Everything was great.

  But when Oliver stepped into his house, he could tell something was off. It was too quiet. He could hear Addie and his mom talking faintly. They must be playing in Addie’s room, he thought.

  His parents knew where he’d been, so Oliver knew he couldn’t be in trouble. He had been sure to call and update them. And Mom had been chipper on the phone. “Enjoy yourself, sweetie,” she had said. Oliver had been thankful his friends couldn’t hear.

  Oliver found his dad sitting at the kitchen table. When he spotted Oliver, Dad said, “Son, have a seat.”

  Oliver walked slowly toward the table, unsure what was going on.

  “How was practice?” Dad asked.

  Oliver shrugged. “Fine,” he said, pulling the chair out and sliding into it.

  Dad nodded. “Do you think you’re ready for the game against Greenville?”

  “Definitely,” Oliver replied.

  “Good.” Dad paused and then said, “Oliver, I have some bad news.”

  Oliver’s stomach flipped. He knew what his dad was going to say. He pushed back his chair, its legs scraping against the floor. “No,” he said. “No way.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dad said. “I’ve been relocated to Arizona.”

  It was like he’d been dunked in freezing cold water. Oliver clenched his fists. “But you said … no, you promised —”

  “I know,” Dad said calmly. “And I shouldn’t have done that. I’m terribly sorry. But at the time, I thought it was true.”

  “When are we leaving?” Oliver asked.

  Dad sighed. “Earlier than I expected. Later this month.”

  Oliver shook his head, unable to believe it. “This month? That’s so soon.”

  “It is. Again, I’m sorry, Oliver,” Dad said.

  “Will I at least get to finish the football season?” Oliver demanded.

  Dad’s eyes answered for him, looking down at the table.

  Oliver felt the sting of disappointment. “When’s my last game?” he asked.

  “The game against Greenville,” Dad said. “I already spoke with Coach Barton.”

  Oliver stood up, knocking his chair onto the floor. “No!” he shouted. “You can’t do this to me! I like it here! I have friends now!” Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, blurring his vision.

  Turning around, he saw his mother standing in the dining room doorway. When she’d gotten there, Oliver didn’t know.

  “Oliver …” Mom said. She started to walk over to give him a hug.

  But Oliver backed away. “Just … just leave me alone!” He stomped over to the door, banged it open, and ran out into the cold, dark night.

  CHAPTER 7

  MEMORIES

  Oliver ran.

  He didn’t know where he was going. He only knew that he needed to run.

  His feet slapped against the sidewalk, and the brisk night air brushed against his tear-soaked cheeks. He should have seen it coming. He almost hated himself for not figuring it out. Things were going so well — too well. He’d let his guard down, and now he was hurt.

  Again.

  Oliver ran through his neighborhood and then cut through a huge city park lit by street lamps. Pools of yellow light flooded the park. His lungs burned. He could feel sweat dripping down his forehead and into his eyes, but he kept running.

  Eventually, Oliver realized where he was heading. The school was up ahead, dark this time of night. He saw the football field draped in shadows and made his way toward the wooden bleachers, where he sat down to catch his breath. He used one sweatshirt sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes. It was cold out, and he shivered.

  On Friday night, just five days away, the bleachers would be packed with fans. Suddenly Oliver didn’t know if he had the heart to play anymore. What was the point when he knew it would be his last game?

  I won’t get to finish the school year or even the season. Maybe I should just quit the team now, Oliver thought.

  Just then, a pair of car headlights swept across the field from the nearby street. The car stopped, and the driver climbed out. For a brief second, Oliver worried that it was a policeman. But as the person walked closer, he realized that it was his dad.

  Oliver said nothing as his dad sat down next to him. A long minute of silence passed before Dad asked, “Are you cold?”

  “No,” Oliver replied.

  “Friday’s game is going to be quite spectacular,” Dad said. He gazed out at the field. “You and your friends are an amazing team. It’s been a privilege to watch you play.”

  Oliver shook his head. He knew his dad was trying to make him feel better, but it wasn’t helping. “Dad, are we always going to have to move around like this?” he asked.

  Dad thought about it a moment. “No,” he said. “Not always.”

  “Good,” Oliver said. “Because I hate being the kid that everybody eventually forgets.” At that, he broke down again, the tears coming easily.

  Dad draped his arm around Oliver’s shoulders. “Son,” he said, “no matter where you are, you will always have the memories of what you accomplished. And I will always be proud of you. Friday’s game? It’s going to be memorable. I just know it.” He stood up. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  Oliver followed his dad back to the car and climbed into the passenger’s seat. He took one last look at the football field before his dad turned the car around and drove away.

  CHAPTER 8

  A TOUGH OPPONENT

  That Friday night, Oliver sat in the locker room, suiting up for the big game against Greenville. Kickoff was less than an hour away. While the rest of the team told jokes or listened to music on their headphones, Oliver sat by himself. Ever since his dad had given him the bad news, he’d been avoiding his teammates.

  “What’s wrong, Ollie?” Andy asked, sitting down beside him. He was twirling a football in his hands.

