A Lot to Tackle by Belle Payton

but then she saw Alex’s grim look. “Sorry. I’m not making fun of you. I bet you’re just having a bad week.”
    â€œMaybe.” Alex shrugged.
    â€œLet’s talk about the game,” Ava said urgently. “What if the team loses? What then?”
    â€œI have no idea,” Tommy said. “I’d hate to move again.”
    â€œWell, forget it. I am not moving. I like my friends. I like my team,” Ava declared. “I fit in here.”
    â€œMe too,” Alex agreed. “But it’s not like we can do anything.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Ava cried. “You’re the queen of doing things. When the tornado tore up the football field, you rallied the whole town to fix it! And when Coach Byron didn’t have anyone to watch his kids, you set up a babysitting ring!”
    â€œThat was a different time.” Alex sighed dramatically. She seemed more interested in peeling the polish from her pinkie nail.
    â€œAl, why aren’t you into this? We need to get motivated. I can’t just sit around and hope for the best.” Ava turned to Tommy. “If they call you into the game, you need to score a lot of touchdowns.”
    â€œWhat if I can’t do that?” Tommy asked. “Or what if I’m not called in? You can’t pin this all on me.”
    Ava bit her lip. “Then we have to think of something else, because I refuse to leave. Operation Stay-in-Ashland begins now.”

CHAPTER
SIX
    One more week. One more week. The phrase repeated in Ava’s head all day on Thursday.
    In one week, she and Alex would leave Ashland to drive to Austin with their mom. Coach and Tommy would travel on the high school bus. All schools in Ashland would close on Friday for the game. Back in Massachusetts, only a blizzard or an ice storm closed the schools. But in Ashland many businesses planned to close too. The whole town was traveling to the game.
    Only one week to come up with plan B, she thought. Plan A was winning the game. That was up to Coach and Tommy.
    She couldn’t think of anything .
    And all anyone could talk about tonight was the big game. Of course, she was at the middle school football banquet, so that made sense.
    â€œAre you going to eat that?” Corey asked.
    Ava glanced down at the breaded chicken cutlet nestled next to limp green beans on her plate. “No. All yours.” She pushed her plate over to him. Then she glanced across McBride’s Family Restaurant. She watched her mom and Coach at one of the parents’ tables. Coach scratched his head and smiled at something Mr. Browning said. Ava spotted the tightness in Coach’s jaw. He could pretend to everyone that he was confident about the big game, but Ava knew better. She’d give him an extra-big hug before bed. He’d taken hours away from game preparation to sit with the know-it-all parents tonight. But he’d been there when Coach Kenerson presented her with the Hardest Worker Award.
    â€œOne hundred and ten percent!” her dad had called out, as he and her mom stood to applaud her. Coach had taught her to never give up.
    Ava examined the plaque engraved with her name. She wouldn’t give up on Ashland. She and this plaque were staying here. But how?
    â€œWhat a blowhard!” Corey whispered to her.
    â€œHuh? Who?” Ava whispered back.
    Corey tilted his head toward Mr. Whittaker, who was standing by the dessert display. He gestured wildly with his hands as he spoke. Other men listened with rapt attention. “Mr. Whittaker. Just because he’s superrich, he thinks he runs the show.”
    â€œWhat’s he doing here? ” Ava asked. “I thought he was president of the high school boosters.”
    â€œMr. Whittaker says he’s in charge of building future teams. If the preschool football kids had a juice and cookies party, Mr. Whittaker would be there,” Corey said. “He makes all the football