Blue Skies, French Fries Read online

  “It will be Pee Wee soccer,” said Mrs. Peters. “No one will tackle anyone. No one will get hurt. We will take turns kicking the ball and trying to get it over the goal line.”

  Roger cheered loudly. “Yeah! We’ll win!” he said.

  “We will need lots of practice in order to win,” said Kevin’s father.

  “When is the game?” asked Kenny.

  “Can people come and watch?” shouted Tracy.

  “Can I be the cheerleader?” shouted Rachel.

  Rat’s knees! thought Molly. Of course Rachel wanted to be the cheerleader! She liked lots of attention.

  “The game is in two weeks,” said Mrs. Peters. “And we will need a cheerleader.

  “We will sell tickets for one dollar each so that the Pee Wees can help the children’s hospital. Last month we earned money to help the pet shelter. This time I thought it would be nice to help a hospital. That is part of being a Pee Wee Scout. To help others who need us.”

  “Yeah!” shouted Lisa’s uncle.

  Everyone cheered.

  “That will be fun, and helpful at the same time,” said Mrs. Baker, the twins’ mother.

  What a surprise, thought Molly. Not only a game, but a game with real tickets. A game with another Pee Wee Scout troop.

  The Pee Wees would be soccer stars.

  One troop or the other!

  Cheese Louise

  “Time to eat!” called Mrs. Peters. She handed each Scout two small weenies to roast on the end of a stick.

  “These are baby weenies,” scoffed Roger.

  “They are Pee Wee weenies,” said Mrs. Betz, who was helping to serve the food.

  Molly held her weenies over the gray coals until they got fat and juicy. Then she popped them into the little buns Sonny’s mother had passed out.

  “Where are the french fries?” cried Sonny. “We can’t eat hot dogs without french fries.”

  “No one has french fries at a weenie roast,” said Molly.

  Sonny pouted.

  What a baby, Molly thought.

  “We don’t have a deep fryer here in the park,” his mother explained patiently.

  The other Pee Wees giggled.

  “French fries come from restaurants,” said Roger.

  “I’ve had french fries at picnics,” boasted Rachel.

  “We have Indian corn instead,” said Mr. Peters. “It is much better for you.” He took the corn out of the fire with big tongs. He heaped it on a big platter.

  Mr. Peters showed the Scouts how to take the corn out of the husk.

  It was golden and juicy.

  The Pee Wees put butter and salt on the corn.

  “Yum!” said Molly.

  “French fries would be better,” muttered Rachel. “With ketchup.”

  While they were eating, they talked about the big game.

  “We have to practice as much as we can after school,” said Mrs. Peters. “On the playground, or in the park. We don’t want Troop 15 to beat us.”

  “But someone has to lose,” said Mrs. Betz. “The important thing is team spirit. We have to try as hard as we can. Then we will feel good even if we lose.”

  “I won’t feel good if we lose,” whispered Molly to Mary Beth.

  “It’s more fun to win,” said Mary Beth.

  That reminded Molly of the one-legged race, and she felt mad all over again.

  “Mr. Peters will be the coach,” said Mrs. Peters. “Every day when he comes home from work, he will help coach the players.”

  Some of the other dads said they would help too.

  “At our next meeting we will choose cheerleaders and make banners and write some cheers,” said Mrs. Peters. “We may even make pom-poms.”

  “Oh, dear!” shouted Mrs. Betz. “I forgot the cheese for the weenies.”

  She jumped to her feet and got out a squeeze tube of cheese. She ran from one Scout to another, squeezing cheese on the weenies that were not eaten.

  “Yuck!” said Rachel, hiding her weenie under her sweater. “That looks gross. It’s probably full of preservatives. My dad won’t let me eat preservatives.”

  Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, splotch!

  Out came the yellow cheese in ribbons on top of the weenies.

  “It’s protein,” Mrs. Betz explained. “It adds vitamins and minerals to your food.”

  The Pee Wees made faces. Molly wished she could steal the cheese squeezer. It would be fun to decorate things. Maybe even Rachel’s nose!

  Now Mrs. Betz was squirting cheese on the parents’ weenies.

