Free Double Fake by Rich Wallace Page B

the first time in a while.
    Danielle squeezed Calvin’s arm. “You all right?” she asked. “Thought you were gonna collapse out there.”
    Calvin rolled his eyes and nodded.
    “You were tough,” Danielle said. “That game could have gone either way.”
    Yes, it could have, Calvin thought. That’s what he loved about sports. If you made the effort, gave everything you had, then at least you’d be in a position to win. You wouldn’t always come out ahead, but you wouldn’t always be on the losing end, either.
    He held his head higher as he walked off the field. His parents were smiling and clapping for him. Coach Diaz was shaking hands with Dr. Rosado, and Angel and Orlando were laughing as they squirted water at each other from their drink bottles.
    Zero came up and punched Calvin lightly on the shoulder. “Three down, one up,” he said.
    Calvin took off his jersey and wiped his face. They’d lost. There wasn’t much to say about it. But there were lots of seasons ahead. Basketball, baseball, track. Football practice would start in less than a week.
    There were plenty of chances to come out a winner. Plenty more chances to even the score.

READ AN EXCERPT FROM EMERGENCY QUARTERBACK WINNING SEASON #5!
    J ason lined up in the shotgun. He took the snap and drifted toward Calvin’s side of the field, watching for just the right second to unload the pass. But Anthony was already in pursuit, and line-backer Anderson Otero was circling toward him as well. Calvin was tightly covered. This wasn’t going to work.
    Jason pivoted and ran wide around Anthony, scrambling toward the other side of the field. He was twelve yards behind the line of scrimmage, in danger of a huge loss if he was caught. But his speed carried him past the on-rushing linemen, and suddenly he was heading up field, going wide around the end and cutting along the sideline.
    The field was clear ahead of him, but Willie Shaw was racing over from his cornerback position, and the angle between them was to Willie’s advantage. Jason upped his speed another notch, tucking in the ball and sprinting. Willie dove and Jason leaped, feeling Willie’s hand slip off his calf. Jason landed hard, caught his balance, and ran unchallenged into the end zone.
    Jason trotted back. Coach had called all of the players together, and they were standing near him or kneeling with their helmets off.
    “That’s what I was looking for,” Coach said.
    “Without Vinnie in there, we need to adjust in a big way. Jason hasn’t got the experience, but he’s certainly got the athleticism.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me!” came Wade’s voice. Everyone turned to look at him.
    “I’m the quarterback,” Wade said. “You said he was just the emergency guy.”
    “That’s right,” Coach replied.
    “Sounds like you’re planning to switch to him.”
    “I haven’t made that decision yet,” Coach said.
    “But Jason’s got the talent we need. Your status hasn’t changed, Wade. We need you. But we need to explore all the options. We’ve got a championship to win.”