be appreciated.

“The thing is,” she corrected him, “I am pro-football, but I'm also pro drama club and pro everything that's important to the kids here. Really, I'm pro Ashland Middle School.”

The smell of fresh grass and moist dirt tickled Ava's nose as she and the team finished their first warm-up laps around the restored field on Tuesday after school.

“A new field means a new start,” Coach K declared. “And what does a new scoreboard mean?”

“It means we should light it up!” they all called.

As Coach K broke them into groups, Ava motioned to Corey and Xander. “Corey, throw Owen your toughest, longest pass.”

“What's up?” Corey asked suspiciously.

“I want to show you something.” Ava grinned.

“What did you do to my boy, Sackett?” Xander teased.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Come on. Run the play already!”

Corey sent Owen all the way downfield before letting the ball fly. Kal and Ryan moved in to block Owen, but Owen was too quick. He dodged left, then right. Then, with a leap, he snatched the ball from the air and sprinted across the touchdown line.

“He's back!” Ava declared proudly. “No more distractions.”

“Run that again,” Coach K called from the sidelines. Play after play, Owen's attention stayed on the ball and on Corey. He caught and ran like a star. Coach K nodded with pleasure.

“You did that?” Xander asked Ava, as they sat together on the bench.

She nodded. “For the team.”

Xander turned serious. “I hope you didn't break his heart. Owen's a good guy.”

“His heart is fine. Better than fine,” she assured Xander. She filled him in on her awesome matchmaking skills.

The center sent the ball back to Corey. Corey pinpointed Owen, waiting for him to find open ground, and then he bulleted the ball. Owen reached up to cradle it in an easy catch, but
at the final second, his head swiveled toward the new bleachers. He stumbled and his fingers grasped at air.

Once again, the football lay at his feet.

What was that?
Ava whirled around and let out a loud groan.

Kylie, in bright-green jeans and a flowing yellow top, climbed the bleachers. Owen watched her movements, as if in a trance. The telltale red blush crept up his neck.

“Here we go again.” Xander sounded exasperated.

“No, no!” Ava called. “I can fix this!” Even though she knew she'd get scolded for leaving the field, she ran to Kylie's side, her cleats clattering on the metal stairs.

“What are you doing up here?” Kylie asked, bewildered.

“I need to tell you two things. Good news and bad news.”

“Good first, most definitely,” Kylie said.

“Okay. Good news: Owen is
totally
into you.” Ava paused, delighting in Kylie's wide smile. “Now for the bad news. Don't laugh, because this is serious. You can never, ever come to another practice or game again.”

“Hello? Yes, this is Alexandra Sackett.” Alex put her hand to her right ear to muffle the sounds of the food court. “Yes. I—I did? I
did
? Oh my gosh, thank you! Yes! Yes! Yes, I will! Thank you! Bye!” She clicked off her phone and stared at it in disbelief.

Her friend Emily Campbell had paused in mid-sip of her raspberry smoothie. “What's going on, Alex? Who was that?”

Alex clutched her phone with both hands as though she expected it to leap away from her. “I won,” she said quietly. “I
won
?” Her voice grew stronger. “I
won
!”

“That is so awesome!” squealed Emily,
bouncing up and down in her chair. “Congratulations! Um, what did you win?”

Alex took a breath and composed herself. She looked at her friend, her green eyes shining. “That was the assistant to Marcy Maxon, the TV reporter.”

“Marcy Maxon! I totally know who that is! She's a celebrity! Why did her assistant call you?”

“I won the essay contest, Em! The one for KHXA's ‘Tomorrow's Reporters Today' series? I wrote an essay, and Marcy Maxon's assistant just told me that I was selected to be a kid reporter. I get to write, produce, and star in a feature story, and it's going to air next Sunday night! She said to check my e-mail, because they'll be sending me all the details.”

“Alex, that is absolutely and completely amazing!” said Emily. “Everyone in Ashland watches that segment! I've never known any of the kids who've done it, though. I can't believe I know you!”

