On the Victory Trail (12 page)

Skye and Sooze followed Mrs. Chambers into the back of the Booster Club stand at the football stadium. In a red apron, Mr. Chambers stood at the stoves and labored over French fries in troughs of hot grease. Morgan sat in a corner peeling potatoes. Two adults at the front counter were selling fries like they were made of gold.

“Hey, it's about time you got here to help.” Mr. Chambers smiled when he saw his wife. “I'm just about fried out. I'd give a month's salary for a hot dog right about now.”

“You poor man,” his wife kidded, “how you suffer for such a just cause as new band uniforms. Give me your apron, and you can go round up a hot dog. How about making that two?”

“Make it three!” Morgan laughed.

Mr. Chambers took off his apron and handed it to his wife before turning toward Sooze and Skye. “Girls, do you want a hot dog too? I might as well make it a half dozen.”

The girls traded mischievous glances. “Nah,” Skye said. “We're wondering if we could go get something to eat on our own. We'd like to hike around the field for a while. Maybe we'll see some kids from Youth for Truth. That's really what football games are for. Right?”

Mr. and Mrs. Chambers laughed, and Mr. Chambers walked toward the door.

“Well, in my day,” he said, “let's see, that was about a hundred years ago, we went to football games to watch the players make fools of themselves chasing that pigskin all around the field. I guess times have changed, haven't they, dear?”

Mrs. Chambers took off her coat, slipped the apron over her head, and tied it behind her back. She smiled affectionately at her husband. “You just don't know us girls, Tom. We go to games for things other than sitting and watching what happens to some dumb football on a field. Right, girls?”

“Right!” Skye answered.

“Right!” Sooze agreed.

Morgan pointed at the stove. “I'd rather peel potatoes next to these warm fryers any day than go out there and turn into an ice cube. Sitting in those cold bleachers just doesn't appeal to a lightweight like me. Don't forget my hot dog, Mr. C. — and that's with everything.”

Tom Chambers grabbed his coat off a hook on the wall. “Three hot dogs with the works, coming right up!”

Skye gave Sooze a sheepish grin. “We'll just walk around and see if anybody from youth group is here.”

“Oh, they're here,” Morgan said. “They were hanging around just a few minutes ago. All except Chad. He's working tonight.”

Too bad
, Skye thought, but she hid her dis­appointment.

“Well, we'll look for the other kids if Sooze feels all right,” Skye said it as if she didn't have a clue who Chad was.

“Yeah, no problem as long as we turtle walk,” Sooze said, embarrassment peeking through each word. “I know I can make it around the field at least once.”

Mr. Chambers dashed toward the hot dog stand, and the two girls headed off in the opposite direction. Skye took short steps to match Sooze's snail pace. They weaved around scrambling children and adults who carried cartons overflowing with food. After only half a lap, Sooze huffed like she had just run the last touchdown. They stopped near one of the goal posts “to watch the game,” or so Skye said.

“Hey, Sooze! Can you believe it? Madison is winning, fourteen to zip! I thought they were supposed to lose tonight.” A sharp gust of frigid air swept through the stadium, forcing Skye's hands into her jean pockets.

Skye glanced at Sooze, who was pulling her baseball cap down tighter over her wig and shoving her hands into her own deep pockets.

Large fluffy snowflakes began to tumble from the pitch-black sky. Dancing to Madison's band, they swirled and bounced in front of the brilliant lights, dropping a curtain of white that easily distracted Skye's attention from what was happening on the field.

“Hey, it's snowing!” Skye could hardly contain her excitement.

“This is too awesome!” Sooze said, joy overshadowing her pain. “I love when it snows. Hey, ever go snowboarding?”

“No, but I've gone sledding a zillion times.” In the same breath, Skye's next question cut to the heart of her deepest thoughts. “Sooze, ever think you could live with your mom again?”

“I don't know,” Sooze's thoughts were far away. “I used to hate her, but I don't anymore. I don't like her yet, but I don't hate her either. She needs God worse than I did.”

A large roar echoed through the stadium, and the Madison Musketeer Band blasted their victory song.

