Free Secret Weapon by Matt Christopher Page A

“Stookie’s wrong. If you’re nearest to the ball when the other team sends it over the touchline, it’s
     up to you to take the throw-in. Otherwise, the referee might think we’re trying to delay the game for some reason.”
    Lisa knew Ted was right. In soccer, unlike most other sports, the time clock was never stopped, not even when the ball went
     out of bounds. When the ball did go over the side boundary, it had to be put back into play as soon as possible, or else time
     was wasted. The person taking the throw-in had to move fast.
    That wasn’t all. There were rules about how the ball was thrown. The player had to face the field when throwing, and his or
     her feet couldn’t cross the touchline. At least part of each foot had to be planted on the ground when the ball was being
     thrown —no jumping up or running back and forth. And the ball had to be thrown with both hands from behind and over the head.
     You couldn’t chuck it one-handed like a baseball, or toss it up underhanded.
    Sometimes, Lisa worried that she wasn’t going to do the throw-in right. That’s when her throw-ins were the weakest. But how
     could she help that?
    Once again, Ted seemed to read her mind.
    “Coach Bradley said we’ve got a lot to work on tomorrow. Maybe throw-ins will be on the list. We’ll probably do them over
     and over until we know just where and how to position ourselves perfectly.” He grinned at hissister. “So quit your worrying and get ready to race me home! On your mark, get set, GO!”
    With a peal of laughter, Ted took off. Lisa pounded after him. All thoughts left her mind except one: winning!

Chapter 3

    D inner that night was lasagna with buttered bread and crunchy salad. Lisa and Ted devoured everything on their plates, then
     helped their parents clean the kitchen. Since it was summer, they were allowed to either play outside for an hour or watch
     television until bedtime.
    Unless it was raining out, they always played outside. At the start of summer, their father had brought home a big surprise—a
     huge trampoline! When Mrs. Gaddy raised her eyebrows, Mr. Gaddy had just shrugged.
    “I always wanted one when I was a kid,” he confessed. “And Lisa is so good at gymnastics I bet she’ll love it.” He was right
     about that. Lisa had been taking tumbling and gymnastics since she was four.
    Mr. Gaddy showed Ted and Lisa how to use the trampoline safely. Soon all three were taking turns bouncing up and down, doing
     the splits, and landing on their backsides. They looked like they were having so much fun that their mother tried it, too.
     When she came off laughing, the twins knew the tramp was there to stay.
    Ted was taking a turn first tonight. He stepped into the middle and started to bounce.
    “I’m going to try a three-sixty!” he called. Lisa watched her brother bounce high and spin like a top, trying to make it all
     the way around before he touched down. As usual, he lost his balance and collapsed in a heap.
    Lisa laughed.
    “Oh, sure, laugh all you want,” Ted grumbled good-naturedly. “But I’d like to see you do it!”
    “I will, when it’s my turn,” Lisa replied, eyes twinkling. Thanks to her gymnastics classes, she had better balance on the
     trampoline. Both she and Ted knew it.
    “Yeah, well …” Ted bounced some more, flailing his arms and legs in such a crazy way that Lisa couldn’t stop laughing.
    “Okay, your turn,” Ted said, carefully lowering himself over the side.
    Lisa stepped to the center. On her third bounce, she did a perfect three-sixty. Before Ted could say a word, she was up doing
     another, this time in the opposite direction.
    “Show-off!” Ted yelled. Lisa knew he didn’t mean it. She just kept doing three-sixties, first one way, then the other so she
     wouldn’t get dizzy. She did the splits, too, and a couple ofpikes, with her legs ramrod straight out in front of her and her fingers reaching for her toes.
    While she was taking her turn, their