Game Changers Read Online Free PDF

game was the next Saturday, home at The Rock against Midvale, which had made it to the championship game last season before losing to Darby.
    Ben woke up early, the way he always did on game day, even earlier than he did when he had to go to school. Any game day always felt like some kind of holiday to him, but especially the first game of the season. So he was wide awake by seven o’clock, not needing an alarm, already feeling as if one o’clock, when the ball would be kicked off, would never come.
    By eight o’clock Sam Brown was with him, having knocked on Ben’s door and just walked in.
    â€œHey,” he said.
    â€œHey.”
    Sam wasn’t a big talker, even when Coop and Lily weren’t around. Maybe it was one of the things that made the Core Four work as well as it did. Coop loved to talk, loved to make himself the center of attention, loved being the funny one, even though it chafed him to death knowing that Lily wasactually much funnier, and without trying nearly as hard as Coop did.
    So the two of them were always going at it, never in a mean way, like they were in some kind of competition that would last as long as they all were friends.
    It was different when it was just Ben and Sam. Quieter. Sometimes the two of them could feel as if they were halfway into a conversation before either one of them had barely said a word.
    â€œYou ready?” Sam said.
    â€œYou know it.”
    Ben was already dressed, so Sam picked up the football sitting on top of the dresser, turned, and walked out with it, both of them knowing they were going across the street to McBain Field right now to start throwing it around a little bit, like this was the beginning of pregame warm-ups for Midvale, just the two of them.
    They loosened up their arms and before long Sam was running some of the pass routes he’d be running against Midvale. Ben did the same. Then Sam, who also punted for their team, dropped back and kicked a few to Ben, who felt like an out-fielder getting ready for a game by shagging fly balls during batting practice.
    When they finished, and were sitting in the grass, Sam said, “Okay, now I’m good.”
    â€œWhat’s better than good?” Ben said.
    â€œYour girlfriend showing up?” Sam said. Grinning the way he always did when he said that, casually pointing at Lily Wyatt riding her bike down the street.
    â€œShe’s not my girlfriend,” Ben said. “No matter how many times you call her my girlfriend just to get under my skin.”
    â€œSorry,” Sam said. “My bad. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
    â€œShe’s not my girlfriend,” Ben said.
    â€œâ€˜Course not.”
    Lily leaned her bike against the maple tree and came walking over to them, smiling as if she had a game to play, too.
    â€œLook at the two of you,” she said.
    â€œWhat?” Ben said.
    â€œYou look like it’s Christmas morning and you’re on your way to find out what’s under the tree.”
    She was standing over them, hands on hips. Lily was taller than Ben, but not nearly as tall as Sam, both of whose parents were tall, and whose own pediatrician said might grow to be as tall as 6-4 someday. It’s why as good as Sam Brown was in football, his favorite sport was basketball.
    Ben wasn’t sure what his favorite sport was, at least not yet. Usually it was just the one he was playing at the time, whatever was in season.
    â€œWow, that’s pretty disrespectful comparing Christmas to football,” Ben said, grinning at Sam, knowing Sam was way ahead of him. “Football’s way more important than that.”
    Lily sighed.
    â€œSometimes,” she said, “I think I should wait until after football season is over to have a normal conversation with you guys.”
    â€œFor a girl …” Ben said.
    â€œHere we go,” Lily said.
    â€œâ€¦ you can speak football pretty well,” he said.
    â€œFor