Sweet Victory (5 page)

No matter many times the Blakely Bears tried to get the ball from the New Canaan Coyotes, one of the opposing players snatched it from them. By the end of the first quarter, the Bears were down 3–13.

Herbie called his team into a huddle. “Okay, I know this doesn't look good, which is why we need a strong comeback in the next go-round.”

“Quarter. It's called a quarter,” Sadie reminded him.

“Precisely! I want to pack the paint with our defense.”

Gaby scratched her head. “Um, Coach. We're not really sure what to do. Those Coyotes block us everywhere we turn.”

“The Coyotes have a really strong defense,” Sadie reminded all of them. “But they're not as fast with the ball as we are. I think our best chance is to pass quickly and often.”

“And they have good outside shooters,” Herbie added. “So keep man-to-man pressure on them.”

“You mean woman-to-woman,” Sadie said.

“Yeah, that too. Don't give them a chance to shoot.”

The second quarter felt like a whole new ball game. Gaby scored five points in the first few minutes.

“
Go! Go! Go!
” Herbie screamed from the sidelines, jumping up and down.

Sadie noticed that what he lacked in strategy, he made up for in enthusiasm.

By halftime, the Bears were back on a roll and leading 21–19.

“Okay, we got this!” Herbie said, gathering the girls around him. “Just stay on course.”

But the Coyotes weren't about to give up so easily. They matched the Bears shot for shot, and with only a minute left in the game, the score was tied, 27–27.

Gaby got the ball but missed a three-pointer.

Herbie covered his eyes. “I can't look. I can't look!”

Sadie felt the same way, but forced herself to keep watching. Her eyes lit up when one of the Coyotes fouled, and Gaby took possession once again.

“She's got it! She's got the ball!” she said, shaking Herbie.

“
Shoot it! Shoot it
!
” they both shouted. They watched as the ball sailed through the air and landed with a
swoosh
in the basket. The buzzer sounded and the Bears won by a single point.

“We did it! We did it!” Sadie and Herbie exclaimed.

The whole team danced around the court, cheering.

The Coyotes and their coach came over to congratulate them.

“Nice game,” Coach Keren said, shaking Herbie's hand. “I guess we'll be seeing you at regionals. I thought for sure without Elisa, your team would tank. But you pulled it out. Nice job, Coach Dubois.”

“No one is as good a coach as Coach Walsh.” Sadie suddenly spoke up. “We owe her everything!”

“I'm sorry,” the Coyotes' coach backpedaled. “I didn't mean it that way. I heard Coach Walsh is sick, and you're doing your best without her.”

“She's fine,” Sadie found herself shouting a little too loudly. “She'll be just
fine
.”

Coach Keren looked at Herbie, concerned. “I certainly hope she will be,” she said quietly. “I know it must be really hard on all of you making do and adjusting.”

“You don't know!” Sadie tossed back. “And you shouldn't talk about things you don't know about!”

She ran to the empty locker room and slammed the door behind her. She felt so angry that she thought she would explode if she stayed on the court one more minute.

Herbie found her sitting on the floor in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” he said, taking a seat beside her. “You practically bit Coach Keren's head off.”

“I'm sorry,” Sadie said, sighing. “I just got so mad at how she was talking about Coach Walsh. Like we had to learn to get along without her. Like she wasn't coming back.”

“Sadie, you have to understand that might be a possibility,” Herbie said slowly. “Elisa doesn't know what the doctors will tell her. She's taking it day by day.”

“But a lot of people get better,” Sadie insisted.

“Yes, that's true. And there's more and more research being done every day to cure cancer.”

“Well, it's not enough,” Sadie protested. “Coach Walsh shouldn't have gotten it.”

Herbie nodded. “I agree with you. She's a great person, and I feel bad that she has to go through this. But telling people off isn't going to solve anything.”

“I know,” Sadie admitted. “I let Kylie have it the other day too, when she was just trying to be nice.”

“I heard,” Herbie said. “But she's your friend, and she knew you didn't mean it. I'm not sure Coach Keren felt the same.”

