Free Football Champ by Tim Green Page A

patterns.”
    “Right,” Peele said, “patterns. And you tell thecoaches so they can signal it in to Seth Halloway. He knows exactly what they’re going to do, so not only can he change the defense, but he personally can get right to where the ball is going to be?”
    “Yes.”
    “Because no way could Seth Halloway be playing like this without knowing the plays, right?”
    “Well,” Troy said, “Seth’s a great player.”
    “Was. He was a great player,” Peele said.
    “And he still is,” Troy said, scowling.
    “With your help?” Peele said in a nice, appreciative way. “He’s your friend, right?”
    “Yes, I help Seth.”
    “And if you didn’t give him the plays,” Peele said, “how do you think he’d do? Look,” Peele continued, dropping his voice to an even lower, more sympathetic volume. “This is a rough game. Seth’s old. That’s no sin. Honestly, though, he couldn’t do this without you telling him the plays, could he?”
    Troy looked down at his hands and said, “I guess not.”
    “I mean, the whole team wouldn’t be making this playoff run, would it?” Peele asked.
    “No,” Troy said, getting excited about the great thing he’d done, “and Coach McFadden’s job is on the line, so they have to win. He’s such a great guy, you know?”
    Peele nodded that he knew, then asked, “And youstarted all this about the same time your mom got the job, isn’t that right?”
    “Yes, she got the job,” Troy said. “Then she almost lost it, but I showed them what I can do.”
    “They were going to fire her?” Peele asked, raising his eyebrows in shock.
    Troy nodded. “They actually did. It was this whole mix-up. I had a press pass, and I went out into the bench area and got thrown out. I was trying to help, and so was she.”
    “And when the Falcons figured out that you could help them get the other team’s plays, they hired your mom, too?”
    “Well, they were…”
    Troy hesitated, a little confused and wanting to be clear.
    “’Cause she technically wasn’t working for the team anymore,” Peele said. “Right?”
    “Right.”
    “But once they found out what you could do, they weren’t going to leave her out in the cold. Kind of a package deal, right?”
    “Yes,” Troy said, “it was a package deal, kind of, but my mom’s great at what she does. It’s a win-win.”
    “That’s super,” Peele said, grinning. “And Mr. Langan, he’s got to be thrilled with all this.”
    “He is,” Troy said, nodding and offering up a smallchuckle, thinking about those ten-thousand-dollar checks.
    “Man, look at you,” Peele said, shaking his head. “You’re traveling around with the team and sitting in the owner’s box. Wow.”
    Troy smiled back, shook his head, and said, “I told them you’d get it.”
    “Oh yeah,” Peele said. “I get it. You get the plays and send them down on the coach’s headset. It’s a nice combination of human ingenuity and the latest technology.”
    “Yeah,” Troy said.
    “Would you say that’s right?” Peele asked. “Can I quote you on that, the combination of ingenuity and technology?”
    “That’s what it is,” Troy said, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his chest.
    “But they didn’t want you talking to me, though, right?” Peele asked.
    “Well, they didn’t know,” Troy said.
    “So, your mom, Mr. Langan, and Seth,” Peele said, “they all wanted to keep this thing pretty quiet?”
    “Sure,” Troy said. “They’ll probably kill me when they find out, but once they know you get it and that you’re on our side, it’ll all work out.”
    A sudden pounding on the other side of the door made Troy jump from his seat. The door handle rattled and shook, and someone began pounding again so hardthat cracks of light appeared in the frame as the door bowed in.
    “Troy!” Seth’s voice boomed at him through the door. “It’s me, Seth! Troy, are you in there? Open up!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
    PEELE FUMBLED WITH HIS tape