6 JUST A DROP OF WATER Seriously He usually runs faster than we’ve seen this last week He is a machine I guess that’s not a bad thing I mean we’re sure to go undefeated this year with Kirk Sa(cid:85) and (cid:85)e (cid:49)t(cid:188)ll be (cid:79)reat to finall(cid:97) beat (cid:56)al(cid:85)etto (cid:58)id(cid:79)e a k a Palmetto Bugs or just Bugs as Sam calls them They run dirty In the thick woods when no one’s watch ing they trip kids or push them into the bushes Tyler Montgomery’s the leader of the Bugs Last year he pantsed me as he ran by I tripped on my shorts and must’ve yelled out before my face hit the ground Sam who was in front of me doubled back to help I scrambled to my feet and pulled my shorts back up We tried to catch Tyler but I was down for too long We lost the meet too A lump rises in my throat remembering it Tyler’s the Bugs best runner and next year we’ll all be in high school together But I’ve decided that I’ll never let him beat me again This year he and his team are going down Yeah it’s good to have Kirk with us I stick out my fist and he b(cid:93)(cid:85)ps it Huddle around boys Coach adjusts his sunglasses Next week on Tuesday uh that should be the eleventh we get our shot at Palmetto Ridge (cid:53)(cid:97) sto(cid:85)ach (cid:198)ips (cid:95)ith both e(cid:96)cite(cid:85)ent and (cid:78)ear Sam’s got a smile as wide as that momma gator’s mouth (cid:51)ir(cid:83) (cid:79)lances aro(cid:93)nd li(cid:83)e he(cid:188)s tr(cid:97)in(cid:79) to fi(cid:79)(cid:93)re o(cid:93)t (cid:95)hat the big deal is
KERRY O’MALLEY CERRA 7 (cid:49) (cid:95)hisper to hi(cid:85) (cid:185)(cid:49)(cid:188)ll fill (cid:97)o(cid:93) in later (cid:186) (cid:53)a(cid:97)be (cid:49)(cid:188)ll invite him to run with Sam and me this weekend Coach waves us off Remember practice Monday We’ll be taking our team picture so wear your jerseys to school He fumbles with the stopwatch in his hand Oh I almost forgot Our team captains My heart buzzes Sam and I have been planning this since sixth grade train hard keep Coach happy and lead the team our eighth-grade year Coach looks at me and his face tightens He’s get ting ready to call my name I can feel it Kirk you’ve been great with helping out the younger teammates since you got here That’s good leadership Going by that plus the fastest times the captains this season will be Sam and Kirk Kirk Seriously The seventh graders stare at me Sam grabs my arm pulling me away before I can tell Coach how messed up that is I wrench myself from Sam’s grip I practiced all summer for nothing Sam shoves me toward the school Go get your stuff I’ll talk to Coach for you I don’t want you saying something dumb and getting kicked off the team (cid:185)(cid:49) ne(cid:94)er (cid:95)anted to be on the tea(cid:85) in the first place(cid:9) I hate cross country
8 JUST A DROP OF WATER Yeah but you worked too hard to quit now Besides you know he’ll cut you from track in the spring if you don’t run cross country Sam’s right but it’s still not fair This is my third year on the team I did everything I was supposed to do and worked my butt off to get my times down they’re the best they’ve ever been If Sam hadn’t ambushed me in the woods we might have both beat Kirk today But maybe not The kid is crazy fast He’s headed toward the locker room with the rest of the team totally dumb to the fact that he just stole my spot Seriously what’s the point in having a plan when it all just blows up in your face (cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119)(cid:119) At home when I get out of the shower everyone’s already scattered around the dining room table Dad and Sam’s parents Mr and Mrs Madina are at one end Sam his twin sister Aamber and I sit at the other Mom made my favorite foods mac-n-cheese and hot dogs She leans over the table takes away the two extra plates and motions for us to scoot closer saying Uncle Hugh and Aunt Margie can’t make it They’ll drop your gift off another day Uncle Hugh was my grandpa’s best friend but we’re not really related He did a lot for Grandma and
KERRY O’MALLEY CERRA 9 Mom after Grandpa died Now Uncle Hugh’s a Flor ida state representative Mom’s his secretary which is cool because I get to see him a lot Mom sticks her head into the living room and calls to Grandma Are you joining us or not Grandma glides in and takes her seat at the adult end of the table You are not going to believe what they’re saying on TV CNN is claiming that Mother Teresa had an exorcism before she died Mrs Madina chuckles You can’t be serious Mom reaches for the bowl of macaroni I don’t believe that How can a lady who spent her life promot ing peace be full of demons It must be a hoax Dad slaps the table Well that’s enough news to get my head spinning Mr Madina’s wearing a Cookie Monster T-shirt and when he busts out laughing at Dad’s joke it looks like Cookie Monster’s laughing too That’s Sam’s and my cue to break away from their conversation Sam whispers to me I talked to Coach about Kirk He’s not budging I shrug Whatever Aamber mumbles through her food Kirk the new kid He’s super cute Great Fast and cute Aamber’s so weird I seriously have no idea how she and Sam are twins
