Road Trip Read Online Free Page B

Tristan asked.
    â€œYou can jump in, get cool, but no swimming.”
    â€œCould we go in tonight?” Kia asked. “We don’t have a game until tomorrow.”
    â€œI’m afraid there isn’t enough time. By the time the reception is over, it’ll be close to nine o’clock.”
    â€œBut then we’ll still have time to go for a swim,” Kia said.
    â€œAfraid not. I want everybody back in their rooms, lights out, by nine-thirty,” Coach said.
    â€œNine-thirty!” half a dozen voices called out.
    â€œThat’s what I said. We’re going to be one of the smart teams. We’ll be sleeping while some of the other teams are swimming, or watching movies, or eating junk food, or running around the hotel.”
    Or doing one of dozens of other things that would be fun.
    â€œTwo more things,” Coach Barkley said. “No-body, and I repeat, nobody, goes anywhere by themselves, and you don’t go anywhere no matter how many of you there are unless you clear it with either myself or Nick’s dad.”
    â€œDoes everybody understand that?” my father asked. “We’re responsible for you, and we can’t be responsible if we don’t know where you are at all times.”
    â€œAnd the last thing I want to warn you about is that I don’t want any of you talking to the pressunless one of us is around.”
    â€œTalking to the press?” I asked. “You mean, like, reporters?”
    â€œNewspaper and TV people,” Coach said.
    â€œThere’s going to be TV people here?” Tristan asked in amazement.
    â€œYou’re joking, right?” I asked.
    â€œNo joke.”
    â€œAnd they’re here to cover the games we’re playing?” I asked.
    â€œI told you all how big this tournament is. This is one of the biggest events this town has all year. There’ll be reporters there tonight at the reception, and you can bet we’re going to attract a certain amount of their attention,” Coach said.
    â€œWe are?” David asked.
    â€œI played my college ball just down the road from here,” Coach explained.
    â€œAnd people still remember from so long ago?” Tristan asked.
    Coach shot Tristan a dirty look. “More than you’d believe. But besides that, we’re a little different than the other teams.”
    â€œHow are we different?” Kia asked.
    â€œBecause of you.”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œThere are forty teams here, and each team has twelve players. That makes a total of four hundred and eighty players. Do you know how many ofthem are girls?”
    I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to that question.
    â€œOne?” she asked.
    â€œAnd, you are not simply the only female ballplayer this year. In the entire thirty-seven-year history of this tournament, you are only the second female participant.”
    â€œThat’s hard to believe,” Kia said.
    Coach shook his head. “But true. And that first player was here thirty-four years ago.”
    â€œIsn’t that when you were here as a kid?” I asked, remembering what he’d told us during the ride.
    â€œThat’s right,” Coach said. “That was the tournament where I was a player.”
    â€œAnd did you play against her?” Jamie asked.
    â€œNot against her,” he said with a smile.
    â€œIt was your sister, wasn’t it?” I said. “And she was on your team.”
    â€œThat’s right. My sister, Chris, was on my team.”
    Coach had a twin sister, and I remembered he’d told me that when they were kids they always played on the same team. She was supposed to be really good.
    â€œSo, Kia, since you’re the only girl here, there’s going to be a lot of eyes staring in your direction.”
    â€œSo what else is new?” Kia asked.
    Kia was right — what was different about that? Kia was pretty well always the only girl whether it was on the