Free Team Play by Bonnie Bryant Page A

school’s Hospital Festival.
    “Work?” Veronica said, as if the word were unfamiliar to her. “You mean to tell me that Stevie has put you boys to
work
?” Her voice rose.
    “I am going to make a ring-toss,” Marco said proudly.
    “I’m doing decorations,” Enrico called down from a perilously high ladder. The red and white crepe paper he’d put up looked wonderfully festive.
    “And Andre is in that booth over there,” Marco said, pointing. “I think they are bolting it together. He’s very good with such things, you know.”
    “But you’re championship riders!” Veronica almost shrieked. “You shouldn’t be doing these menial tasks! You should be—” She searched for words.
    “What?” Marco asked. “We should be sitting on a veranda, sipping sodas and looking at a field of horses?”
    That was obviously exactly what Veronica had in mind, particularly if the veranda overlooked her back yard.
    “Pah! We can do that anywhere,” Marco said, speaking for his friends. “We’d rather do something useful. And Stevie certainly needs us. Besides, it’s fun to help with such worthwhile activities. Don’t you agree?”
    Veronica was cornered, and Stevie knew she couldn’thave done a better job of it herself. Veronica saw that she had only one route. She took it.
    “Oh, yes,” Veronica said. “I, myself, enjoy sipping soda on a veranda as much as the next person, and I would have been willing to do that with you boys if you’d wanted it. But since you don’t, I can do something that is really much more important. I can help. After all, Fenton Hall is my school and I’m always willing to pitch in and do anything to help the school—or the poor little crippled children.”
    Stevie thought gleefully that she had never heard such insincere garbage in her life. It was music to her ears. All of the workers at the fair began to gather around Stevie and Veronica. This was a conversation they didn’t want to miss.
    “Why, how lovely of you, Veronica,” Stevie responded, sweet as sugar. “We all know what your loyalty has meant to the school in the past.” She paused for the insult to register on Veronica’s face, but it was apparently too subtle for the girl to understand. Stevie went on. “We’re almost finished here and I think I have all the volunteers I can use for this afternoon, but I do have one special job that you can do for me tomorrow at the fair.”
    “Me?” Veronica touched her chest to indicate herself, as if she wasn’t sure who Stevie was talking to.
    “It’s a really important job, Veronica,” Stevie said.“Until now, I haven’t found just the right person for it, but now I know who that is. It’s you.”
    “Me?” she said again. Stevie thought Veronica ought to work a little more on her conversational techniques. She was getting really boring.
    “Yes, you,” Stevie said patiently. “You know, each one of these booths has an activity—ring-toss, bowling alley, all those things we do every year. Each booth needs at least one person to run that activity. Well, I want you to be in charge of Booth Number Thirteen tomorrow.”
    “Me?” Veronica repeated for the third time.
    “No. Ghengis Khan,” Stevie said, unable to hide her irritation any longer. “Of course, you. Anyway, I think Booth Thirteen is going to be our biggest attraction. You’re just the person to run it.”
    “Well, I don’t know, Stevie,” Veronica began.
    Stevie was afraid Veronica was going to back out of the project. “You
are
,” Stevie insisted. “After all, who cares more about Fenton Hall than you? Who has shown, year after year, that deep concern for the kids in the hospital? And, don’t forget, this year, we’ve got horses involved. Is there anybody in town more involved in riding programs? Oh, yes, Veronica, this is an honor which you deserve.”
    “Well, I think you’re flattering me a bit, Stevie,” Veronica said. “But, of course, I do like to be a part—”
    “Oh, you’ll