Team Play Read online

  “Me?” Veronica repeated for the third time.

  “No. Ghengis Khan,” Stevie said, unable to hide her irritation any longer. “Of course, you. Anyway, I think Booth Thirteen is going to be our biggest attraction. You’re just the person to run it.”

  “Well, I don’t know, Stevie,” Veronica began.

  Stevie was afraid Veronica was going to back out of the project. “You are,” Stevie insisted. “After all, who cares more about Fenton Hall than you? Who has shown, year after year, that deep concern for the kids in the hospital? And, don’t forget, this year, we’ve got horses involved. Is there anybody in town more involved in riding programs? Oh, yes, Veronica, this is an honor which you deserve.”

  “Well, I think you’re flattering me a bit, Stevie,” Veronica said. “But, of course, I do like to be a part—”

  “Oh, you’ll be a part of this,” Stevie assured her. “An important part. Well, I know you’ve had a tiring day, with all the work you’ve done on Garnet. I think you should relax. Tomorrow will take a lot out of you.”

  “I don’t mind,” Veronica told her. She was sounding very noble. Stevie tried to hide her own smile.

  “Be here at eleven tomorrow,” Stevie said. “And wear, you know, old clothes, something comfortable. It’ll be a long day.”

  “Something like this old thing?” Veronica asked, pointing to the stylish brand-new outfit she was wearing.

  “Exactly,” Stevie said. “And remember—Booth Thirteen is all yours!”

  “Oh, thanks, Stevie!” Veronica said. Stevie thought she sounded genuinely excited. “See you tomorrow!” She waved and left, no doubt heading for a veranda and a cold soda.

  Lisa picked up a clipboard with the complete layout of the fairground. A puzzled look crossed her face.

  “Stevie,” she said. Stevie turned. “I don’t get it. There is no Booth Thirteen.”

  Stevie’s eyes danced. “There is now!” she said. “And, like I promised Veronica, it’s going to be our main attraction and our biggest money-maker. Veronica has no idea of the wonderful sacrifice she’s about to make for the glory of Fenton Hall!”

  THE BIG DAY was bright, warm and beautiful. Stevie had known it would be. It was a perfect spring day, full of promise, only hinting of the muggy, hot summer to come.

  Stevie donned her jeans and riding boots and a plaid shirt. Even if she wasn’t planning to ride, these were the most comfortable clothes she owned. Besides, she thought there were probably people who wouldn’t recognize her if she weren’t wearing jeans!

  Stevie extracted promises from all her brothers that they would come to the fair.

  “Your father and I will be there, too,” Mrs. Lake said.

  “Of course you will be. You’re my parents,” she said, remembering that Bobby Effingwell’s grandmother would be in attendance as well.

  Her mother hugged her and shooed her out the door.

  By the time she arrived at the hospital grounds, she saw Lisa already there, with a clipboard in her hands, giving orders.

  “Are you Stevie?” a boy asked Lisa, challenging her authority.

  Ignoring the question, Lisa gave the boy an assignment. The boy snapped a quick salute and went to work.

  “Nice job,” Stevie said.

  Lisa handed her the clipboard. “Everything is under control,” she said. “Everything, that is, except this mysterious Booth Thirteen.”

  “That can wait for a few minutes,” Stevie said. “We need Carole, Kate, and Christine to help with the final touches on that one. Here.” She handed the clipboard back to Lisa. “I need to talk to somebody at the hospital. You keep this, and when the next person asks if you’re me, just say yes, okay?”

  “Sure thing,” Lisa said.

  Stevie walked into the entrance of the hospital. She’d talked to Miss Bellanger, the head nurse, quite a lot over the last few weeks to coordinate the project. Now it was time to make sure everything was on schedule.

  Miss Bellanger was in her office when Stevie knocked on the door. “Hi,” Stevie said. “Got a minute?”

  “For anyone who can arrange to bring an entire school fair to my patients, with enough going on to entertain even the ones who can only watch from the window, I’ve got plenty of time,” Miss Bellanger replied warmly.

  “Not to mention the weather to go with it all,” Stevie added.

  “You’re claiming credit for that, too?”

