Lazer McNulty is crazy about soccer and pushes the envelope every time he's on the field. He has a serious temper problem. When his coach cancels soccer season early, Lazer and his friends have a lot of time on their hands. The situation takes a radical turn when Lazer is pulled into an adventure of discovery. While learning that something terrible is about to happen in his town, he discovers a lot about himself, his sidekick cousin, Carmen, his friends, and the town's adults. Lazer becomes the unofficial leader of the pack as he and his friends try to stop the looming disaster.
Trouble in Soccertown
A Lazer McNulty AdventureBy Rita Olin Spencer OliniUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2009 Rita and Spencer Olin
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4401-5376-1Chapter One
If you want to know the truth, except for a couple of things that I'll tell you about eventually, life is good. Take today, for example. Here I am on the beach poking around in the holdfast of a giant kelp plant. Holdfast is the gnarled-up bundle at the end-like a root. Blue and orange brittle stars hide in the slippery jumble. Sometimes you can find pieces of polished green glass in the tangles.
Anyway, here I am with the sun warming my back and a little breeze keeping the rest of me cool. It's a typical warm fall day in Santa Elena, where I live. In fact, almost every day, a breeze blows from the ocean into Santa Elena. Usually, it's just a salty whisper reminding me that the Pacific Ocean is only a few miles away. This part of the California coast has sandy beaches, tide pools, and sometimes washed-up kelp.
The homes in Santa Elena are built tight against the sage-brush-covered hills. My street curves around, close to the hillside, and is filled with what my mom calls rustic cottages. Ours is one of the most rustic. A heavy sycamore tree leans against one side and gives the whole place a slightly tilted look.
My best friend, Benny, lives three streets away in a less rustic place. His dad is an environmental inspector. His job is to check water samples for pollution. If he's not out of town, analyzing sludge, Benny's dad is in the flower garden in front of their house. Plants with pink puffy flowers; long, snaky spikes with purple blooms; you name it, he grows it.
Spending time poking around in the kelp is interesting and all that. Plus, today there are a few surfers to watch. Beyond the waves, they wait on their boards for the next juicy wave. But the really big thing to do in Santa Elena is play soccer. Even little kids who don't have a clue are plopped on the grass with balls to push around. Every time they touch the ball with their chubby legs, some parent yells, "Woo hoo! Good job!" I'm not lying.
Santa Elena is soccer-crazed. We have leagues, camps, and clubs-all of that. Everyone in town has a favorite league team. Local players have gone on to play for big universities and big teams.
Mom enrolled my older sister, Kayla, and me in a soccer camp six years ago. Right away, my sister started picking up the moves, fast on her feet, awesome balance. Me? Not so much. I'm more of a diamond in the rough.
When we weren't practicing soccer, my sister and I used to bike to our favorite spot by the tide pools at least once a week. It was something we did so much that the idea of not doing it never occurred to me. Then, last spring, Kayla received a huge university soccer scholarship. She moved to her dorm a month ago. My mom is feeling lost without her.
Mom is in the mobile-food-service business. She drives a big, pink van with the words "Ruby's Famous Dogs" painted in large, red letters on the outside. Ruby is my mom's name. On the inside are stainless steel floors, two refrigerators, a sink, a grill, a built-in ice chest, and two coffee urns.
Early every workday morning, the van is packed with supplies. Oodles of all-beef, kosher franks are jammed into the refrigerators. Drinks are put on ice. Then Mom starts the coffee and pops cinnamon rolls and muffins into hanging bins above a counter. After everything is ready, off she goes on her downtown rounds.
The pink van rolls beeping into parking lots of shops and other places where people are hungry. Everyone wants a fast meal, and they want it, like, yesterday. Once she pulls into a spot, the action starts. She and her partner, Sid, pull open the van's side panels and start taking orders. Lunchtime is the busiest part of the day. That's when people order Ruby Dogs. Sid and Mom make them fresh. They are the absolute best hot dogs in the universe.
Mobile-food-service work isn't easy. At the end of each workday, my mom and Sid are exhausted. Kayla used to help out. She called her job "hosing the roach coach." I used to be the assistant hoser. Now I've been promoted.
Sid, our neighbor, is Mom's partner and co-owner of the business. We've known him for years. For someone who's on the old side, he's in good shape. He has long, gray hair, which he pulls back into a ponytail. Every day, he wears jeans and sandals and a collection of bright, beaded bracelets on each wrist.
There are more important things about Sid. I wasn't going to bring this up yet, but I guess you should know. Seven years ago, my dad found out he had cancer. When he couldn't help with the van business any longer, Sid pitched in. And, when Dad went to the hospital, Sid was right there by his side. Even at the very end, he was telling Dad stories and lame, worn-out jokes. It was Sid who convinced Mom to enroll Kayla and me in a soccer camp.
This year, I'm a Santa Elena Striker. That's the name of our soccer team-the Strikers. It's a league team. Our leader, Coach Marin, tells me I have potential. He tells me other things too, of course. There are three games left in our season. Another win and we're tied for first place. In fact, we have a game against the Rangers tomorrow.
Chapter Two
I can hear the commotion when I skid my bike into the chain-link fence next to the field. One of the best things about living in Santa Elena is this very soccer field. More than a hundred kids use this space, and it's totally grassless in spots. When you stand in the middle of the field, you can see the ocean. That's because the whole thing is on top of a little hill, surrounded by pepper trees. No place better in the world.
The Strikers are already warming up. Winning this game against the Rangers means a chance to be league champs again. Today, the sidelines are jammed. Voices of parents, neighbors, and kids rumble in the background.
In fact, there's so much noise that Coach Marin is almost yelling by the time he gives us last-minute instructions. "This season, we've had too many red flags, too much unsportsmanlike conduct. Each of you, remember, you are part of a team. Reckless play by one player has a negative impact on every other player." He's wearing sunglasses, and I still know he's looking right at me.
To be totally honest, Coach has a reason to be mad. I have been yellow-carded plenty of times. Two games ago, Coach pulled me off the field to calm me down. Other players are pushing the envelope too. I'm not the only one.
Summer is over, but it's still really hot. Sweat runs down the back of my neck as I slap high fives with my teammates. I rush for my place between our fullbacks and forwards. My usual position is midfielder. I play offensively and defensively, depending on the situation. Offense is the best. Then it's my job to set up the goals, or even better, score the goals.
Benny Ramirez, my best friend and an excellent goalie, catches up. We look around, and I see my mom and Sid standing next to Mr. Hollis on the sideline. Mr. Hollis is a real estate broker and major soccer fan. Benny recognizes a few Rangers players from last season. "Yo, Lazer, remember that humongous halfback? He shoved you all over the field last year." How could I forget?
The Rangers' midfielder starts the game with a kick that sends the ball down the field like a rocket. For the next couple of minutes, we chase it from their end of the field to ours. They chase it back again. No one has even been in a scoring position yet. Finally, I get a chance to...
