Amos and the Alien Read Online Free Page B

anybody.”
    “A scientist doesn’t always have to tell about things right away. Just knowing it’s out there is good enough for now. Of course, after Girrk’s gone, I can show people where it is. And then—who knows, they’ll probably want me to go to work for NASA to do research on it.”
    “Wait a minute. How come it’s okay for you to use Girrk to get a job at NASA, but I can’t use him to win a lousy football game?”
    “It’s like this …”
    “Never mind. When you start like that, Idon’t want to hear it.” Amos stood up. “Come on, Girrk. Let’s go work on your spaceship—Girrk?”
    Girrk was sitting in the middle of the floor. A big tear rolled down his cheek. “Girrk miss Turko. Girrk going back. Girrk belong Turko.”

• 11
    Amos was looking at Dunc in disbelief.
    “Who’d have thought Girrk could have fixed his spaceship so quickly? He didn’t even tell me good-bye.” Amos took his jersey out of his locker and slipped it over his head. “I thought we were friends.”
    Dunc tied his shoe. “He left you a note.”
    “Some note. He wrote it in his own language. It looks like a bunch of chicken scratches.”
    “He probably told you thank you for everything, he’ll really miss you, and maybe someday he can come back and visit.”
    The field house doors opened with a bang, and Coach stepped into the room. “Binder,you better be able to repeat yesterday’s performance. The Barton Bruisers have demanded a rematch.” Coach lowered his clipboard and put his face near the end of Amos’s nose. “Since I knew that wouldn’t be a problem for you, I accepted.”
    “Coach, there’s something I really need to tell you.”
    “No time, Binder. The Bruisers are already on the field.” The coach slapped him on the back. “I don’t want you to feel any pressure, son, but the whole team is counting on you.”
    Amos watched him leave. “I’m dead.”
    “Not necessarily.”
    “Right—I’ll probably just be crippled for life.” He glared at Dunc. “And you know what I’m going to tell people when they ask how a nice guy like me wound up in traction? I’ll tell them it was because I listened to my best friend.”
    “I have a plan.”
    “Now that’s more like it. I hope it involves us hiding out in a foreign country with new identities.”
    “No. You’re going to go ahead and play the game.”
    “You call that a plan?”
    “It’s simple, Amos. The object in the game of football is to smash whoever gets the ball, right?”
    “Sort of.”
    “Then the logical thing to do is make sure you never get the ball.”

• 12
    The team lost the toss, and the Bruisers elected to receive. The kickoff was good, but the Bruisers ran it all the way up to the team’s twenty-yard line on the first play. Amos knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they scored and it would be his turn to go in.
    He sat on the bench talking to himself.
Get rid of the ball. Get rid of the ball
.
    It happened. A touchdown for the Bruisers. Coach called a fast huddle on the sidelines. “Okay, boys, it’s up to you. Remember, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like you do.”
    Amos thought about telling him that heusually jumped into his with both legs, but since he couldn’t figure out what putting your pants on had to do with the game anyway, he kept quiet.
    The coach went on. “Binder, you’re in charge out there. No mercy—I want you to destroy them.”
    “This is probably not the best time to bring this up, Coach, but I …”
    Amos forgot what he was going to say. He looked up into the stands and saw her. Melissa Hansen was leaning over the rail talking to one of the players, her long blond hair blowing in the wind.
    Amos sighed. The coach was saying something. “Did you get that play, Binder?”
    “Uh-huh.” Amos stared dreamily at Melissa.
    The next thing Amos knew, he was on the field. The Bruisers kicked off, and the ball landed at his feet. Without thinking, Amos reached down