  Stevie grinned. “Why not? Anyway, just to let you know, the ponies should be arriving about ten-thirty. Your kids are all welcome to come to our fair and they’ll each get ten free tickets. At four o’clock, we’ve got school candidates’ debates. That’ll be boring for everybody, but by then your patients should be ready to return to their rooms. The way we’ve set this up, even the kids who can’t participate can watch. I thought they’d rather watch than not. Is that right?”

  “You’ve thought of everything, Stevie,” Miss Bellanger said.

  “Yes, I think I have,” Stevie said, knowing full well that Miss Bellanger didn’t understand the half of it. “Okay, see you later, then.” In a minute, Stevie was back at the fairgrounds, ready for action.

  “There you are, Stevie. What do you want us to do?” Carole asked. She, Kate, and Christine had just arrived.

  A wicked gleam appeared in Stevie’s eyes. “I want you to help me set up Booth Thirteen.”

  Lisa joined the group and Stevie began unfolding her plan.

  “Christine, since you did such a great job on the Tshirts we wore at the rodeo, you’re in charge of the sign for the booth. Here’s what it’s supposed to say.” She handed Christine a piece of paper. Christine read it and her eyes lit up with amusement. “Lisa, you’re artistic, so you can help Christine,” Stevie added.

  “Me, artistic?” Lisa sounded surprised.

  “Well, you know where the paint is, don’t you?” Stevie asked.

  “I guess I’m that artistic. Let’s go, Christine!” Lisa said, leading the way.

  “Kate, here’s a shopping list and some money,” Stevie went on. “Did you see the little shopping center down the street? You can find everything we’ll need in the housewares section of the supermarket.”

  “Outrageous!” Katie said, looking at her own list as Carole read over her shoulder. “Does Veronica know what’s going on?”

  “Veronica, as we all know, is devoted to the school and will do anything she can to help it and to entertain the—how did she put it?—‘poor little crippled children,’ ” Stevie said innocently.

  “Oh, yes. What a wonderful generosity of spirit that girl has,” Kate said.

  “What about me?” Carole asked.

  “Well, you get the fun job of collecting the money. As soon as the sign goes up for Booth Thirteen, students from Fenton Hall are going to be lined up all the way back to the highway to get tickets. Sell them as fast as you can, okay? One of the Fenton Hall students will take over in a few minutes, but I’d like you to cover for now.”

  “Deal,” Carole said. Stevie gave her a roll of tickets and a cash box. “I’ll be fine,” Carole said.

  “It’s going to be really busy,” Stevie warned her.

  “Oh, but it’s all for such a good cause!” Carole said brightly.

  Then Stevie and Carole heard a wonderful sound. It was the gentle clip-clop of ponies arriving.

  “Buon giorno!” Enrico and Andre greeted Stevie and her friends cheerfully.

  The carts, which were borrowed from Pine Hollow, were large enough to seat four or five children at once. There were two of them, and two ponies, also borrowed from Pine Hollow, named Nickel and Dime.

  Stevie looked at her watch. It was ten-thirty exactly. Everything was going right on schedule.

  • • •

  CAROLE COULD HARDLY believe how smoothly everything was running. She wouldn’t have thought a superwoman—let alone Stevie—would find a way to balance a hospital festival, a school fair, a political speech and six out-of-town visitors all in the same
weekend. She was truly impressed with everything Stevie had accomplished.

  “Hi, I’m Bobby Effingwell,” a boy introduced himself, offering his hand. “I can take over at the cash box now,” he said politely.

  “Oh, sure,” Carole told him. The name rang a bell, but she couldn’t place it. Then she remembered who he was. He was Stevie’s opponent for the Middle School Presidency. Carole studied his manner as he opened the cash box, pasted on a hopeful smile, and waited for his first customer.

  “She’ll win in a walk,” Carole told herself.

  “Buon giorno!” the four Italian boys greeted Carole from their pony carts. They looked wonderful. They were each wearing their formal riding clothes, which gave the little carts an official look. Since Carole had been relieved of her responsibilities at the cash box, she decided to join an activity more to her liking—namely, horses.