“Hey, we just scored!” Skye said. The girls started walking again. “You've got to admit we were, like, total losers. But the Chambers never trashed us. Neither did God. I think we ought to be praying for your mom more than ever.”

“I'm praying as hard as I can,” Sooze added. Then suddenly pointing to the back of the bleachers, she yelled out, “There's Jason!”

Skye held back. “Come on. Let's go find the other kids.”

“One moment,” Sooze said, forcing her body to move at a pace she had not been able to muster for some time.

“Unreal,” Skye grumbled, trailing after Sooze, who hurried into Jason's shadow.

Jason's orange and green hair stuck out like it had frozen that way. Each ear had a lineup of three earrings. Despite the cold, his scrawny body was clad in only a short-sleeved black T-shirt and baggy cargo pants that bunched on the ground.

“Sooze, babe. Good to see you. What can I get for you tonight?” Jason's smile flashed with eagerness as his hands slipped into his pockets. “I've got any little thing your heart desires.” Skye grabbed Sooze's coat sleeve. “Sooze, let's go.”

“Wait!” Sooze said sharply. “I want to see what he's got.”

“Sooze!” Skye said double sharply.

“I said wait a minute!”

“Yeah, what's the hurry, gorgeous?” Jason sneered. “We're just ready to start the party!”

“Not me! Not this time!” Skye said, turning. “I'll wait for you over there by the fence.”

The snow had been falling in buckets; now it was falling by the truckloads. Skye had just barely turned toward the bleachers and now strained to see past the onslaught of flakes. “Sooze, don't do this!” Skye said, scarcely aware that she had just started a conversation with herself. “You'll be sorry.”

By now the frigid air ran through Skye's veins like ice water. The snow quickly formed a thin blanket on the field, adding a chill that made Skye feel like she was standing on an iceberg. Skye wished she were home. She moved her feet and wiggled her toes, trying to get them warm.

“Come on, Sooze!” she grumbled. “I bet that dumb football would listen before you would.”

The words flying between Jason and Sooze lasted longer than Skye thought
she
could. But, strangely, Skye noticed that nothing else passed between them. In fact, Sooze's hands never left her pockets. Finally, Sooze left Jason standing alone, scratching his head of frozen stiff hair.

“I told him to chill out,” Sooze labored to say as she joined Skye. She let out a slight giggle. “Hey, get it? Snow, cold, chill? Anyway, I don't need that stuff anymore. Not since I've got God on my side.”

Despite the cold, Skye managed a relieved smile. “I was afraid — ”

“Yeah, I know,” Sooze said. “C'mon, let's go find our
real
friends.” They slowly walked away.

A thunderous cheer erupted from the Madison crowd, and the band played their victory march one more time. But Skye and Sooze had other things on their minds.

chapter fourteen

I
never thought about buying gifts for anyone but me.” Sooze forced her words out as she and Morgan maneuvered their wheelchairs through the crowded mall. For a month now, Sooze had begun to use her own wheel-chair when she had to travel a considerable distance. “Christmas was always just an excuse for Mom to party. The rest of the family never bothered with us much, so holidays were no big deal. My brother Chuck and I usu-ally just watched TV or ran around. I guess my running-around days are over.”

Skye followed closely, making sure that their three win-ter coats and the packages in the girls' baskets stayed put.

“Wait a sec, you two,” Skye said, saving a bag from tumbling to the floor. “I need to fix some things back here. Pull over. This place is packed. It's a miracle that you two haven't mowed down some poor shopper along the way.”

After Skye had rearranged the cargo, the wheelchairs resumed, crawling like a pair of gigantic snails, try-ing their best to avoid distracted shoppers. Skye trailed behind and tried to balance bags that still had a mind of their own.

“Your running-around days might be over, but not your
running
-
over
days,” Skye said.

“I have enough to worry about without being sued for reckless driving!” Sooze managed a giggle. “We just have to be extra careful, or some kid could lose his toes.

Right, Morgan?” “Right!” Morgan spun her chair around and took a long look at the line of stores on the other side of the mall. “I just love Christmas! What are you two buying Mr. and Mrs. C? It's only a few weeks until the big day!”

