“But what?” Peggy pressed.
“I think he’s hiding something. I just don’t know what it is. But there’s something he’s not telling me. I have my investigator looking into it. There’s something about his story that just doesn’t add up.”
Madison heard Hamilton move toward the door. She scurried back into her office and pretended to be engrossed in her work in case he looked in on her. But she wasn’t thinking about her essay. She was thinking about Mark Shelby, and she was wondering what he was hiding from her father.
Chapter 6
“He’s Cute”
The next day Madison had her dad drop her at school extra early. Walking into the gym, she could already see a crowd of girls gathered around Coach Davis’s door, as well as a crowd of boys around Coach Chin’s door. Some of the girls were smiling, but others looked sad and a couple were even crying. Before Madison had a chance to read the list, Ashley, an eighth grader who had been on last year’s team, walked by her and said, “Nice job!”
Madison’s heart rate went way up as she studied the list of sixteen players: eleven starters and five alternates. Marci’s name was first on the list, and all but three of the names were eighth graders. None of the eleven starters were from the seventh grade, but Madison was number twelve, first alternate. Madison couldn’t help grinning. She was the top seventh-grade girl in the school and had the whole season to prove that she should really be a starter. Then Madison sobered. This was the first time she had seen a roster with her name on it and without Ann’s.
Before going to class, Madison took a quick look at the boys’ roster. Jake was not among the boys looking at this list, but his name was third among the starters. Wow, thought Madison, the third best player in the school was a seventh grader. She was impressed.
Madison was still excited about making the soccer team when lunch rolled around. She saw Becca, Jessi, and Lacey in the same seats on the lawn as the day before, but she didn’t join them. They’d always been more Ann’s friends than hers, and Madison usually found herself feeling shy and being quiet as the other girls chatted away about boys and clothes. She would want to join in, but she had no idea what to say. Where was Ann? Madison needed her to pave the way with her bubbly attitude, as she’d done since they were five. Just one more reason Madison was missing Ann so desperately.
Taking a seat alone at the far edge of the lawn, Madison pulled out the latest Max Stone novel and read as she ate her lunch. As she was finishing, Jake walked over. Sitting down, he pulled out the sketch pad he always carried with him. He tore off a piece of paper and handed it to Madison. It was a picture of Madison holding a soccer ball and watching the rest of her team play.
“Congrats on making the team!” he said with a smile as she looked at the picture. “First on the sub list is great.”
Madison blushed, embarrassed by the compliment. “Thanks! I saw you were third on the boys’ list. I’m sure a drawing of you would show you playing!”
“Yeah, well, I moved from Atlanta and I played on some pretty good teams back in Georgia. You must be less nervous today now that tryouts are over.”
“I’m still worried about my friend Ann.”
Becca, Lacey, and Jessi had been watching Madison talk to this new guy and had walked over. Madison wasn’t always comfortable around boys, but there was something about Jake that made her resent the intrusion.
Hearing Madison mention Ann, Becca took the opportunity to jump into the conversation.
“Ann hasn’t been kidnapped, Maddy.”
Becca turned to Jake and smiled. Madison found herself feeling worried.
“Maddy always thinks the worst has happened. Say, Maddy, why don’t you introduce us to your friend?”
“Sorry,” Madison mumbled, annoyed but not knowing what to do. “This is Jake. Jake, this is Becca, and my other friends are Lacey and Jessi.”
The girls smiled and waved.
“And I’m certain Ann is in danger,” Madison went on.
“What Maddy is trying to say,” Lacey interjected, “is that Ann hasn’t shown up since school started. But we’re sure she’s okay. She’s been in Europe all summer, and she’s probably taking a few extra days before she comes back to the States.”
Madison turned to Jake. “We met at soccer when we were five and made a pact to stay together through high school and win a state championship. There’s no way she would miss tryouts.”
“Missing tryouts is a very big deal,” Jake said, giving Madison a sympathetic look. Madison felt her insides glow.
“And Maddy has a very active imagination,” Becca said.
“That’s because her father is a criminal lawyer who defends murderers and bank robbers, so she always thinks the worst,” Lacey added.
“Your dad is a criminal defense attorney?” Jake asked, looking interested. “That’s awesome.” Madison looked up, a bit relieved.
Just then the bell rang.
“Oops. Got to go,” Jake said apologetically. “I’ll see you in science class. Nice to meet you guys.” He ran off.
“You didn’t tell us you had a boyfriend,” Becca said.
Heat rose in Madison’s cheeks. “He isn’t my boyfriend. We just sit next to each other in science.”
“He’s cute,” Jessi said as they gathered up their backpacks and headed inside.
Walking into science class, Madison was secretly happy to see that Jake had saved her a seat.
“Hi,” she said as she sat down.
“Hey,” Jake responded, looking serious for once. “I’ve been thinking. I want to help you find your friend. I’ve been playing soccer since I was six, and there is no way I would miss a tryout. Something bad must have happened to her.”
Madison was surprised. No one else had believed her.
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Madison said as the science teacher started to talk.
“Let’s meet after soccer practice to figure out a plan,” Jake whispered, so the teacher wouldn’t hear them.
“Perfect,” Madison mouthed with a smile as she opened up her textbook. Jessi’s right, she thought as she tried to pay attention to the teacher. He is cute.
Chapter 7
Payback
It had rained earlier that afternoon, and the field was muddy when Madison jogged out of the gym for the first day of soccer practice. Soccer was her outlet, her guilty pleasure amid all her academic hard work, and she was usually upbeat when a season started, but today her stomach was in a knot. She had never been bullied before and she felt anxious. She hoped that Marci and her gang would treat her differently now that they were teammates.
But over the course of practice it became clear that nothing had changed. Every time Marci or her friends had a chance, they would throw an elbow or try to trip her.
Her chance for payback came unexpectedly toward the end of practice. Coach Davis had broken up the squad for a scrimmage, and Marci and Madison were on opposite sides. Minutes before practice was set to end, Madison’s teammate passed the ball to her. Marci grinned and charged. From the look on Marci’s face, Madison could tell that she was aiming to end this encounter with Madison sprawled in the mud as she ran away with the ball she had captured.
Unfortunately for Marci, Madison had other plans. She saw her tormentor zeroing in on her and faked right, then changed direction at the last second. Marci tried to adjust to the fake, but she lost her balance on the slippery grass. Racing around Marci, Madison kicked the ball just beyond the outstretched fingertips of the goalie! The ball shot into a corner of the net, and Madison’s teammates shrieked and pounded her on the back. Madison grinned. Then she looked over her shoulder and saw Marci struggling to her knees. Half of her face was covered with dirt, and her shorts were smeared with mud and grass. Madison was tempted to gloat, but she decided that scoring a goal while Marci was eating mud would send a message that Madison was not going to be bullied. If Marci wanted to keep her position on the team, the only way she could do it was by outplaying Madison.