  Oliver shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “Liar,” Andy said.

  “Fine,” Oliver admitted. “My family is moving again. This is my last game.”

  “Oh.” Andy stopped tossing the ball, and his smile faded. “Sorry to hear that, man.”

  Oliver looked down. “Yeah. Me too.”

  Andy handed the football to Oliver. “Well, you should go out on top. Right?”

  Oliver nodded.

  “Then let’s go out there and make your last game a win,” said Andy.

  * * *

  “All right, Bulldogs! Let’s show them whose doghouse this is!” Coach shouted as he paced along the sideline.

  Oliver blew into his gloved hands to warm them. It was frigid outside. The weatherman on the news had predicted snow, but so far, only a few flakes had fluttered onto the field.

  The Hurricanes won the coin toss and chose to kick off. On the first play, their receiver caught the ball and scurried to the thirty-yard line.

  On the second play of the game, the Hurricanes’ quarterback, a speedy kid named Avery, looked to pass. But then he ran up the field for more than twenty yards, crossing midfield easily. He had great instincts on the field and razor-sharp precision when he threw.

  “Somebody tackle him!” Coach Barton shouted.

  On the next play, the Bulldogs’ defense tried to take out the Hurricanes’ quarterback for a blitz. Avery was able to get the pass off before he was tackled, though, and the receiver dodged a Bulldogs’ defender and ran into the end zone.

  “Touchdown, Hurricanes!” the referee shouted.

  The defense jogged off the field, shoulders slumped in disappointment.

  “Don’t get down on yourselves, team!” Coach Barton yelled. “There’s a lot of game left!”

  After the kickoff, Andy led the Bulldogs’ offense onto the field. The snow was starting to come down harder now. It wasn’t sticking to the grass yet, but it would be soon enough.

  The first play from the line of scrimmage was a hand-off to Tristan. The running back drove forward, found a hole, and got a first down, advancing the ball ten yards.

  “Great job!” Oliver said, clapping Tristan on the shoulder.

  The Bulldogs decided to stay with the running game, attempting to drive the ball forward rather than pass it. Then, when the Hurricanes’ defense expected Tristan to run the ball once more, Andy threw a perfect pass to Chen instead, who ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.

  The Bulldogs tied the game at seven after getting the extra point. The crowd went wild.

  After a field goal by the Hurricanes, the Bulldogs found themselves down again — this time by three points.

  The Bulldogs were inside the thirty-yard line now, but time was running out, and the snow was starting to fall faster. It was becoming more difficult to see.

  “We have one more shot at the end zone before time runs out,” Andy said. “Post route on two. Break!”

  Oliver lined up, waiting for the snap, then bolted down the sideline. He looked up, saw the last second tick off the clock, and cut toward the middle of the end zone for the post route. He was wide open.

  Andy threw a beautiful spiral, and Oliver reached up … but the ball fell through his hands and bounced off the ground.

  The crowd let out a collective sigh.

  “That’s the end of the first half!” the referee shouted, blowing his whistle.

  CHAPTER 9

  ONE LAST SHOT

  At the start of the second half, the Bulldogs were still down 10–7. Snow had blanketed the field in white. The yard markers were difficult to see, and it was almost impossible to hold onto the ball.

  On the first play of the half, Andy threw a pass downfield to Jonathan, the tight end. Jonathan fumbled, losing control of the ball.

  A Hurricanes’ linebacker quickly recovered the ball and then ran with it to the three-yard line.

  On the next play, Avery flipped the ball to his team’s running back, who danced into the end zone.

  “Come on, guys!” Andy shouted from the sideline, trying to encourage the players. “We can do this!”

  The score remained 17–7 through much of the second half. Players stumbled and slid across the field, and several passes were dropped. Each team fumbled once.

  Still down by ten points, the Bulldogs’ offense took the field.

  “It’s now or never!” Andy shouted. “We need a touchdown!”

  On the first play, the snap was low and slipped from Andy’s fingers. Still, he managed to scoop it up and run for fifteen yards.

  Tristan tore down the field on the next play, and Chen contributed a thirty-yard catch on a crossing pattern. Then Tristan ran toward the sidelines and, with the help of Oliver and Chen’s blocking, dove into the end zone.

  “Touchdown!” the referee called.

  After they got the extra point, there was only a minute left on the clock. The score was now Hurricanes 17, Bulldogs 14.

  The Hurricanes brought the ball up the field, trying to run out the clock. After each play, the Bulldogs used a time-out. Their defense finally stopped the Hurricanes just shy of the forty-yard line. The other team was forced to punt.

  “Great work, defense!” Coach Barton barked.

  The Bulldogs caught a break when the punter slipped in the snow. His wobbly kick dribbled to midfield, where a Bulldogs’ player jumped on top of it.

  With only twenty-four seconds left now, Andy spoke up. “Out route on two,” he said. “Make sure to get out of bounds so we can stop the clock. We’re almost in field goal range. We can tie this and send it to overtime.”