Excitement over celebrating her first Christmas as a Chris­tian had Skye practically jumping out of her skin, especially the part about buying gifts for ­people she loved.

“I've noticed Mom's Bible is pretty ragged,” Skye said. “I think I'll get her a new one — I'm thinking some-thing fancy with a burgundy leather cover.”

“How about Mr. C?” Morgan asked.

“Wait till you hear this! I saw the neatest little mustache grooming kit. It's perfect.”

Sooze adjusted the baseball cap that covered her wig. “I was thinking about a sentimental gift for Mr. C. I thought maybe a new key chain with his initials, and a crazy visor for the new truck would be cool. Kind of a belated ‘I'm really sorry for wrecking your truck' gift. What do you think?”

Skye studied her friend's eyes that betrayed tiredness and persistent pain. “Sooze, you okay? We can go now if you're too tired.”

“Not a chance,” Sooze answered. “I've got to find a bright blue scarf for Mrs. C. to go with her western duds.”

“Brilliant,” Morgan said, brushing back her hair. “I've been saving for months for what I'd like to get them. Did you know their twentieth anniversary is next month? I saw the neatest wall clock with tiny running horses on it. They'll love it.”

Skye thought of something special she had seen in a store the week before, and her heart played leap frog.
That's right!

“Hey, now that we're talking horses, I know some-thing we could all get them, and it wouldn't cost us mega-bucks. Off to the toy store!”

Sooze scrunched her face like she was sucking lemons. “The toy store?”

Morgan laughed. “Okay, Skye, if you say so. But I'm guessing you've lost your mind.”

“Stay with me. You'll see!” Skye promised.

The girls giggled their way to the other end of the mall, excused themselves past other shoppers, and finally approached the window of the Just Kidding toy store.

“Look at those!” Skye bubbled as they lined up in front of the store window — horse models of all shapes and sizes posed in prances or rearing on their hind legs. The horses stood around a red barn on a green grass-like carpet, and a small white fence encircled the entire dis-play. Above the exquisite models hung a wooden plaque carved with the word
BREYER
.

“Wow!” Morgan said as she stared at the display. “I've seen some of these horses before, but never in a spread like this!”

“This is awesome!” Sooze said.

“Check it out,” Skye said, her voice rising to a higher pitch. “There's one in there for every horse at Keystone. Look — there in the back on the left. That one's just like Champ!”

Sooze pointed to another corner. “Hey, there's Blaze! Look, Morgan, its legs are black just like hers!”

Morgan leaned forward in her chair. “Yeah, I see it. Do you see Pepsi anywhere?”

“Yeah,” Skye answered, “next to the black stallion. If I didn't know better, I would've thought they used Pepsi's picture to make that horse. It looks like her twin.”

“This is too sweet,” Sooze said, as she thought her days of riding Pepsi. “Oh, I get it, Skye.”

“Me too,” Morgan added.

Skye's whole face sparkled with a smile. “It won't cost that much if we all pool our money. We could get both Mom and Dad a model of their horse. Over there in the right corner is Chief. Do you see him?”

“Yep,” Sooze said.

“Unreal,” Morgan said. “That model is even the same pinto colors as Chief. They'll love these! Let's do it.”

Sooze backed away from the window and bowed her head. Her swollen fingers played with each other.

Skye followed Sooze's reaction. “What's the matter?”

“Do you feel sick?” Morgan added.

Sooze looked up and stared at the window. “Nah, nothing like that. Since I'm not getting chemo, I'm not sick anymore. Just tired. I told you before I never bought a gift for anybody in my whole life. That includes my mother. Not for any reason. Not even her birthday. She collects things like this. You should see our one bedroom upstairs. She has ceramics and dolls and plastic animals sitting all over the place. I bet she'd like one of these. I could get her the one that looks like Pepsi.”

“How could she not love it? That's a super idea,” Skye said.

Morgan turned her chair toward the entrance. “C'mon,” she said, with a smile as big as Skye's, “let's go shop!”