Goal Line (Barber Game Time Books) - Hardcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Tiki Barber is a record-holding retired running back for the New York Giants. He married and is the father of four children.

Ronde Barber is a record-holding cornerback who retired after fifteen seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is one of only two cornerbacks selected to the Pro Bowl five times. He is married with two daughters.

Paul Mantell is the author of more than 100 books for young readers, including books in the Hardy Boys and Matt Christopher series.

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Goal Line

CHAPTER ONE

A “LITTLE” PROBLEM

“I’M OPEN, TIKI!”

Ronde Barber threw his hands up into the air as he ran. Way back down the street his twin brother hauled off and threw a perfect spiral, high and long. Ronde, in full stride, reached out to grab it. He could feel his fingertips brush the ball—

HOONNNKKK!!!

The car horn made Ronde wince, pull his hands in, and dodge to the left, all in the same instant. Ronde leaned against Mr. Evans’s parked Oldsmobile, while the speeding car swerved to avoid the bouncing football, then continued on down the block, its horn blaring.

The driver yelled something out the window about “… kids! Playing in the middle of the street!” But Ronde couldn’t make it out, and he didn’t care to. He knew it was nothing he wanted to hear.

“Man!” he said breathlessly as he retrieved the ball, then trotted back to where Tiki was standing, shaking his head. “Why’d you throw the ball, dude? Didn’t you see him coming?”

Tiki shook his head. “That guy was bustin’ it! He wasn’t even there when I let it loose.”

“He must think this is the highway,” said Ronde. Amherst Street was a dead end, and kids were always playing in the middle of the road. That was one of the great things about living here, in his opinion. Cars came by only every ten minutes or so.

“Come on,” Tiki said. “Let’s play that down over.”

The twins were in the middle of one of their favorite pastimes—a kind of fantasy football that was the perfect way to spend a late summer afternoon. It had been eight whole months since they’d played in a real football game. Eight months! Every year by the end of August they were totally football-crazy.

Luckily, today was Labor Day—only a few days until real football started back at Hidden Valley Junior High!

“I would have had that ball, easy,” Ronde pointed out as they walked back to the manhole cover that served as the line of scrimmage. “Stupid cars.”

“Man, I can’t wait till we’re playing again for real.”

Ronde had to laugh. “I never thought I’d see the day when we couldn’t wait for school to start.”

The next day school would be back in session, and they would be ninth graders at last—not to mention that they’d be team co-captains of the Hidden Valley Eagles, reigning champions of the entire state of Virginia!

“This year’s going to be awesome,” Tiki said. “Our last year, and we’re gonna go out with a bang!”

“A big bang,” Ronde said, a huge smile on his face. “Can you say ‘all-star’?”

“Can you say ‘two-time state champs’?”

“Can you say ‘undefeated’?”

“Can you say ‘record books’?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Uh-huh.”

They exchanged their special handshake—not the one everybody on the team used to celebrate big moments, but the one known to just the two of them, that they brought out only for very special occasions.

“Can you say ‘NFL’?” Ronde said, voicing their deepest wish, the one they both dreamed about at night.

“The only thing is,” Tiki said, his smile fading, “every kid in school is expecting us to do all that.”

“So?”

“So, you know it’s not gonna be easy. What if we…” He swallowed hard. “You know…”

“Don’t talk like that!” Ronde told him. “You know what Mom would say.”

“And Coach, too,” Tiki said.

“Stay positive!”

Ronde and Tiki understood that once you let negative thoughts into your brain, they made themselves at home, took over the place—and all of a sudden, your confidence was gone, and so was your game!

“Okay, same play again,” Tiki said, clapping his twin on the back. “Third and ten, right?”

“Right.”

Ronde loved these sessions of theirs—no pressure, and you could let your imagination go wild. In real life he played cornerback and kick returner. But here in the street he could be a wide receiver, or a running back like Tiki, or even quarterback if he felt like it. It was a real summer luxury. Starting tomorrow it would be back to school, and the team, and the Barber boys would be all business.

“Hut! Hut!” Tiki shouted. Ronde took off at full speed. He made one killer move, then another, and whooshed down the side of the street, alongside the parked cars. The ball met him in full stride—

HONNNKKK!!

“Not again,” Ronde moaned, flattening himself into the side of a parked car to let the new intruder pass. But then he saw that it was their mom, driving the old brown station wagon.

She rolled down the window and pulled up beside him. “Can’t you see when there’s a car coming, Ronde?”

“Sure I can!” he said. “I knew you were there, Ma.”

She frowned. “You’ve got to keep a better eye out than that,” she said, “or I’m going to have to put my foot down.”

“Yes, Mom,” Ronde said.

“Now come on home,” she said. “I’ve got a pile of new clothes for you and your brother to try on.”

She continued on down the street and pulled into their driveway, while Ronde trotted after her, tossing the football to himself as he went.

Ronde hated trying stuff on, and he wished his mom would let him and Tiki pick out their own clothes. But Mrs. Barber was very strict about certain things. Every year she waited for the Labor Day sales, then spent the day hitting all the stores, looking for bargains.

“I don’t intend to pay extra money just so you boys can dress in the latest styles that’ll be old-fashioned the day after tomorrow,” she would say.

The clothes she picked out were always well made, so they would last a long time. Mrs. Barber worked hard at two jobs, and she knew that money didn’t grow on trees.

Ronde and Tiki helped her take the bags inside. Then the free-for-all began, both boys grabbing whatever items caught their eye, trying to get their pick before the other one claimed it.

“Don’t fight over them!” Mrs. Barber ordered. “There’s plenty for both of you. I got two of everything too, just in case you’ve grown a size. Whatever doesn’t fit, I’ll just return tomorrow.”

Ronde gathered his choices in both arms and headed up to their bedroom. There he started trying on jeans, shirts, pants, and sweaters.

Tiki was over by his bed, doing the same thing.

“How do these look?” Ronde asked, showing Tiki the brown corduroy pants he was wearing.

Tiki shrugged. “Not too bad.”

“Great,” Ronde murmured. “At least you didn’t laugh.”

“Ha!”

“Funny,” said Ronde, getting ready to try on another pair. “Very funny.”

“Hey,” Tiki said suddenly, looking down at his legs. “These pants are too...