Lacrosse Firestorm Read Online Free Page B

the cold mud, his palms were scraped by the rough bark, and his arms and legs ached from fighting the current and pulling
     the branch. But at last, he dragged Scottie to safety.
    “Th-thanks!” Scottie sputtered. “I thought I was a g-g-goner!” A cool breeze had set the wet boy’s teeth chattering. Garry
     took off his sweatshirt and gave it to him.
    Scottie put it on, pulled his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them.After a moment, he stopped shivering. Then he gave Garry a puzzled look. “How did you get to me so quickly?”
    Garry blinked at the question. “I ran when I heard you yell. Scottie, what are you doing out here?”
    Scottie hugged his knees closer. “I was looking for you!”
    “Why?”
    Scottie didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “I wanted to make sure you were okay. See, I’ve been in your position before.
     I was bullied by a big jerk last year, kind of like Donofrio’s bullying you.”
    “Michael’s not bullying me!” Garry protested. “I mean, sure, he calls me names, makes fun of me when I mess up on the field,
     slams me to the ground on purpose, trips me …” His voice trailed away.
    Scottie gave a small shrug. “That sure sounds like bullying to me.”
    Garry picked up a rock and threw it into the river. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But don’t worry about me, I can handle Michael.
     I have before, anyway.”
    “You have?” Scottie looked at him with interest. “How?”
    Garry told him what had happened between Michael and Todd and how he had dealt with it.
    Scottie whistled in admiration. “You kept him from being top scorer? Cool.”
    “Yeah, well, he’s paying me back now. So what’s your story? Why were you being bullied?”
    Scottie held up his arms. The sleeves of Garry’s sweatshirt covered his hands. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a big
     guy.”
    “So?”
    “So even though I’m small, I’ve got great reflexes and can read the action on the field better than anyone else on my team.”
    Garry raised his eyebrows.
    Scottie laughed. “I know it sounds like I’m bragging, but really, it’s the truth.”
    Garry smiled. “Yeah, I know. I watched you during practice earlier.”
    “Anyway,” Scottie continued, “last year, another kid, someone bigger and older than me, wanted to be starting goalkeeper.
     But I got the position instead of him. He, um, didn’t like that too much. To say the least.”
    “What’d he do to you?”
    Scottie didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took off his wet sneakers and dug his toes into the slick mud. “Oh, the usual
     stuff,” he said finally. “Teasing, throwing my hat around on the school bus, getting other kids to call me Snottie. I shouldn’t
     have let it get to me, but it did, you know?”
    Garry nodded. He knew.
    “Anyway, life is much better now,” Scottie said.
    “Because you stood up to him?”
    Scottie flashed a mischievous grin. “Because he moved up a division this year so we’re not on the same team anymore!”
    Garry grinned too. Then he stood up and twisted around to look at his muddy backside. “I gotta change. Want to get going?”
    Scottie ran his fingers through his wet hair. “Good idea. My head’s freezing.” He put his shoes back on and stood too. Then
     he reached behind his neck for something. “Hey,” he said when he came up empty-handed, “how come your sweatshirt doesn’t have
     a hood?”
    “My brother and I kept getting our sweatshirts mixed up, so I cut the hood off mine. I never liked the way it felt, anyway.”
    They walked along the trail out of the woods in silence for a few minutes. Then Scottie remarked, “You know they give outthe top scorer award after this tournament, don’t you?”
    “Yeah, I’m sure good of Michael will be trying for it.”
    Scottie waggled his eyebrows. “Well, he won’t get any help from me, I can tell you that!” Then he laughed. “You know what
     would be really great? If you won it instead of