  “Whoops! That’s enough, Louise,” said Mrs. Peters.

  Louise! Sonny’s mother’s name was Louise! Louise with the cheese! thought Molly. Cheese Louise!

  Molly whispered it to Mary Beth, and they began to giggle.

  Mary Beth whispered, “Cheese Louise” to Rachel, and Rachel said, “I’m telling.” But she didn’t.

  Soon all the Pee Wees were running around singing “Cheese Louise,” and “Squeeze that cheese, Louise,” and even “Cheesy Louisey.”

  They rolled on the grass and down a nearby hill, they were giggling so hard.

  All but Sonny. Poor Sonny, thought Molly.

  After dinner the Scouts helped clean up the park. They picked up paper plates and litter and ends of buns. They threw them all away. They packed up the things to go home and put them into cars.

  After they had roasted marshmallows, the fathers put out the fires, and they all settled down to practice soccer.

  Mr. Peters showed everyone how to kick the ball high and far. They used a soccer ball.

  “Over the goal line!” shouted Mr. Peters.

  Everyone took a turn.

  Sonny kicked the ball backward over his head.

  Molly kicked the ball far, but not far enough.

  Kenny kicked it sideways out of the park, and Mr. Peters shouted, “Foul!”

  Rachel missed the ball altogether. “I don’t like sports,” she said.

  “Ha, that’s just because you missed the ball,” said Tracy. “Sour grapes.”

  The best player seemed to be Roger. He was the biggest and the strongest.

  “All of you will get better, the more you practice,” said Mr. Peters.

  The Pee Wees were tired. They could hardly stand up in a circle to say the Pee Wee Scout pledge and sing the Pee Wee Scout song.

  Molly wanted to get home and fall into bed. She needed all the sleep she could get. So she could be strong enough to kick a goal in the big game!

  Team Spirit

  Every day after school the Pee Wees dashed to the park. They practiced before Mr. Peters came and more after he came.

  Roger even practiced soccer in the morning before school. He worked hard.

  One morning he fell asleep during math.

  “It is good to win,” said Mrs. Harris, “but it isn’t good to miss math.”

  After that, Roger’s mother said he couldn’t practice before school. “You need your sleep,” she said.

  “I’ve got too much homework to do before I can practice,” grumbled Molly to Mary Beth. “Second grade is hard work. It isn’t easy stuff like first grade. Anyway, Roger will win for our team,” she said.

  But at the next Pee Wee Scout meeting, Mrs. Peters said they could not win without the whole team working together.

  “One person can’t do it,” she said. “Team spirit is what we need. First thing today we will have a pep rally,” she said.

  The Scouts followed Mrs. Peters out into the yard. She passed out sheets of paper with cheers on them.

  The Pee Wees could not read all of the words. But Mrs. Peters read them through over and over again until they could say the cheers by heart.

  “Go, team, go! Go, team, go!

  Troop 23 will lead the show.”

  “Louder!” Mrs. Peters said. Troop 23 shouted louder and louder. The next cheer was:

  “Roger, Roger, he’s our man.

  If he can’t do it, Kevin can!

  Kevin,
Kevin, he’s our man.

  If he can’t do it, Tracy can!

  Tracy, Tracy, she’s our man.

  If she can’t do it, Rachel can!”

  The Pee Wees shouted the chant until they had called out the names of all the Scouts in Troop 23. Their voices were hoarse.

  Rachel waved her hand wildly. “Mrs. Peters, we need a cheerleader!”

  “Who can twirl a baton?” asked Mrs. Peters.

  Rachel waved her hand again. No one else could twirl a baton.

  “I can tap-dance too,” she said proudly.

  “We don’t need a tap dancer on the field, Rachel. But you can lead the cheers if you have a baton and if you can get a red dress.”

  Red was Troop 23’s Scout color. All their kerchiefs were red.

  “I have a red dress,” said Rachel. “I wore it in my recital.”

  “Fine,” said Mrs. Peters. “The next time we practice at the field, you bring your dress and baton.

