Free Reality Check in Detroit by Roy Macgregor Page B

escaped. In fact, Travis thought Nish had deliberately taken out as many of the Motors as he could. He wanted an Owl to win. So, too, did Travis. He had no idea of the count, but it seemed to him the Motors were having a pretty good afternoon.
    The whistle blew again and now there were seven bulldogs to avoid, not just Nish. Travis got through all right, but Sarah didn’t.
    Travis huddled with Dmitri at the far end. “This could be over fast,” Travis said.
    Terry, the whistle blower, gave them a moment to catch their breath before the next run, and Travis skated to the boards, his hands on his knees, gulping air. While he gathered himself, he heard someone talking – not in a normal voice, but like an announcer speaking to a TV audience. Travis straightened up and looked over the boards.
    A camera crew had set up with the rink and the British Bulldog game as a backdrop, and an attractive woman reporter was doing a take while the cameras rolled.
    “And so, here at the Henry Ford estate on this beautiful winter afternoon,” she was saying, “the Detroit Motors have mounted a comeback to go down in history on
Goals & Dreams.
Up against the powerful Screech Owls peewee hockey team, and down 5–2 in Saturday’s competition at the Joe, the plucky Motors have now pulled even in this remarkable competition featuring teams from two different countries – really, two different worlds …”
    The whistle blew. It was time to charge back. Travis had no time to digest what he had heard.
    The bulldogs now outnumbered the skaters. Travis slipped through, and he saw that Cody Kelly, with his amazing ability to turn on a dime, had made it, too. So had little Simon Milliken and two of the Motors. But that was it.
    The whistle blew again. Travis didn’t have time to catch his breath this time. The five survivors dashed for center ice, but an entire wall of bulldogs was awaiting them. It seemed hopeless.
    Travis looked back. He saw that Cody had slipped in right behind him, hoping to use him as a shield. Why not? Travis thought. Smart move.
    Travis went straight at the area where Nish and multiple bulldogs were waiting. At the last moment, he deked right and dived, hoping to slide through the wall of taggers. It didn’t work.
    Cody went the other way, jumping right over one of the bulldogs who had tried to tackle him, and in an instant he was away. Cody Kelly was the last skater standing – the king of British Bulldog.
    All the Motors raced to pile onto their hero.
    Nish, sweating heavily and beet red, was muttering. “No fair
again.
If I hadn’t been picked to be the first bulldog, that would be me!”

    Sarah had been impressed by Cody’s agility. She thought she should go down and congratulate him and skated in his direction. As she did so, she was suddenly aware that virtually every camera was on her, moving with her.
    Cody smiled when he saw her coming.
    “Nice skate,” she said, and stuck out her hand to congratulate him.
    “
Closer!
” Brian shouted from the boards.
    Now Nish, who’d seen his beloved cameras racing away to film someone else, remembered his script instructions and decided he’d join in. He skated hard toward where all the other players were making room for Sarah and Cody.
    Sarah saw him coming. Her eyes widened in shock.
    Travis was between Sarah and Nish. He knew he had to act, and fast.
    Moving quickly to block Nish, Travis reached up and slapped Cody affectionately on the helmet. “Good run!” he said. “You deserved the win.” And then, grabbing Sarah’s hand, Travis skated her away as though they were a couple in a movie, on an outdoor rink on Valentine’s Day, knowing that his face was glowing brighter than the bright lights they’d set up for the TV reporter.
    What had she said? “
Plucky Motors? Two different worlds?
”
    What was going on?

13
    “I ’m gonna hurl!”
    For once, Travis didn’t doubt for a moment that this was exactly what his sometimes-best-friend,