you, aren’t I?”
“Yeah,” Kirby said, smiling. Marty couldn’t be too badly hurt if he was joking around. “So? Did you break your arm?”
“Nah. They thought my shoulder was dislocated, but it turned out it’s only a bruise. It got all purple, though. Wait till
you see it — it’s really cool.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when I move it. But I’m in a sling, so I don’t move it very often.”
“I — I guess that means you can’t play with us next week,” Kirby said.
“It’s worse than that,” Marty said, his joking tone turning dismal. “Here’s the really bad news. When the town found out I
hurt myself, they got all scared about people using the parking lot. My dad told them we weren’t going to sue or anything,
but they don’t care. The mayor already told my dad he’s going to ask the town council to lock the parking lot so no one can
play.”
“Oh, no!” Kirby’s stomach knotted. “They can’t do that!”
“Yeah, well, you try and stop them, because my dad couldn’t. And he’s a lawyer.” Marty sure sounded down about it.
“Hey, Marty?” Kirby asked, a thought suddenly striking him. “How come you called me first, and not any of the others?”
“Huh? I don’t know,” Marty confessed. “I guess… I guess I wanted to see how it was going for my new teammate. And I don’t
know — about the lot being closed, I thoughtyou might have an idea or something. I already know what the others are going to say about it.”
“Like… ?”
“Like Trevor will start getting himself all upset, Lainie will throw a fit, Nick will cry, and Jamal will secretly be happy
he doesn’t have to get out there and face the Bad Boys again.”
Kirby laughed. “So what do you want to do?”
“I need to rest,” Marty said. “They gave me something at the hospital for the pain, and I’m kind of out of it. Could you call
everybody, and tell them to meet on E Street tomorrow at two? We need to figure something out.”
“Okay. See you then,” Kirby said, and hung up.
“What was that all about?” his dad asked, peeking over the top of his newspaper.
“Marty’s okay,” Kirby said, and explained about his shoulder being bruised, not dislocated. “I’ve got to make some calls,
all right?”
He ran upstairs to call the others from the phone in his mom’s office. Kirby wasn’t sure he wanted to tell his parents about
the parking lotthing. Not until after the meeting, anyway. Whatever happened, he didn’t want to do anything else to get them upset about
roller hockey. Things were touchy enough already.
The E Street Skates sat on the curb in a row. Most of them were wearing their skates, except Marty, who had walked, and Kirby,
who had biked over. Marty had his right arm in a blue cloth sling. Everyone wore serious expressions on their faces. Nobody
was saying a word.
“This really bites,” Trevor finally said.
“You can say that again,” Lainie agreed. “There’s got to be something we can do about it! I mean, this is supposed to be a
democracy, right? That parking lot should be of the people, by the people, and for the people, right?”
“What are you, Lincoln?” Trevor said with a little smile. They all laughed — the first time they’d laughed in the whole hour
they’d been sitting there.
“Shut up,” Lainie said, giving Trevor a playfulelbow in the arm. “Seriously, we’re citizens in this town, aren’t we? Just because we’re kids and we don’t vote, does that
mean we don’t count for anything? How can they do this to us?”
“It’s called lawsuits, Lainie,” Jamal said. “Somebody could sue the town for a lot of money. Marty, for instance.” He rubbed
his hands together and licked his lips greedily. “I’d be happy to be your lawyer, old pal!”
“Quit the clowning,” Marty said. “But you’re right — that’s why they’re not letting us play.”
“Is there anyplace else we could go for games?” Kirby
“Yeah,” Kirby said, smiling. Marty couldn’t be too badly hurt if he was joking around. “So? Did you break your arm?”
“Nah. They thought my shoulder was dislocated, but it turned out it’s only a bruise. It got all purple, though. Wait till
you see it — it’s really cool.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when I move it. But I’m in a sling, so I don’t move it very often.”
“I — I guess that means you can’t play with us next week,” Kirby said.
“It’s worse than that,” Marty said, his joking tone turning dismal. “Here’s the really bad news. When the town found out I
hurt myself, they got all scared about people using the parking lot. My dad told them we weren’t going to sue or anything,
but they don’t care. The mayor already told my dad he’s going to ask the town council to lock the parking lot so no one can
play.”
“Oh, no!” Kirby’s stomach knotted. “They can’t do that!”
“Yeah, well, you try and stop them, because my dad couldn’t. And he’s a lawyer.” Marty sure sounded down about it.
“Hey, Marty?” Kirby asked, a thought suddenly striking him. “How come you called me first, and not any of the others?”
“Huh? I don’t know,” Marty confessed. “I guess… I guess I wanted to see how it was going for my new teammate. And I don’t
know — about the lot being closed, I thoughtyou might have an idea or something. I already know what the others are going to say about it.”
“Like… ?”
“Like Trevor will start getting himself all upset, Lainie will throw a fit, Nick will cry, and Jamal will secretly be happy
he doesn’t have to get out there and face the Bad Boys again.”
Kirby laughed. “So what do you want to do?”
“I need to rest,” Marty said. “They gave me something at the hospital for the pain, and I’m kind of out of it. Could you call
everybody, and tell them to meet on E Street tomorrow at two? We need to figure something out.”
“Okay. See you then,” Kirby said, and hung up.
“What was that all about?” his dad asked, peeking over the top of his newspaper.
“Marty’s okay,” Kirby said, and explained about his shoulder being bruised, not dislocated. “I’ve got to make some calls,
all right?”
He ran upstairs to call the others from the phone in his mom’s office. Kirby wasn’t sure he wanted to tell his parents about
the parking lotthing. Not until after the meeting, anyway. Whatever happened, he didn’t want to do anything else to get them upset about
roller hockey. Things were touchy enough already.
The E Street Skates sat on the curb in a row. Most of them were wearing their skates, except Marty, who had walked, and Kirby,
who had biked over. Marty had his right arm in a blue cloth sling. Everyone wore serious expressions on their faces. Nobody
was saying a word.
“This really bites,” Trevor finally said.
“You can say that again,” Lainie agreed. “There’s got to be something we can do about it! I mean, this is supposed to be a
democracy, right? That parking lot should be of the people, by the people, and for the people, right?”
“What are you, Lincoln?” Trevor said with a little smile. They all laughed — the first time they’d laughed in the whole hour
they’d been sitting there.
“Shut up,” Lainie said, giving Trevor a playfulelbow in the arm. “Seriously, we’re citizens in this town, aren’t we? Just because we’re kids and we don’t vote, does that
mean we don’t count for anything? How can they do this to us?”
“It’s called lawsuits, Lainie,” Jamal said. “Somebody could sue the town for a lot of money. Marty, for instance.” He rubbed
his hands together and licked his lips greedily. “I’d be happy to be your lawyer, old pal!”
“Quit the clowning,” Marty said. “But you’re right — that’s why they’re not letting us play.”
“Is there anyplace else we could go for games?” Kirby
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