The Mystery of the Soccer Snitch Read Online Free Page A

practice scoring.
    â€œSee,” Betsy said quietly to Jessie. “She’s acting different. She’s being more of a team player.”
    â€œShe probably wants to show that the things in the letter aren’t true,” Jessie said.
    â€œBut everyone knows they are true!” Betsy said, and darted away.
    Jessie followed. She was thinking people can change. Wouldn’t it be nice if the letter ended up helping Kayla see her bad behavior? Jessie smiled at her own thoughts. Usually Violet was the optimistic one.
    â€œWhew, it’s hot!” Danielle called out. “I need more water!” She ran to the side of the field for her water bottle.
    â€œJust pour the water right on your head!” advised Lara. “I did that and I feel great!’
    Lara, indeed, was dripping with water. Danielle laughed and poured water on her own head. She also poured water on her long pony tail. Then several other girls, including Jessie, did the same. Jessie laughed. She felt much cooler.
    After they’d been practicing a half hour, Mia said, “It’s so hot, I think we should stop early.”
    The girls standing nearby agreed.
    Jessie went to drink some more water. Some of the girls gathered to the side of the field, not far from her. That was when Jessie heard Danielle talking quietly to Ashley. “What’s happening with the investigation? Did anyone find out who wrote that letter?”
    â€œThe coach is investigating. Didn’t he talk to you yet?”
    â€œNo,” Danielle said.
    â€œHe talked to me,” Ashley said. “I think he’s talking to everyone. You’ll get a turn. Then you can tell him what you think of Kayla.”
    Jessie turned away, disappointed. She had hoped the problems had been resolved. She sighed. She supposed the coach would talk to her, too. When it was her turn, she would tell him she didn’t think it fair for Kayla to get punished because of an anonymous letter.
    â€œGather around!” Mia called. “The coach says all the teams need to select a captain. He says we should have done that in the first place. So does anyone want to nominate someone?”
    Jessie raised her hand. “I nominate Kayla. She is the best player. I like how she played today, during practice.”
    â€œAll right,” Mia said. “Kayla is nominated. Any other nominations?”
    â€œI nominate Jessie,” Betsy said. “Jessie is a good player, too.”
    Other girls nodded in agreement. Jessie was the second best player on the team.
    â€œAny other nominations?” Mia asked.
    â€œI nominate Danielle,” Ashley said.
    â€œAnyone else?” Mia asked.
    Nobody said anything.
    â€œOkay,” Mia said. “We have three nominations. That should be good enough.” She handed everyone a piece of paper and passed around pencils. “The votes will be secret. Everyone can write one name.”
    After everyone finished writing, Mia collected the pieces of paper. She went to sit by herself to count the votes. She came back and said, “Jessie wins. Jessie is the team captain.”
    The girls nearby turned to congratulate Jessie.
    â€œBeing team captain is a big responsibility,” Mia said. “The team captain looks out for everyone. If you aren’t sure what to do in the middle of the game, look at Jessie. She’ll make the decisions.”
    Betsy leaned close to Jessie and whispered, “You’ll be great!”
    â€œThanks,” Jessie whispered back. She felt flattered—and sorry for Kayla. She believed Kayla should have been team captain. After all, Kayla was the best player.
    â€œLet’s meet back here at the same time tomorrow,” Mia called out. “Don’t forget to bring a water bottle! Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.” Then Mia turned to Jessie and said, “Coach Olson wants to know if Henry can help me coach your team tomorrow. Coach Olson said he’s a