Sadie buried her head in her hands. “I just feel so helpless. Like there's nothing I can do to fix this. It makes me so angry!”

“I do have an idea,” Herbie said. “Something I think will make you feel quite useful. I know what you can do that will help raise a lot of money to fight cancer.”

Sadie looked up. “You do? What?”

Herbie smiled. “I have one word for you: cupcakes.”

Sadie was excited to share Herbie's idea with her fellow PLC mates: a Cupcakes against Cancer bake sale! She knew they'd be as enthusiastic about it as she was. Focusing on a fund-raiser also took her mind off
not
being able to visit Coach Walsh and tell her about their victory against the Coyotes. Herbie said the coach had gone through surgery on Wednesday and was still recovering.

“She doesn't want you to see her just yet,” he told Sadie gently. “Maybe when she's a little stronger. I promise, I'll text her tonight and see when we can visit, okay?”

Sadie nodded. She wasn't great at waiting for anything, but if that was what her coach wanted…

“We should do the fund-raiser as soon as possible,” she said, circling a date on the calendar.

Kylie nodded. “I'll ask Principal Fontina if we can set up tables in the school lobby. So parents and kids can buy cupcakes on their way in and out.”

“And let's spread the word,” Lexi added. “PLC is baking to beat cancer! I'll draw some posters.”

“I'll ask Mr. Ludwig if we can also sell them at the Golden Spoon,” Delaney added. “I'm sure he'd be happy to, and I can set up a display in the gourmet shop.”

Jenna held up her hands signaling a time-out. “Flavors. We need flavors. Something that will wow everyone and sell, sell, sell.”

Kylie looked in her binder. “Well, our most popular flavors are red velvet and chocolate-chocolate chip.”

“That's fine, but we have to do Coach Walsh's personal fave,” Sadie insisted. “Jelly doughnut.”

Jenna frowned. “Doughnut? I thought we're baking cupcakes. Isn't that what we do? Did I miss the memo?”

Sadie tried to convince her. “But we need to find a way to make a cupcake that tastes like a jelly doughnut.”

Delaney put an arm around Jenna. “You can do it, can't ya? There's never been a cupcake flavor that could stump Jenna
La Maravillosa
.”

“Well, if you put it that way…” Jenna blushed.

“What do we want for decorations?” Lexi asked, taking out her sketchbook. “Like a pink ribbon or something for cancer awareness?”

A lightbulb went off over Sadie's head. “No, not a ribbon. A gold trophy. I promised Coach Walsh I would bring her a trophy.”

Lexi made a few scratches with her pencil. “A gold trophy molded in chocolate and sprinkled with luster dust.” She showed the drawing to Sadie.

“It's perfect!” Sadie exclaimed. “Do you think it will be expensive to buy the mold?”

Sadie's mom couldn't help but overhear the commotion in her kitchen. “I talked it over with the other PLC parents, and we all want to pay for everything you need for this project,” she told the girls. “So every penny of the money you make can go to the American Cancer Society.”

Sadie hugged her mom. “Oh, that's amazing,” she said. “Thank you!” It was the first time in a long time she'd felt so happy.

“Coach Walsh will love it,” she told her friends. “I can't wait to bring her the check for the money we raise and a dozen jelly doughnut cupcakes.”

Jenna was anxiously flipping through recipe books, searching for a way to make a doughnut-flavored cupcake. “
Por favor
, let me work,” she said. “You guys start on the chocolate and red velvet and let Sadie and me figure this out.”

Sadie took a jar of raspberry jelly out of the cupboard. “Try this for starters,” she said. “I think we've also got grape and maybe strawberry.”

Jenna made a face. “We are making these preserves for the filling from scratch,” she insisted. “Nothing is too good for Coach Walsh's signature cupcake.”

Sadie smiled. “You're right. This might be the most important cupcake we've ever made.”

