Split Decision Read Online Free

to shadowbox for demonstration, finishing with a De La Hoya-style flurry of rapid-fire uppercuts.
    Chop smiled and stood, arms extended at his sides, as if inviting Alston to hug him. “Well, come on with it, Speedy .”
    Cody rose and grabbed his friend’s lamppost of a right arm. “Come on, Chop,” he said disgustedly. “It’s time to head to the track. We don’t need to wait for ATV. And, besides, you guys, how about some peace between classmates, between teammates, huh?”
    “I didn’t start this,” Chop said, giving token resistance to Cody’s efforts to pull him out of the wrestling room.
    “Hey, I was just making conversation,” Alston countered. “I didn’t mean to get under the big man’s skin. Didn’t realize he was so insecure.”
    Chop shook off Cody like he was shedding a jacket—a light jacket. “I got your ‘insecure’ right here, Blondie!” he snapped. “And don’t you mean ‘the big man’s black skin?’”
    Cody regained his balance and circled in front of Chop, planting himself like a tree in his path.
    “What are you smiling about, Code?” Chop asked sarcastically. “It’s on, finally . And there’s nothing anybody’s gonna do to stop it. It’s too late for you to do anything, even pray.”
    Cody returned his friend’s sad smile. “I already prayed, Chop. And I don’t have to do anything, because I just saw ATV walk by outside, heading this way. Coming to fetch us, no doubt. So unless you want to try to go through him —”
    Cody saw his friend’s face fall like a soufflé. Chop probably outweighed Gordon “ATV” Daniels by now, but the fullback/first baseman had recently bench-pressed 355 pounds, a new school record. And the previous weekend, in a pickup baseball game, he had hit a screamer of a line drive right back at the pitcher, striking him high on the forehead and knocking him cold.
    There wasn’t a sane person at Grant High School who would tangle with ATV—and even the insane people would probably know better. Cody surmised that Brendan Clark, the football team’s all-state linebacker, wouldn’t back down from ATV, but Clark wasn’t likely to fight anyone unless that “anyone” was trying to attack his mom or something.
    ATV was in the wrestling room doorway now, squinting his eyes. “Martin, Alston, Porter—you guys want to put in some work today or what?” he said, his voice gravelly with morning rasp. “Practices start in about a week. Martin, you and Alston should run with Ward and Clark; I think they’re gonna do about three miles, circling the park. And, Chop, you can run some wind-sprints with me and some of the other hosses. We’re gonna run the bleachers too. Build that power.”
    “We’re right behind you,” Cody chirped, gesturing to Alston to precede him out of the room. “Have a good one, Chop,” he said. “Get your speed on.”
    “Yeah, tear it up out there,” Alston echoed. His voice almost sounded sincere.
    But, just before Cody exited the room, he heard Alston mutter to Chop, “To be continued.”

Chop Gets the Big Hurt

    C ody watched the scene in the science hall after school—and marveled at how such a petite person like Jessica Adams could destroy a brute like Pork Chop. He watched Jessica, her face contorted, her broomstick arms occasionally flying out from her body, palms upturned. Chop faced her as she talked to him, his arms folded defiantly across his chest, his head shaking slightly from side to side.
    Presently, Jessica stopped talking and reached out, touching Pork Chop tentatively on his elbow. He pulled away, as if Jessica had shocked him. In a way , Cody thought, Jessica probably has shocked him .
    Cody recalled how, just a week previously, Robyn Hart had told him that Jessica was thinking of severing her month-long relationship with Pork Chop. At the time, he figured Jessica was just blowing smoke, just trying to create a little drama. After all, who would break up with the most popular student, and the