  “Come on over this way,” Carole called. She walked ahead of the carts and found a place for the boys to park them in the shade. As soon as the carts pulled to a halt, kids began appearing from the hospital.

  Some were in pajamas and robes, and some were in jeans. A few of them were actually dressed up. There were three kids with crutches, five in wheelchairs and one lying flat on her back on a gurney. The kids who could walk best were pushing wheelchairs for those who couldn’t. Some people might have thought that the one thing these kids had in common was that they were all sick. When Carole looked at them, she saw that what they all had in common was that they loved the ponies.

  “What’s his name?”

  “Can I pat him?”

  “Will he bite me?”

  “Does he go fast?”

  “Does he really like carrots?”

  They had lots of questions and Carole sensed that all of them were eager to have a chance to ride in the carts and hug the ponies.

  “I think we’re going to have to get to work here, boys,” Carole told Enrico, Marco, Andre, and Gian. With that, they looked to see how they were going to load the kids into the pony carts under the supervision of Miss Bellanger, who had come to help.

  It was a tricky business. The carts hadn’t been designed with wheelchairs, casts, and crutches in mind. Carole found a way to do it all with the help of her Italian crew. They fashioned a ramp from some boards to make it easier for the kids to get into the carts. The kids were both eager and patient. Carole found that their patience was rewarded. Looking at their faces, she knew that it didn’t matter what problems the kids were taking up the ramp with them. Those problems were all left behind once they were strapped into the cart. For once, they were just children, having fun in a pony cart.

  The Italian boys were having a blast, too. Each cart had one Italian equestrian champion with the reins in his hand and another walking ahead of the cart, leading the way. The children loved their glamorous outfits and their formal manner. They even loved their Italian accents.

  “Hey, can you sing Santa Lucia?” one of the children asked. “We learned it in school last year when we were studying Marco Polo and Venice. Don’t all the gondoliers in Venice sing Santa Lucia all the time?”

  Marco grinned. Clearly, he enjoyed challenges. “All the time,” he assured the boy. “And since my name is also Marco, you know I must be from Venice—” Carole knew this was a fib. Marco was actually from Florence. “—so my friends and I will sing for you,” Marco finished.

  At once, all four of the Italian boys began singing Santa Lucia. It took them a while to pick a key they all liked and two of them didn’t seem very familiar with the words, but a couple of the children knew them in English and joined along.

  “What’s going on over here?” Stevie asked Carole, drawn to the course by the strange, more or less musical, sounds. “Did somebody’s dog get sick?”

  “Oh, no, it’s just our Italian guests, being pony cart singers, or something like that,” Carole said.

  Stevie stood by her and watched for a few minutes. Seeing the children smile and sing and enjoy themselves made her feel warm and happy inside. Carole put her arm across Stevie’s shoulder and gave her a hug. “You’re a miracle worker, you know,” she said.

  “It’s not me,” Stevie said. “It’s them.” She gestured toward the carts as they circled the field.

  “Do you mean the ponies, the carts, the children, or the Italian boys?” Carole asked.

  “All of it,” Stevie said.

  Carole thought she was right.

  “THE CHILDREN ARE having a wonderful time, aren’t they?” Kate asked Stevie.

  “Yes, and so are our Italian visitors,” she said. “It’s great to listen to them. But I think the most fun of all is about to come. Has Christine finished the sign?”

  “Yes. They put it up about five minutes ago. Look, there’s already a line by the cash box,” Kate pointed out.

  Stevie grinned wickedly. “This is a dream come true.”

  And at that moment, the fair’s star attraction arrived.

  “Good morning, Stevie,” Veronica said. “Where are our foreign guests?” she asked, eagerly turning her head.

  “Over there, with the pony carts,” Stevie replied.

  “You have them working again?” Veronica asked.

  “Well, Veronica, they were so inspired by your devotion to the cause of the children and the school that they just insisted on helping out,” Stevie said smoothly.

  “Oh. Well, I guess I’m ready. Where’s Booth Thirteen?” Veronica wanted to know.

