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out, taking off
     her mask. “What did you just say?” she asked, turning to Kirby.
    “I said, I bet my parents would let me play, if only it wasn’t in traffic.”
    “Well, hey, that’s what I thought you said! You know, when we play Bates Avenue, we don’t play here.”
    “Yeah,” Kirby said, “but I don’t think they’d letme play on Bates Avenue either. There’s more traffic there than here.”
    “No, we don’t play there — we play in this old overgrown parking lot down by the railroad tracks.”
    “In a parking lot?” Kirby repeated. “The owners let you do that?”
    “It used to be part of the factory next door, but the owners went out of business, so now the town owns it. Nobody uses the
     lot except us. It’s empty. There’s nothing over there — and no traffic at all.”
    “You’re kidding me.” A ray of light was beginning to dawn in Kirby’s mind.
    “No, seriously. There are weeds and stuff growing out of the pavement. It’s a real dump. But there aren’t any cars.”
    “Then how come you guys don’t practice there, too?” Kirby asked.
    “The pavement’s not that great,” Lainie said with a shrug. “It’s got lots of cracks and bumps and stuff. It’s better here,
     cars or no cars. Onlywe can’t have a game here, because we’d have to keep stopping play all the time.”
    “Right. Well, maybe my parents will let me play in the game on Saturday since it’s not on the street!”
    Marty heard this last part as he skated up to them. “You can play Saturday? I thought your folks wouldn’t let you.”
    Kirby explained, and soon all the team members had gathered around and were making plans.
    “How can he play with us if he can’t practice?” Trevor wanted to know. “Just asking. I mean, we’ve got plays and everything.”
    “That’s true,” Marty said. “But he could learn them. I can go over to his house and work on the plays with him.”
    “I’m a fast learner,” Kirby assured them.
    “But then we’ll have six players,” Jamal said, a little nervously.
    “Don’t worry, Jamal — nobody’s going to take your place,” Marty said. “Kirby here can comeoff the bench as a substitute when one of us gets tired.”
    “Or when one of us gets a stick in the guts,” Trevor said. “You know how those guys play.”
    “I saw them on the way over here,” Kirby said. “They’re pretty mean, aren’t they?”
    “Them? Mean?” Lainie said sarcastically. “Hey, that’s why it’s going to feel so great to beat them. And you’re going to help
     us, Kirby.”
    “If I can just talk my parents into it, I’ll be there!” Kirby said excitedly. “See you!” And with that, he got on his bike
     and pedaled like mad for home.

7
    H ey, Mom, Dad, guess what?” Kirby sure hoped his mom and dad were going to go for this plan.
    “Well, you certainly look excited, whatever it is,” his mom said, setting Kirby a place at the dinner table.
    He sat right down and looked from his dad to his mom. “The E Street Skates are going to let me be on the team for their game
     on Saturday — even though I can’t come for practice!”
    Kirby’s dad frowned. “Kirby, I thought we explained to you about playing in the str —”
    “But it isn’t in the street, Dad!” Kirby interrupted. “It’s in an abandoned parking lot by the railroad tracks!”
    “Oh. I see.” His dad settled back in his chairand looked thoughtful. “Mary? What do you think?”
    “Let me give Ilene Bledsoe a call,” she said. Five minutes later she returned. “Well, Ilene says there hasn’t been a problem
     with the kids playing there, so it sounds all right to me. It would be nice to see all that equipment we got you put to use.
     But I want to be there to cheer you on, Kirby — just in case.”
    Kirby held his breath, then let it out with a whoosh when his father nodded in agreement.
    “Thanks, Mom! Thank you, Dad! I can’t believe I’m really going to play!” Kirby hugged them both, then