Free Heads Up! by Matt Christopher Page B

mean, it was only one little nosebleed, after all.”
    Eddie gazed after Mrs. Caler. “Right. One little nosebleed wouldn’t be enough.” She tossed Amanda’s old T-shirt into the trash
     can and dusted her hands clean. “Well, see you at practice tomorrow!”

Chapter 4

    T he next day shone bright and clear, perfect for playing soccer. Amanda was looking forward to practice from the moment she
     got out of bed.
    An hour after breakfast she hurried to join her teammates.
    “Hi, Amanda,” Jason Shearer said, popping his gum. “Didn’t think we’d see you here today.”
    “Why not?” Amanda replied.
    “Oh, I don’t... don’t... know—ooh, oooh!” Jason pretended to faint.

    Amanda made a face. “Very funny,” she said. She balled her hand up into a fist and waved it under Jason’s nose. “Maybe I should
     show you up close and personal what it’s like to get a bloody nose.”
    “All right, that’s enough,” said Bundy Neel, captain of the Soccer ’Cats. “Jason, don’t you ever stop clowning around?”
    “Only when I’m in the goal!” Jason danced away.
    Bundy turned to Amanda. “Seriously, how are you feeling today?”
    Amanda shrugged. “Fine,” she said.
    But suddenly she wasn’t so sure. Jason’s little joke had reminded her of how painful being hit had been. And fainting hadn’t
     been any picnic either, if the truth were to be told.
    But getting hit was a fluke, a one-time thing,
she tried to reassure herself.
The odds against it happening again are a million to one.
    Coach Bradley appeared a minute later.The ’Cats did their usual warm-up drills, then the coach called them together.
    “I had a call last night asking if we could practice heading the ball today,” he announced. “So unless there are any objections,
     let’s start the drill.”
    No one said anything, though they glanced at each other. Amanda could guess what they were thinking, because she was thinking
     the same thing: Who had made the call to the coach? No one seemed to know.
    Just then, Eddie appeared.
    “Sorry I’m late!” was all she said.
    The coach nodded, then organized the drill.
    “Count off A-B, A-B.” The ’Cats did. “Okay, I want the A players on the center line. Spread out so there’s plenty of room
     between you.”
    The A’s moved to the center line.
    “Now the B’s form a line about five feet away from them.” Amanda joined the rest of the B’s. The coach started rolling a soccer
     ballto each of the A’s and explained the rest of the drill.
    “The B’s are going to kneel down. The A’s are going to lob the balls to the B’s and the B’s are going to head them back as
     best they can. Kneeling down teaches you not to lunge or jump for the ball. Lunging and jumping could lead to injury.”
    He rolled the last of the balls to the A’s. “Use the part of your forehead that’s closest to your hairline. Heading with the
     top of your head can hurt — and yesterday we saw what happens when you head with your face,” he added with a smile.
    Amanda knew the coach hadn’t meant to embarrass her, yet she reddened anyway as she knelt down. Then she looked up to see
     who her partner was, and suddenly she was no longer embarrassed. Instead, for a reason she couldn’t explain, she was uneasy.
    Maybe it was the way Eddie was tossing the ball from hand to hand and grinning.

Chapter 5

    “A ll set, partner?” Eddie asked.
    Amanda gulped, then nodded.
    “Well, then, here it comes.” Eddie tossed the ball high into the air. So high that Amanda lost sight of it in the sun. She
     squinted, then suddenly there it was.
    She couldn’t help herself. She gave a sharp cry, covered her head with her arms, and ducked.
    “Whoa!” Coach Bradley hurried up to them. “Everything okay here?”
    Amanda was about to answer but Eddie cut her off. “I don’t know what happened, Coach. It’s like Amanda’s afraid of the ball or something.”

    Amanda’s jaw dropped. “I am not!” she sputtered.