  Andy took the snap, and Oliver broke for the sidelines. The pass hit his chest right in the numbers. He caught it and ran forward until he was tackled by a Hurricanes’ player.

  “The clock’s still going!” Coach shouted.

  Oliver scrambled to his feet and dashed back to the line. Andy took the snap and spiked the ball, throwing it at the ground to stop the clock.

  The Bulldogs immediately huddled up.

  Andy glanced up at the clock. “Six seconds left,” he said. “Let’s make this play count, guys. Post route on two. Break!”

  The Bulldogs came up to the line. Andy yelled, “Hut … hike!”

  Andy took the snap, and Oliver ran faster than he’d ever run before. His cleats slipped, but he didn’t fall. As he turned to the middle of the field, he glanced over his shoulder. The ball soared through the air in slow motion. Defenders swarmed Oliver as he reached up and tried to snatch the ball.

  It fell through his fingers.

  Not again! Oliver thought desperately.

  But the ball did not hit the ground. It landed in the hands of a Hurricanes’ safety, who was so surprised that he bobbled it.

  Oliver grabbed at it, and the ball fell toward the snowy field.

  Just then another defender stumbled on the slick grass and fell down. Like a pinball, the football struck the fallen player’s helmet and flipped back into the air — right into Oliver’s hands. He held the ball, staggered forward, and dove across the goal line.

  “Touchdown!”

  The crowd roared as Oliver leaped to his feet. He held the ball up high. The rest of Oliver’s team rushed the field as the clock ran down to zero. The Bulldogs had won 20–17. The snow was still falling hard, blanketing the field in white. But even that didn’t stop the Bulldogs’ celebration.

  CHAPTER 10

  THE FINAL GAME

  “That’s the last of it!” Dad said.

  A full week had passed since Oliver and the Bulldogs had defeated the Hurricanes. The team’s next game wasn’t until the following Friday. By then, Oliver would be in his family’s new home in Arizona.

  The house was now as empty as it had been the day they’d arrived. Oliver stood in the living room with his parents as Addie ran through the halls, laughing and shouting, “My voice echoes. Echo! Echo!”

  “All right. Let’s ship out,” Dad said.

  “Give me a minute,” Oliver said. Then he wandered down the hall and into his old bedroom. There was still one thing in there. Something he’d been too sad to pack up.

  Taped to one of the bare walls was a newspaper article about the Bulldogs’ win over Greenville. It featured a photo of the team. Oliver stood in the middle of the group, holding the game-winning ball.

  Oliver peeled the article from the wall, folded it, and slid it into his pocket. As he walked, head down, out the front door, he heard a voice say, “What’s up, Ollie?”

  Oliver snapped his head up. Andy stood in the driveway, a football tucked under his arm. Behind him were about a dozen other Bulldogs, including Tristan and Chen.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Oliver asked.

  Andy tossed him the ball. “Coach gave us the afternoon off. We thought we’d get in one last game with you before you leave. What do you say?”

  Oliver looked over to his parents and sister, who stood watching from the front curb, where their SUV was parked.

  Dad smiled. “Go on. We’ve got time.”

  Oliver grinned. “Let’s do it. Go Bulldogs!” His friends responded with three loud barks.

  They split into two groups and lined up in the snowy yard. They tossed the ball, laughing and shoving each other into snow banks, not keeping score but not caring at all.

  It was the most memorable game of Oliver’s life.

  AUTHOR BIO

  Brandon Terrell is the author of numerous children’s books, including several volumes in both the Tony Hawk 900 Revolution series and the Tony Hawk Live 2 Skate series, graphic novels for Sports Illustrated Kids, chapter books, and a picture book about trains. When not hunched over his laptop writing, Brandon enjoys watching movies and television, reading, watching (and playing!) baseball, and spending time with his wife and two children in Minnesota.

  ILLUSTRATOR BIO

  Aburtov has worked as a colorist for Marvel, DC, IDW, and Dark Horse and as an illustrator for Stone Arch Books. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, with his lovely wife, Alba, and his crazy children, Ilka, Mila, and Aleph.

  GLOSSARY

  collective (kuh-LEK-tiv) —

  done or shared by a group of people

  featured (FEE-churd) —

  included as an important part of something

  forgettable (for-GET-uh-buhl) —

  not worth remembering

  immediately (i-MEE-dee-it-lee) —

  right away

  instincts (IN-stingkts) —

  behavior that is natural rather than learned

  memorable (MEM-ur-uh-buhl) —

  worth remembering

  privilege (PRIV-uh-lij) —

  a special right or advantage given to a person or a group of people

  relocated (ri-LOH-kay-tid) —

  moved to a new place

  spacious (SPAY-shuhs) —

  large and roomy; having plenty of space

  undefeated (uhn-di-FEE-tid) —

  never having lost

  unison (YOO-nuh-suhn) —

  saying or doing something together

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Oliver often feels out of place because his family has moved around so much. Have you ever felt out of place? Talk about how you dealt with the situation.

  When Oliver’s dad tells him they will have to move again, Oliver is angry, sad, frustrated, and upset. Talk about how you would have felt if you were in his position.

 

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