right the late afternoon air had taken a chilly turn It should be here any minute I said looking down at my watch Five more minutes and then we’ll go inside Promise You’re sure the letter comes today asked Louie Of course she is Rana answered for me Remember the countdown calendar she keeps in her desk There’s no way she got the date mixed up We’re staying until the letter gets here But what about that snack I smiled thinking of the homemade calendar nestled safely in my desk drawer For the past month I had diligently crossed out each finished day An army of bright red X’s marched their way toward today the last day of October Today was the day the letter would arrive The day I would find out whether or not I won the Cape Chronicle essay contest 6
The newspaper wants to connect with a younger audience Mom had explained when she first told me about the contest We’re starting with sports If Mac picks your essay you get a junior internship with him Mom was the Arts Entertainment Editor of our town’s local newspaper Mac McGovern her coworker was the Cape’s legendary Sports Editor Working with him would be a great step toward becoming a professional sports broadcaster I had sat down that very night and worked on my essay When I write for school I jot down every idea that pops into my head Brainstorming is a good way to get the creative juices flowing But for this essay I knew exactly what I wanted to write about My life on the sidelines My older twin siblings Santi and Cici have been star athletes since taking their first steps Between the two of them they play just about every sport offered at Cape High 7
Santi is the starting quarterback for the football team and point guard for basketball He’s even the captain of the lacrosse team Cici is also a varsity athlete She plays starting forward in field hockey center in basketball and is the highest-ranked tennis player in Cape High’s history By the time I came along Santi and Cici were already playing on competitive junior travel teams When I was old enough to play a sport of my own our weekends were already completely booked with their games That might upset most kids but I actually enjoyed watching instead of playing In fact watching from the sidelines is how I first realized that I wanted to be a sports broadcaster one day Hot apple cider and pumpkin cookies Mom said snapping me back to reality Want some Mom placed a wobbly tray of mugs on the front step careful not to spill any of the steaming cider 8
Cici followed with a plate of her famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookies Their freshly baked orange crust glittered in the fall air Yum cried Louie Thanks Mrs Esposito Alana Louie and Rana jumped out from underneath their blankets and each grabbed two cookies and a mug They sat back down on the front step right next to the treats The chilly weather was no longer a problem Yum sighed Alana She polished off each cookie in one bite Mom and Cici plucked a cookie from the pile and joined the girls on the steps They huddled close blowing the steam from their mugs Don’t you want a snack Maya Mom asked She nodded to the last mug on the tray The warm smell of nutmeg wafted over It was instantly blocked by the knots in my stomach No thanks I said I’m too nervous Are you sure you don’t know who the winner is Mom 9