  “Now, we can use some pom-pom people too,” said Mrs. Peters. “Even though you’ll all be playing in the game, it would be nice to have a show at halftime.”

  All the Scouts waved their hands again. Mrs. Peters chose Tim and Tracy and Kenny.

  Rats, thought Molly. She wanted to be a pom-pom person. She couldn’t twirl a baton or lead the cheers or wave pom-poms. And she didn’t have time to practice kicking the ball.

  There was nothing left for Molly to do. Mrs. Peters noticed how sad she looked and said, “It is up to the rest of you to have team spirit!”

  But how could she have team spirit if she wasn’t part of the game? Molly wondered.

  Yet, as the meeting went on, she couldn’t help getting excited about the big game. They would make banners and pom-poms.

  Soon everyone was in high spirits.

  “I know one of the kids in Troop 15,” said Roger. “He told me that they started practicing for the game way last week.”

  Mrs. Peters looked worried. “That means we have to try twice as hard,” she said. “It won’t be easy to beat those Pee Wees.”

  Mrs. Peters passed out paper and scissors and glue to make banners. She showed the Pee Wees how to cut strips of crepe paper, wind them around their hands, and tie them. Then she showed them how to cut them to make red pom-poms.

  It took practice to do them right.

  Molly’s first pom-pom turned out flat. It looked like a flat, round pancake!

  Molly looked at Rachel’s. Hers was big and bouncy. It did not look like a pancake. It looked like a pom-pom.

  Rachel made another one.

  Kevin used too much paper, Molly noticed. He always had big ideas. Bigger-the-better ideas.

  But his pom-pom was too thick. It looked like a beach ball.

  “That’s no pom-pom,” shouted Roger. “That’s a life raft!”

  All the Pee Wees giggled.

  When they had finished, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Betz chose the best pom-poms. And the best banners.

  Molly’s banner was chosen! Her team spirit came back.

  Sonny’s pom-poms were the best. Mrs. Betz chose them.

  “He’s so artistic,” she said.

  The Scouts said their Pee Wee Scout pledge and sang their Pee Wee Scout song.

  Then they trooped to the field together to meet Mr. Peters for practice.

  The best pom-poms in the world wouldn’t help if Troop 23 did not play well. They had to practice hard to beat the Oakdale Pee Wees.

  An Indian Summer Day

  The next morning on the way to school, Tracy caught up with Molly. “We have to get moving if we are going to win next week,” she said. “Let’s get permission to practice at lunchtime.”

  Tracy was bossy. Molly hated to be ordered around. She wanted to eat her lunch, not practice soccer.

  “There’s no time,” said Molly.

  Tracy stamped her foot on the sidewalk. “Where is your team spirit?” she demanded. “My dad works with one of the Troop 15 dads, and he said they make about ten goals every day when they practice.”

  Molly frowned. That sounded bad.

  Tracy went on. “My dad said they have some big kids on their team. With long legs. They can kick the ball over the goal line right from the starting line.”

  “No one could kick that far,” said Molly. “Nobody’s legs are that long.”

  “They are too. Do you think my dad made that up?”

  Tracy ran ahead to catch up with Lisa and Rachel and Tim. She probably wants to scare them with her dad’s stories too, thought Molly.

  At the bus stop, Molly saw Kevin waiting to cross the street.

  “Hey!” he yelled. “How many tickets did you sell?”

  A new worry, Molly thought. She hated to admit she had only sold tickets to her own mom and dad.

  Two dollars.

  That would not help the children’s hospital much. All it would buy would be some Kleenex, maybe. Or a couple of aspirin.

  “I’ve got this big campaign,” said Kevin. “I sell them to my uncle and the guy next door, and then they sell them at work. That way, I don’t have to do all the work.”

  Leave it to Kevin to think of some scheme, thought Molly. Some plan that would earn money while Kevin was playing. He’ll probably be a businessman when he grows up.

  It was not a bad idea, though.

  Molly could ask her aunt who worked in an office to sell them, and her dad could take some to work.

  Her grandma would take a ticket, but she might not come to the game because she had a bad leg.

  Molly counted up tickets in her head.