• • •

PLC had never worked so hard to make so many cupcakes in a week. “That makes 834 dozen, or 10,008 cupcakes,” Sadie said, checking off a list as they stacked yet another box on the floor of her living room and kitchen. There were several dozen more in the freezer, waiting to be decorated.

“And at five dollars a cupcake…” she calculated. “That will bring in over fifty thousand dollars for cancer research.”

“I thought you hated math,” Lexi teased her.

“Math, yes. Money, no.”

“Wow,” Mr. Harris said, surveying the stock. “This is a lot of cupcakes to transport. I think we should start with the ones going to the Golden Spoon.”

“Aye, aye!” Delaney saluted him. She'd enlisted her school BFF, Sophie, to help her sell at the gourmet store after school. Jenna and her sisters would take the weekend shift. “Mr. Ludwig said he'll take two hundred dozen—and he'll donate all the money.”

Tyler and Corey began carrying boxes out to Tyler's car. “We'll take this batch over to the high school and sell them there,” he said.

“That's really nice of you,” Sadie said. “I've never seen you volunteer for any cause before.”

“That's 'cause this cause is about Coach Walsh—and she taught me everything I know about b-ball. I'll sell one thousand easy.”

“Okay, that leaves us just 6,608 cupcakes to sell today and tomorrow at Blakely,” Kylie said. “You think we can do it?”

“
Por supuesto
, of course,” Jenna said. “Especially my amazing jelly doughnut cupcakes.” She opened the lid of a box to let Sadie's brothers take a whiff.

“Is that powdered sugar I see?” Corey's eyes lit up.

“And wait till you taste the raspberry coulis filling,” Sadie bragged.

“I don't know what
cool-ee
is but it sounds cool to me,” Tyler replied.

“It's like a raspberry sauce you make from heating fresh raspberries and sugar,” Jenna explained. “
Delicioso
.”

“Yum,” Corey said. “Hand one over.”

“Not so fast,” Sadie said, slamming the lid shut. “That'll be five dollars, please. These are cupcakes for a cause.”

Corey took a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet. “I'll be eating at least two more on the drive over to school. Keep the change.”

Tyler took a twenty-dollar bill out of his jeans pocket. “Here. I'll take one, and you can keep the rest of the money. Like I said, anything for Coach.”

Sadie was touched. She hoped everyone who bought their cupcakes would be equally kind and generous. “Thanks,” she said, handing her brothers a box. “You guys can have these all to yourself. Just sell the rest—we didn't make too many extras.”

When they unloaded Sadie's dad's truck early in the morning at Blakely, Principal Fontina was already waiting.

“We've set up tables inside the rotunda and outside in the yard,” she informed the girls. “And all the girls on the Blakely Bears basketball team volunteered to stand in front of the school's main doors and sell as well. I've also called the local press so we'll get people coming in and buying all day.”

“This is amazing,” Sadie said. “We're gonna sell a ton!”

“We should make an announcement over the loudspeaker,” Principal Fontina continued. “Just as the parents and kids are arriving so they know what this is all about. Sadie, would you like to do the honors?”

Sadie's cheeks flushed. “Me? You want me to say something to all those people?”

“I think you could put it much more eloquently than I could,” her principal replied. “Besides, you organized this entire bake sale. I think Blakely should understand how important it is.”

“Go ahead,
chica
.” Jenna gave her a little shove. “You can do it.”

A few minutes later, as the crowds started pouring in, Sadie followed Principal Fontina into her office. She watched as the principal flipped a switch and a loud chime sounded.

“Good morning, girls and boys and parents. May I have your attention, please?”

She handed Sadie the microphone. “It's all yours.”

Sadie took a deep breath. “Hi, um, this is Sadie Harris. I wanted to tell you about a really important fund-raiser going on today and tomorrow. It's to benefit the American Cancer Society. I never knew anyone who had cancer before, but then someone really important to me got it. I hope you will buy a cupcake, or three or four, or a dozen from Peace, Love, and Cupcakes. We're baking to beat cancer!”

She handed the mic back to Principal Fontana. “Was that okay?”

“More than okay. It was wonderful.”

