Ann Martin - Kristy And The Walking Disaster

"Look at us, Coach!" shouted Suzi, as she and Buddy ran onto the playground, followed by Jessi pushing Marnie in her stroller.

Five more Kristy's Krushers T-shirts.

"We're here!" cried Karen as she and Andrew climbed out of their mother's car and their mom drove off. (This was not one of their weekends at our house.)

Andrew was wearing his Kristy's Krushers shirt.

Karen was wearing her shirt, too. It said Kristy's Crushers.

"Whoa, Karen!" I exclaimed. "How did that happen? Did your mom iron the letters on your shirts?"

Karen nodded.

"Well, she spelled our team name wrong on your shirt."

"My shirt is spelled correctly," said Karen. "It'll be the only one, too. Crushers. C-R-U-S-H-E-R-S. Crushers/Karen sounded like she was in a spelling bee. I knew there was no changing her mind. She takes her spelling very seriously. Anyway, I didn't see why I should discourage that.

Kids kept pouring onto the playground. Soon all the Krushers had arrived, as well as some more onlookers. There were Jessi and Marnie, of course. And Mr. Perkins. He was sitting in the stands with Watson. Haley Brad-dock, Vanessa Pike, and Charlotte Johanssen (another kid our club sits for) had shown up, too. I guess just to watch the action. Plus, a couple of little boys I didn't recognize were hanging around.

I looked over at Jessi and she waved to me. She was giving Marnie Cheerios from a baggie. When you go places with a two-year-old, you have to bring along an awful lot of equipment - toys, munchies, baby wipes, extra clothes, you name it.

"Okay, Krushers!" I shouted. "Everybody over here! I've got news!"

Watson and I had decided that I should tell the kids about our game against the Bashers as soon as possible. Since I wasn't sure how some of them were going to react, I wanted to make the whole thing sound as exciting as possible. I called Haley over to sign for Matt.

"You guys look great!" I exclaimed when we were all sitting down.

"A real team, like I said before," added David Michael.

I'd never seen so many happy faces in one place.

"What's the news, Coach?" Jake Kuhn wanted to know.

"The news," I said, dragging the surprise out tantalizingly, "is that we . . . the Krushers . . . are going to play a real game . . . against another team."

A murmur ran through the crowd. If it was possible, the kids' faces lit up even more. (A good sign.)

"Who are we playing?" asked Jackie.

"A team called the Bashers."

"Bart's Bashers?" squeaked Max Delaney.

I couldn't tell whether he sounded excited or terrified.

"That's right."

"Are they good?" asked Jackie.

"I've never seen them play," I replied honestly, "but I know that they're a little older than you guys. I mean, just on the average, so - "

"But they're not Little Leaguers?" said Nicky Pike.

"Nope."

There was a moment of silence. Then Hannie Papadakis said, "This is going to be so, so cool." I think she got that from me.

And Matt Braddock raised his hand to attract my attention, then signed that he couldn't wait for the game and that the Bashers better get themselves ready for it.

"When is the game?" Haley asked me, signing for Matt at the same time.

"Two weeks from today," I answered, "so we better start working. We need to practice, and I also want to assign positions to some of you. We've got to have a really good pitcher, a really good shortshop, and really good basemen. We won't be switching around so much anymore. The pitcher is the most important position, though, and everybody will need to work on hitting, okay?"

"Okay!" yelled the kids.

"Are we ready to get to work?"

"Yes!"

"Are we going to work hard?"

"YES!"

"Are we going to beat the Bashers?"

"YES!"

And right at that moment, I got another one of my ideas. Cheerleaders! Boy, could we use them! And I bet the Bashers wouldn't have cheerleaders.

"Haley," I said. "I know you don't want to play ball, but how would you like to be a cheerleader? Maybe Vanessa could cheer, too. And Charlotte."

"Wow!" cried Haley. "Hey, Vanessa! Charlotte! Come here for a sec!"

The girls left the stands and ran to us. I told them my idea.

Vanessa was so excited she practically burst out of her skin, but Charlotte began to look guarded. "I don't know," she said. "All those people watching. ..." Charlotte is really shy.

"Oh, please?" said Vanessa and Haley at the same time.

"Well, maybe I could help you make up some cheers and you guys could do them," said Charlotte slowly.

"That'd be great," I told her. I didn't want to force her into anything. Once, Claudia had

kind of pressured her into being in a beauty pageant, and Charlotte had ended up running off the stage in tears.

"Two cheerleaders and one helper would be perfect," I told the girls. Charlotte is very smart, and I knew she'd write good cheers.

The girls grinned at each other excitedly.

"Boy!" exclaimed Myriah. "Cheerleaders and everything!"

"Yeah," said Jackie. "If we're going to have a real game with team T-shirts and cheerleaders, maybe we should sell refreshments."

"Mallory could help Nicky and Claire and me bake cookies," said Margo Pike.

"We could sell lemonade," suggested Suzi Barrett.

I thought for a moment. Refreshments sounded like a lot of fun - and a lot of work. "Who's going to sell the refreshments?" I asked. "We'll all be busy playing or cheering or coaching."

"Our brothers and sisters," said Max Delaney. "I bet Amanda would help."

I doubted that, but Charlie and Sam might help. The Pike triplets might, too. "Well, okay. But what are we going to do with the money we earn?" I asked. "Remember, it will be team money."

"Buy team hats," Jackie replied immediately.

"We really need them. Only some of us have hats, and they don't match."

So that was all settled.

"Great," I said. "But now we better do the most important thing of all - practice."

I got the kids all worked up again, then divided them into two sides for a game. They really needed to improve their teamwork.

"Nicky," I said, pulling Nicky Pike aside, "I think you're the best pitcher we've got, so from now on I want you and David Michael to pitch at all our practices. But you'll pitch in the game against the Bashers."

Nicky looked awed and proud.

The game got underway.

Vanessa and Haley stood on the sidelines shouting, "Bash those Bashers!" and stuff like that. Watson cheered loudly for Karen, Andrew, David Michael - and the rest of the team.

But not too long into the game, I caught Suzi Barrett turning somersaults in the outfield and Linny Papadakis, an imaginary microphone in his hand, pretending to be a sportscaster, when he was supposed to be playing shortstop. And Claire's batting average was still zero.

I shook my head.

Claire struck out and Jackie stepped up to

home plate. Nicky pitched the ball, Jackie swung the bat, and CRACK! He slammed the ball so hard that everyone knew he'd gotten a home run. Grinning, Jackie set off for first base. But before he reached it, we heard another sound.

CRASH!

The ball has gone right through a window of Stoneybrook Elementary. And not just any window, the window of the principal's office. Thank goodness it was a Saturday. No one would be -

A face appeared in the window. It was the principal's secretary. He was out the side door of the school in three seconds flat. (Maybe he'd want to play on our team.)

"Who threw that ball?" he shouted.

Poor Jackie stepped forward. "Me," he said. "I mean, I hit it. It was a home run," he added hopefully.

The man smiled. But he still told Jackie that the Rodowskys would have to pay for a new pane of glass.

When he went back inside, I announced that practice was over. The kids would never be able to concentrate now. I was sure of that.