  After school she went door to door on a block where no Pee Wee Scouts lived. Then she ran to soccer practice. By the time she got home to do her homework, it was getting dark.

  “Cheese Louise!” she said out loud in her room. “There’s a lot of work to do when you are in second grade.”

  She began to miss all the free time she’d had when she was little. Back then, no one expected anything of her. Just play, play, play. All day long.

  At the next Scout meeting, Rachel wore her red dress. It sparkled and dazzled like a diamond necklace. Rachel kept twirling around in it.

  Mrs. Peters showed the Pee Wees the badges for team spirit.

  Molly knew she had to sell more tickets! She was full of team spirit by now.

  Then Mrs. Peters showed the Scouts the badge for best player. Everyone knew who would get that.

  “Roger,” said Sonny. “He’s the best player.”

  “He practices the most,” added Mrs. Peters.

  “He’s the biggest,” Kenny pointed out.

  The soccer game drew closer and closer. Every day Molly checked off the days on her calendar. Every day the Scouts sold more tickets.

  “I sold fifteen,” said Tim. “All on our block.”

  “I sold twenty-one,” said Patty.

  Molly wondered how a new girl could sell so many tickets. The Bakers didn’t even know people on their block yet.

  “The Welcome Wagon helped,” Kenny explained.

  “I can’t wait to see these other Pee Wees,” said Roger to Molly after school the next day. “I wonder if they’re really good.”

  “Maybe they’re babies,” said Molly. “Real little kids. Maybe they are all first graders.”

  But then Molly remembered Tracy’s words. They were big.

  “I heard they are good,” said Sonny.

  Molly wanted to say “shut up” to Sonny, but she didn’t. No one wanted to hear they were good.

  At last the day of the game came.

  What if it is raining? thought Molly when she woke up. She was afraid to open her eyes. But when she did, bright sunshine streamed in through her window.

  Her mom came in. She had clean jeans and a new shirt for Molly. Her red Pee Wee kerchief had been ironed neatly.

  “It’s a perfect day!” said Mrs. Duff. “It is warm and sunny out, with a blue, blue sky. This is a real Indian summer day.”

  Molly thought of the weeni
e roast and the Indian corn and the Indian stories Mrs. Peters had told.

  Now it was Indian summer! Molly felt good all over. They would win.

  Troop 23 had to win!

  The Blue Pee Wees

  Troop 23 jumped out of cars and ran into the park. Their red scarves flashed in the summer sunlight. People sat on folding chairs and canvas stools. They stood all around the edge of the field. Some wore hats and blew whistles. Some wore soccer jerseys. Others waved banners with troop numbers on them.

  Tiny and Lucky came along too!

  One big dog and one little dog.

  The Troop 23 mascots wore red bows around their necks.

  This is different from practice, thought Molly. There were strangers at the game. Some people came to cheer for Troop 15. They didn’t want Troop 23 to win.

  “Look!” shouted Roger. “Those other Pee Wees have uniforms!”

  As the other team got off a big yellow bus, everyone stared. They looked like a real team, like the Minnesota Vikings.

  They had blue striped soccer uniforms on. Around their necks were their Pee Wee scarves. But they were blue instead of red.

  Even Mr. Peters looked surprised. “Uniforms won’t help them win,” he said. “It is team spirit that wins a game.”

  But Troop 23 wasn’t so sure. Those Pee Wees in blue looked big. They looked old. Plus, they had uniforms.

  “They look tough,” said Tracy. She sniffed. Maybe she was allergic to the new Pee Wees!

  Molly’s stomach felt nervous. Like when she had to take a test in school. Or go to the dentist to have a cavity filled. Even if it didn’t hurt, her stomach didn’t know that.

  A group of moms and dads were on the field in a circle. They were waving flags and chanting:

  “Troop 15, Troop 15!

  They play fair and they play clean.”

  “Well, so do we,” said Rachel, sticking out her tongue.

  Mrs. Peters was getting her own cheerleaders ready. The pom-pom Pee Wees looked scared. But Rachel marched right out onto the field and began twirling her baton. The sunlight caught her dress and made it sparkle.

  Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.