  “This way,” Stevie said. This was a tricky moment. She had to make it impossible for Veronica to back out and the only way she could do that was to make it more embarrassing for her to leave than to stay. “Hey, everybody!” Stevie announced. “Veronica’s here! She’s our star attraction and will definitely be our biggest money-maker.”

  The students gathered around. As if somebody had cued them, they cheered. Veronica smiled graciously.

  “You know, Veronica,” Stevie continued. “Last year the fair made almost a thousand dollars. This year, our goal is to make even more. We’re hoping for fifteen hundred dollars. With your help, I know we can do it.”

  “Me? I’m just trying to pitch in, Stevie,” Veronica said, doing a poor job of acting humble. It was done. Stevie had cornered her.

  “Well, here’s your booth,” Stevie said, taking Veronica by the elbow. “Lucky Number Thirteen!”

  And there it was. Stevie couldn’t keep her eyes off Veronica as she read the sign.

  SOGGY NERF BALL TOSS

  Throw a soggy Nerf ball!

  Hit Veronica diAngelo!

  Win prizes!

  Three Throws for One Ticket!

  There was a bucket of water and a case of Nerf balls at the front counter. At the back of the booth was a lone seat where Veronica would serve as a target.

  Behind them, Stevie and Veronica heard kids clamoring for their turn.

  “I’m first!”

  “No, me! I’ve been waiting longer!”

  “Let me have a try!”

  It seemed that everybody who knew Veronica wanted a shot at her.

  Veronica glared at Stevie. For the second time in as many days, she appeared to be speechless.

  “I’m telling you, Veronica. A long line formed for tickets the minute the sign went up. You, and you alone, are going to put us over fifteen hundred dollars,” Stevie said.

  “Stevie, they’ll hit me and get me wet,” Veronica hissed.

  “Don’t worry,” Stevie assured her. “Most of these kids don’t have good aim. And, after all, a lot of them are going to be, er—what did you call them?—the ‘little crippled children’ from the hospital. They probably won’t get anywhere near you.”

  “I’m going to do this, you know,” Veronica said. “And then I will never speak to you again.”

  That was exactly what Stevie had been hoping for.

  • • •

  SOON AFTER BOOTH Thirteen opened up for business, all the other booths opened as well. The fair began at eleven
o’clock and by eleven-thirty, the entire fairground was bustling with activity. Stevie checked all the booths. They had found the wooden rings which had been missing earlier at the ring-toss. The Magic Wishing Tree had all its prize claims stapled on correctly. The fortune teller had polished her crystal ball and memorized her list of “fortunes.” The bowling alley had set up all ten pins, instead of the six somebody had put up by mistake. The red and white decorations looked bright and cheerful. Everywhere Stevie went, her schoolmates, riding friends, and the children from the hospital were having a wonderful time. The loudest cheering noises came from Booth Thirteen and from the pony cart track.

  Stevie found herself standing under a tree in the middle of the fairground, soaking it all in. She closed her eyes and listened. Everywhere, there were sounds of success. People were having fun. The fair was making money for the school. She’d done it. She had actually pulled off everything she’d been assigned to do—almost.

  The things that hadn’t been accomplished yet were the campaign speeches and debates and the Italian boys’ riding demonstration. It was too bad that she was going to have to miss that demonstration in the afternoon, but there was no way she could leave the fairground until the fair was finished and cleaned up. She’d get a chance to see their performance the next day at Pine Hollow.

  Now, there was only one thing she wanted to make the day complete.

  “Hi there, beautiful.”

  The one thing she wanted had appeared. Phil Marston had arrived.

  “You think flattery will get you anywhere!” she said, pretending to be annoyed.

  “Not really,” Phil said. “I’m just hoping that if I make a big play for the person incharge of this event, it might get me to the head of the line at Booth Thirteen. You wouldn’t happen to be responsible for that wonderful idea, would you?”

  “Me?” Stevie asked innocently.

  Phil laughed and gave her a hug. “So, what can I do?” he asked.

  “Hmmmm,” Stevie said thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve been meaning to try the ring-toss. Let’s get some tickets and see who’s better.”

  “Okay,” Phil agreed. “The winner gets to serve as pitching coach over at Booth Thirteen!”