The rest of the morning, the PLC girls took turns selling cupcakes in between their classes. Sadie had a second-period study hall, so she manned the second shift.

“The custodial staff would like five dozen, please,” Mr. Mullivan said. He handed Sadie three hundred dollars. “We all chipped in. Please take this and tell Coach we're rooting for her.”

When it was Lexi's turn to sell, the entire Blakely hip-hop squad—led by resident mean girl Meredith Mitchell—stopped by. “We want ten dozen,” she said. “I don't really like cupcakes, but my daddy gave me this check to treat all the girls.”

Lexi stared at the number written on it. “Does this say one thousand, five hundred dollars? Really? That's so nice of you, Meredith!”

Meredith smirked, “Well, of course it is.” She noticed a photographer with a press pass snapping pictures. “Oh, here, get my good side!” she said, posing for the camera. “And make sure you spell my name right.” Then she handed the boxes to her posse—Abby, Bella, and Emily—to carry as they trailed behind her.

During lunch, Jenna and Kylie were in charge. “We better sell a lot of cupcakes,” Jenna complained. “It's chicken nugget day in the cafeteria, and I hate to miss my nuggets.”

Ms. Shottland, Kylie's fourth-grade teacher, waved to them. She was leading an entire army of Blakely teachers, administrators, and aides down the hall.

“We came to buy cupcakes,” she said smiling. “How many can you spare?”

“Are you kidding?” Kylie said. “As many you want!”

“How about we'll each take a dozen—and I think this should cover it.” She handed Kylie an envelope, filled with cash and checks.

“That's five thousand dollars—we all chipped in,” another one of her teachers, Ms. Levenharz, said.

“OMG, that's
más que suficiente
!” Jenna replied, counting the bills.

Dozens of students poured out of the cafeteria next, clutching cash and checks from their parents. A reporter from the
New Fairfield Daily News
was also there, diligently taking notes and interviewing students and teachers. “I'm going to write a story for tomorrow's paper,” she told the girls. “Let's spread the word and get you even more customers.”

“I can't believe this,” Kylie said, handing out cupcake after cupcake. “I wonder if we'll make even more money than we planned.”

Sadie could barely make it through the crowd to reach them. “This is amazing,” she said. “I wish Coach Walsh could see how much support she has here at Blakely.”

Herbie snuck up behind them. “Then I think you should go visit her and tell her. She's expecting us after school tomorrow.”

• • •

As promised, the
Daily News
ran a front-page story that was out Friday morning.

“Sadie, look. It's me!” Lexi said, waving the paper in her face. There was a large photo of her handing a box of chocolate-chocolate chip cupcakes to Meredith Mitchell.

“Lemme see that,” Jenna said, snatching it away. She skimmed the article, where Meredith was quoted as saying, “I did my part for this bake sale, because that's the kind of person I am.”

“Ugh, Meredith.” Kylie groaned. “She always has to be in the spotlight, doesn't she? Even if this sale had nothing to do with her.”

“It's okay,” Sadie assured them. “It's all good. Meredith or no Meredith, this is great publicity.”

Kylie peeked out the window of the school's front doors. “OMG, they're already lining up outside.”

This time, Ms. Fine, the PTA president, showed up with a group of parent volunteers.

“We'd like to help,” she said. “You girls have worked so hard! We sent out a blast to all the Blakely parents and alumni, and we expect a huge rush this morning. We'll fill in for you.”

“Thank you!” Sadie said, handing over the cash box. “I really can't miss first-period algebra or I'll be totally lost.”

“Leave it to us,” Ms. Fine assured her.

When Sadie checked back during fourth period, they had to replenish the cupcakes, and there was still a line out the door of Blakely, so long it wrapped around the corner. Ms. Fine was herding people through the doors and collecting donations.

“People have been amazingly generous,” she told Sadie. “A lady who doesn't even have a child at Blakely handed me a check for two hundred fifty dollars! She read about the sale in the paper.”

“Is this all we have left?” one of the parent volunteers shouted.