Alex beamed at her friend. She loved that Emily seemed so genuinely happy for her, and it was fun to hear Emily's enthusiastic words in her pretty Texan drawl. Ever since Emily's best friend, Lindsey Davis, had started spending most
of her time with her boyfriend, Alex and Emily had grown even closer.

Emily leaped out of her chair and came around the table to give Alex a big congratulatory hug.

“What are we celebrating?” asked a voice behind them.

Alex slackened her grip on Emily and turned to see who it was. She gasped with surprise.

Luke Grabowski was standing right there between their table and the smoothie counter. He looked impossibly gorgeous in a faded black T-shirt and khaki shorts. Behind him were two of his friends that Alex didn't know. The three of them were holding paper cups from a fancy coffee place across the way, and Luke had a book under one arm.
Of course he has a book with him,
Alex thought. He was not just beautiful; he was also smart. And funny. And nice. In short, perfect.

Luke was her twin sister Ava's tutor. Alex had had a crush on him from the moment she'd first met him, but no one in the world knew it, she was positive. Well, except maybe Emily and Lindsey, because she might have mentioned to them that she had a huge crush on a high school boy.

“Oh, hi!” she said, but her voice came out all squeaky. She didn't dare look into his gorgeous blue eyes, so instead she focused her gaze on the coffee he was holding. Drinking coffee was such a high school thing. She'd never really liked it much, but she immediately resolved to add “try coffee again” to her to-do list.

“So did you guys just win the lottery?” Luke prompted. “We heard the squealing across the food court.”

Alex giggled. She raised her eyes to look at Luke, and then quickly looked away, overcome with bashfulness. She wasn't usually at a loss for words. On the contrary, Ava often told her she talked way too much and too quickly, but there was something about being in the presence of a crush that made her shy and awkward. And Luke was simply too handsome to look at for too long. It was like staring at the sun or something. But she recovered enough to introduce Emily.

“Nice to meet you, Emily,” Luke said, his voice as smooth as melted chocolate. “And this is Pete, and that's Brandon. We were just loading up on caffeine before we hit the books.” He held up his cup of coffee. “But tell us what the big celebration is all about,” he said.

“Oh, ha-ha,” said Alex. “It's no big deal.” She tried not to blush, although she knew she must be turning the same shade as Emily's smoothie.

Emily stepped up and saved her. “No big deal? Yeah, right! It's a
huge
deal! I was congratulating Alex because she just won an essay contest! She's going to be a kid reporter for KHXA. Marcy Maxon's
assistant
just called her!”

“Wow!” said Luke. He put an arm around Alex's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. She gulped.

“Awesome!” said Brandon.

Alex felt herself flush even more deeply. She couldn't think of a thing to say, but she knew that it was her turn to speak. Her eyes landed on Luke's coffee. “So, um, how's your coffee?” she asked.
Lame, lame, lame. What a dumb, stupid, idiotic question.

“I haven't tried it yet,” said Luke. He took a sip and made a face. “It's actually awful,” he said, after swallowing with difficulty. “I think they gave me someone else's order. It tastes like there's pumpkin spice or something in here. They put pumpkin in everything this time of year!”

“I love pumpkin spice!” said Alex quickly, and
then mentally kicked herself. What if he thought that was babyish or something?

“Here, have it then,” said Luke, handing his cup to her with an easy grin. “I'll pick up a more manly drink on my way out.”

“Thanks!” said Alex.
Say something, say anything, keep the conversation going.
“So, are you enjoying the book you're reading?” she asked.

“What book? Oh, this?” He held it up for them to see the cover. The title was
Circuitry
.

Alex had no clue what circuitry was.

“It's scintillating,” said Luke with a grin.

Scintillating.
He had such a huge vocabulary! And obviously he loved circuitry, whatever that was. Alex made a mental note to study up on the subject.

“Well, congrats again, Al. See you soon.”

And he and his friends ambled off.