Sleepover Club Goes For Goal! Read Online Free Page A

I kept fallingover but the others helped me and now…”
    I don’t know what she went twittering on about because I stopped listening. I couldn’t believe that they’d do something like that without me.
    Suddenly I felt someone nudging me.
    “Kenny … Kenny, are you all right?”
    “What? Sorry, yes.”
    “You don’t mind if we don’t come to watch do you?” Frankie asked.
    “No, that’s cool,” I lied. “Have a good time.”
    I must admit that after that I went round in a bit of a fog. I realised how much I missed being with the others. And I didn’t have anyone to talk to any more. Frankie and I always used to ring each other up if anything was bugging us, but now I figured Frankie wouldn’t want to listen to my problems – especially as they involved her. Besides, I hated to admit that I might have made a mistake in choosing football over my friends. Still, as football seemed to be about all I was left with, I just had to make sure that I got into the five-a-side team.
    By the time Wednesday afternoon came round I was a bag of nerves. As I was leaving for the gym, the others stopped me.
    “Good luck!” said Rosie and Fliss together.
    “Hope you make the team!” smiled Frankie.
    “I’m sure you will.” Lyndz gave me a reassuring squeeze of my arm.
    I felt a bit choked to be honest, but I didn’t let them see that. I just said, “Thanks, I’ll do my best,” and headed for the gym.
    As soon as I was changed I went into the gym, expecting the usual boys and maybe a few of their friends to be there. I couldn’t believe how many people there were! It looked like some of the guys had brought along their entire families – including the cat! (No, that’s not quite true. Ryan Scott’s dog
was
there, but Mr Pownall made his brother take it home when it started weeing over some of the equipment.) Looking round at all those people, I kind of wished that I’d asked someone along to watch me. Even Molly the Monster would have been better than nobody.
    “Ah, Kenny.” Mr Pownall ran over to me. Helooked a bit flustered. I guess he hadn’t expected so many people to turn up either. “There’s something I’ve got to…”
    I’m afraid I didn’t hear what he said next because out of the corner of my eye I noticed some more people entering the gym. I was sure that I recognised that coat, and that hairstyle – and those hiccups.
    “You came
!” I flew over to where Frankie, Rosie, Lyndz and Fliss were standing.
    “Boy am I glad you’re here!” I told them. “I thought I was going to have no-one cheering me on.”
    “What makes you think we’re here to see you?” asked Fliss, eyeing up Ryan Scott.
    Frankie must have seen my face fall. “She’s only joking, idiot!” she laughed, punching me on the arm. “We wouldn’t have missed it.”
    “Look, I’m really sorry that I’ve been a bit of a dipstick lately,” I muttered.
    “Hey, hic, forget it,” smiled Lyndz.
    “Look, you’d better be going,” said Rosie. “Mr Pownall seems to be calling everyone together.”
    “See you later!” I called as I ran to the other end of the gym.
    “Break a leg!” shouted Fliss.
    I turned to see the others shoving her and telling her to be quiet.
    “Ow!” Fliss was squealing. “I thought that’s what you’re supposed to say …”
    Some things never change!
    It’s funny how five minutes can change the way you’re feeling. When I joined the rest of the guys who were trying out for the team, I wasn’t panicking any more. In fact I felt really positive and confident. Mr Pownall explained that we’d be doing our usual training exercises and then playing a full game. He said that he’d be watching us all closely and at the end of the hour he’d be announcing who he had picked for the team. I couldn’t wait to get on with it.
    “Kenny,” he called me towards him. “I don’t know if you were listening earlier, but you do know that…”
    THWACK! A ball landed smack in my left ear. It