we’re sure she’s okay. She’s been in Europe all summer, and she’s probably taking a few extra days before she comes back to the States.”
Madison turned to Jake. “We met at soccer when we were five and made a pact to stay together through high school and win a state championship. There’s no way she would miss tryouts.”
“Missing tryouts
“And Maddy has a very active imagination,” Becca said.
“That’s because her father is a criminal lawyer who defends murderers and bank robbers, so she always thinks the worst,” Lacey added.
“Your dad is a criminal defense attorney?” Jake asked, looking interested. “That’s awesome.” Madison looked up, a bit relieved.
Just then the bell rang.
“Oops. Got to go,” Jake said apologetically. “I’ll see you in science class. Nice to meet you guys.” He ran off.
“You didn’t tell us you had a boyfriend,” Becca said.
Heat rose in Madison’s cheeks. “He isn’t my boyfriend. We just sit next to each other in science.”
“He’s cute,” Jessi said as they gathered up their backpacks and headed inside.
Walking into science class, Madison was secretly happy to see that Jake had saved her a seat.
“Hi,” she said as she sat down.
“Hey,” Jake responded, looking serious for once. “I’ve been thinking. I want to help you find your friend. I’ve been playing soccer since I was six, and there is no way I would miss a tryout. Something bad must have happened to her.”
Madison was surprised. No one else had believed her.
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Madison said as the science teacher started to talk.
“Let’s meet after soccer practice to figure out a plan,” Jake whispered, so the teacher wouldn’t hear them.
“Perfect,” Madison mouthed with a smile as she opened up her textbook. Jessi’s right, she thought as she tried to pay attention to the teacher. He
Chapter 7
Payback
It had rained earlier that afternoon, and the field was muddy when Madison jogged out of the gym for the first day of soccer practice. Soccer was her outlet, her guilty pleasure amid all her academic hard work, and she was usually upbeat when a season started, but today her stomach was in a knot. She had never been bullied before and she felt anxious. She hoped that Marci and her gang would treat her differently now that they were teammates.
But over the course of practice it became clear that nothing had changed. Every time Marci or her friends had a chance, they would throw an elbow or try to trip her.
Her chance for payback came unexpectedly toward the end of practice. Coach Davis had broken up the squad for a scrimmage, and Marci and Madison were on opposite sides. Minutes before practice was set to end, Madison’s teammate passed the ball to her. Marci grinned and charged. From the look on Marci’s face, Madison could tell that she was aiming to end this encounter with Madison sprawled in the mud as she ran away with the ball she had captured.
Unfortunately for Marci, Madison had other plans. She saw her tormentor zeroing in on her and faked right, then changed direction at the last second. Marci tried to adjust to the fake, but she lost her balance on the slippery grass. Racing around Marci, Madison kicked the ball just beyond the outstretched fingertips of the goalie! The ball shot into a corner of the net, and Madison’s teammates shrieked and pounded her on the back. Madison grinned. Then she looked over her shoulder and saw Marci struggling to her knees. Half of her face was covered with dirt, and her shorts were smeared with mud and grass. Madison was tempted to gloat, but she decided that scoring a goal while Marci was eating mud would send a message that Madison was not going to be bullied. If Marci wanted to keep her position on the team, the only way she could do it was by outplaying Madison.
D D D
Walking out of the locker room, Madison saw Jake standing with a bunch of guys from the boys’ team. Her black eye was pale yellow and purple by now, but she was sporting a fresh cut on her cheek courtesy of an intentionally thrown elbow, and there were more bruises on her arms and legs. Jake said good-bye to his friends and walked over.
“Are you on the soccer team or the boxing team?” Jake asked with his usual wide grin.
“I have a group of eighth graders determined to break my neck before we play our first game,” she answered angrily.
“No way. If you broke your neck, then I’d have to find your missing friend by myself, and I don’t even know what she looks like. So, have you called, emailed, and tried to get through on Facebook?”
Madison sighed. “Yeah, all of the above. Now I think it’s time for me to try a low-tech approach.”
“Huh?” Jake said.
“You know, actually going to her house,” Madison said. “It’s pretty close to school. Want to come? I mean, if you’re not busy . . .”
“Sure,” Jake said.
Ann lived in Northwest Portland, a section of the city on the northern edge of downtown. Hip boutiques and cool restaurants clustered on 23rd and 21st streets, and the surrounding area was populated with a densely packed blend of fancy old houses and apartment buildings. After an easy twenty-minute walk, Madison and Jake approached Ann’s street. The houses were a mix of Victorians, Dutch Colonials, and other styles popular in the early part of the twentieth century, and all of them—except for one—had one thing in common: their lawns were mowed, their flower gardens were well tended, and none of them looked like they were in need of repair.
Ann’s lawn looked like it hadn’t seen a mower in ages, the paint on the siding of the house was peeling, and the place looked deserted.
“Does Ann’s house always look like this?” Jake asked.
“No,” Madison replied nervously, “it usually looks great. Ann’s mom is always in the garden planting flowers and stuff, and her dad mows the lawn every weekend.” She looked at the unkempt grass again. “Well, at least he used to.”
“The house looks like it should be in a
“Ann and her dad have been in Europe all summer. I guess her mom didn’t keep the place up.”
Jake studied the house. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s home.”
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Madison thought she saw a light in a second-floor window. But when she turned her head, it was gone.
“I thought I saw a light on upstairs,” Madison said, “but I can’t see anything now.”
Jake followed her gaze. “In the daylight it’s hard to tell.”
They walked up to the front door and Madison rang the bell. After a few moments with no answer, she tried knocking. Then she called out, “It’s Madison, Ann. Are you home?” There was still no answer. Shrugging her shoulders, Madison walked back to the front yard. The second-floor windows all looked dark, and Madison couldn’t see the light she thought she’d seen before.
“I guess no one’s home,” Jake said.
“Yeah, it seems like it,” Madison said miserably.
