but she didn’t think any mistakes would be forgiven. If the ball came near her, she would at least have to try and do . . . something.
Amy and Niffy were charging up towards the far goal, walloping the ball to and fro between them.
‘Come on!’ Niffy was bellowing. ‘I need some back-up!’
Weasel came running at Niffy with her stick down and there was a brief flurry before Niffy emerged with the ball.
Just as she blasted it over to Amy, who shot straight past the goalie’s frantic block and into the corner of the goal, Weasel’s arm went up and she shouted, ‘Foul!’
Miss Chrysler’s response was to confirm the goal and urge the girls to play on. ‘Unless I see it and blow the whistle, don’t stop,’ she told them.
Penny and her team looked enraged, but play began again at a renewed level of fury.
Amy and Penny were wrestling with their sticks over the ball right in the middle of the field. They were wrestling over something else too.
63
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 64
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
‘Aaaaaargh!’ Amy was screaming in annoyance.
‘Don’t ever call my boyfriend a glue sniffer,’ Penny shouted back, and raised her stick to take a swing that landed smack across Amy’s shins.
‘Owwww!’ Amy shrieked, followed by, ‘Leave Jason alone then!’ as she got her stick behind the ball and made a run for it.
She passed straight to Min, who took off down the wing. Min could run, Gina thought. She could really run. Chunks of dirt and her long dark hair flew out behind her as she tore down towards the goal mouth.
As two players rushed out to tackle her, she shot the ball at Suzie on the opposite wing, who pinged it to Niffy.
Niffy cracked it hard, but this time the goal was saved.
‘Bum!’ she shouted.
‘None of that please,’ Miss Chrysler called out.
Now Weasel had the ball.
‘On guard,’ Hilary barked at Gina and Willow, the other girl in defence.
Penny was charging down the pitch towards the goal, ready for the ball, determined to score. Within seconds, the winger had passed to her and she was taking a mighty swing at goal.
64
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 65
NEW GIRL
Hilary ran out, kicked at the ball hard, but only managed to clear it by a couple of metres in – no!! –
Gina’s direction.
At the sight of the hard white object speeding towards her, Penny charging behind it, Hilary and Willow hot on her heels, Gina was tempted to turn and get out of there as fast as possible.
But very inconveniently, she remembered Penny’s
‘dumb blonde Californian’ comment and knew that she had to try and stand up for herself. She closed her eyes, yelled and flailed wildly with her stick in the general direction of the ball. She heard a hard crack and then felt a second, softer kind of crunch.
When she opened her eyes, the ball was halfway down the field, which was a good thing, but Willow was standing in front of her with blood streaming from her forehead – which was not.
‘Oh no !’ Gina gasped. ‘No, no! I am so, so sorry!’
Miss Chrysler blew the whistle long and loud and began to run towards them.
‘Stick below the shoulder!’ she was shouting. ‘First rule of hockey! Stick below the shoulder!’
‘I’m sorry – I’m so, so sorry,’ Gina was repeating, both to Willow and to Miss Chrysler. ‘I didn’t know.
I’ve never played this before.’
65
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 66
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
The blood was pouring freely down Willow’s face; it was already at the collar of her white shirt.
When Miss Chrysler got her first full view of the injury, she was clearly panicked. ‘Oh my goodness! Sit down, sit down,’ she urged Willow. ‘Oh my goodness,’
she repeated, looking even paler than the injured girl.
‘Are there any first aiders here? And can someone run for the nurse . . . Run! ’ she shouted.
One of Penny’s wingers took off in the direction of the main school building.
‘Min, you have to
Amy and Niffy were charging up towards the far goal, walloping the ball to and fro between them.
‘Come on!’ Niffy was bellowing. ‘I need some back-up!’
Weasel came running at Niffy with her stick down and there was a brief flurry before Niffy emerged with the ball.
Just as she blasted it over to Amy, who shot straight past the goalie’s frantic block and into the corner of the goal, Weasel’s arm went up and she shouted, ‘Foul!’
Miss Chrysler’s response was to confirm the goal and urge the girls to play on. ‘Unless I see it and blow the whistle, don’t stop,’ she told them.
Penny and her team looked enraged, but play began again at a renewed level of fury.
Amy and Penny were wrestling with their sticks over the ball right in the middle of the field. They were wrestling over something else too.
63
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 64
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
‘Aaaaaargh!’ Amy was screaming in annoyance.
‘Don’t ever call my boyfriend a glue sniffer,’ Penny shouted back, and raised her stick to take a swing that landed smack across Amy’s shins.
‘Owwww!’ Amy shrieked, followed by, ‘Leave Jason alone then!’ as she got her stick behind the ball and made a run for it.
She passed straight to Min, who took off down the wing. Min could run, Gina thought. She could really run. Chunks of dirt and her long dark hair flew out behind her as she tore down towards the goal mouth.
As two players rushed out to tackle her, she shot the ball at Suzie on the opposite wing, who pinged it to Niffy.
Niffy cracked it hard, but this time the goal was saved.
‘Bum!’ she shouted.
‘None of that please,’ Miss Chrysler called out.
Now Weasel had the ball.
‘On guard,’ Hilary barked at Gina and Willow, the other girl in defence.
Penny was charging down the pitch towards the goal, ready for the ball, determined to score. Within seconds, the winger had passed to her and she was taking a mighty swing at goal.
64
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 65
NEW GIRL
Hilary ran out, kicked at the ball hard, but only managed to clear it by a couple of metres in – no!! –
Gina’s direction.
At the sight of the hard white object speeding towards her, Penny charging behind it, Hilary and Willow hot on her heels, Gina was tempted to turn and get out of there as fast as possible.
But very inconveniently, she remembered Penny’s
‘dumb blonde Californian’ comment and knew that she had to try and stand up for herself. She closed her eyes, yelled and flailed wildly with her stick in the general direction of the ball. She heard a hard crack and then felt a second, softer kind of crunch.
When she opened her eyes, the ball was halfway down the field, which was a good thing, but Willow was standing in front of her with blood streaming from her forehead – which was not.
‘Oh no !’ Gina gasped. ‘No, no! I am so, so sorry!’
Miss Chrysler blew the whistle long and loud and began to run towards them.
‘Stick below the shoulder!’ she was shouting. ‘First rule of hockey! Stick below the shoulder!’
‘I’m sorry – I’m so, so sorry,’ Gina was repeating, both to Willow and to Miss Chrysler. ‘I didn’t know.
I’ve never played this before.’
65
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:47 pm Page 66
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
The blood was pouring freely down Willow’s face; it was already at the collar of her white shirt.
When Miss Chrysler got her first full view of the injury, she was clearly panicked. ‘Oh my goodness! Sit down, sit down,’ she urged Willow. ‘Oh my goodness,’
she repeated, looking even paler than the injured girl.
‘Are there any first aiders here? And can someone run for the nurse . . . Run! ’ she shouted.
One of Penny’s wingers took off in the direction of the main school building.
‘Min, you have to
Similar Books
