Back on track, p.1
Back on Track, page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Chapter 1: FLYING FEET
Chapter 2: DISAPPOINTMENT
Chapter 3: RUNNING FOR FUN
Chapter 4: THE PRACTICE PLAN
Chapter 5: RELAY RACE
Chapter 6: THE PLAN GOES WRONG
Chapter 7: THE FIRST TRACK MEET
Chapter 8: IT ALL FALLS APART
Chapter 9: NEW SHOES
Chapter 10: RACE REDO
About the Author
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
More About Track and Field
Explore More
Copyright Page
Back Cover
Chapter 1
FLYING FEET
Twelve-year-old Addison Jones pumped her arms and legs as fast as they would go. She flew down the dirt track. Her worn-out running shoes scraped against the rocky ground, driving her forward. She loved how her body felt as if it was made out of fire.
Addison rounded the final corner and poured every last bit of energy into her legs. She could taste the dust from the track inside her mouth. Her lungs ached with each big breath, but she kept pushing.
She wasn’t going to let up until the race was completely over.
The other runners were so far behind her that Addison couldn’t even hear the slap of their feet anymore. She felt free and alive. She’d had no idea running could be like that.
The rest of Addison’s PE class burst into cheers as she slid over the finish line in first place. Their teacher, Ms. Barnes, gave Addison a high five.
“Awesome race, Addison,” Ms. Barnes said, her eyebrows raised with surprise.
Addison felt a shiver of joy as she watched the other girls starting to cross the finish line. She’d been so fast.
“Thanks!” Addison managed to reply between big, tired breaths. She bent over and put her hands on her knees. Sweat poured down her face and plopped onto her shoes in dark splotches.
Addison’s friend Sofia jogged past. She was the last one to finish the race. Sofia hated running.
Sofia hates anything that isn’t reading books with magical creatures in them, Addison thought with a smile.
The two friends were as different as could be. Addison was quiet and shy. Sofia could make friends with anyone, anywhere. When she didn’t have her face buried in a book, that was.
The two girls had been inseparable since first grade. One day, Sofia had sat next to Addison at lunch and declared they were best friends forever. That was all it took.
“Wow, Addie, you were so fast. I think you almost lapped me!” Sofia said.
Sofia flipped back her long, jet-black hair. It was pulled back into a slick ponytail. She looked completely relaxed and calm. Not at all like she’d just finished running a 400-meter race.
“It was only one lap!” Addison said, laughing. She knew her own face was red and shiny. Sweat was still dripping down her forehead.
But Addison didn’t care. Running as fast as she could had been the most fun she’d had in a long time.
FWEET!
Ms. Barnes blew her whistle. It was the signal for all the kids in PE to head back to the school. Sofia and Addison started walking.
Ms. Barnes came up beside Addison. “You know, Addison, we could really use your speed on the track and field team,” she said. “Have you thought about joining?”
Addison wasn’t sure how to respond. She was happy that Ms. Barnes had noticed her. But there was also a sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn’t join the track team.
Every night, she had to watch her little brother after school while her mom worked the late shift at a nursing home. She couldn’t be on the track team at the same time that she was making dinner and putting Charlie to bed.
“Uh, maybe,” Addison said finally.
It didn’t seem like Ms. Barnes noticed the pause. “Tryouts are right after school,” she said. “Will I see you there?”
“I’ll try,” Addison said, her voice filled with false cheer. But she wouldn’t try. She couldn’t.
Addison felt the hot prick of tears in her eyes. She was surprised. She hadn’t even known that she loved to run.
Swiping a hand over her face, Addison yelled, “Come on, Sofia! Let’s race!”
Addison didn’t want to cry in front of her teacher. Or anyone. She didn’t want people feeling sorry for her. She loved Charlie, and her mom needed her. It was as simple as that.
She sprinted toward the gym room door.
“Hey, wait up!” Sofia shouted.
As she ran, Addison’s tears dried up. She slammed into the door first, beating Sofia by a full two seconds. The other girl jogged up, laughing.
The rest of the school day went by in a blur of math equations and state capitals. Addison didn’t really have time to think about how much she’d loved running the race. And she tried extra hard to stop thinking about trying out for the track team.
* * *
Every day after school, Addison picked up Charlie from kindergarten. That day, she looked inside as Charlie got ready to go. The classroom was loud and colorful. The little kids were all chatting and giggling. They dropped piles of artwork as they tried to put their wiggling arms into jackets.
“Addie!” Charlie shouted. His face lit up when he saw his big sister. He had a smudge of pink paint on his cheek, and his hair was messy.
Addison smiled. Seeing Charlie made her feel just a little better about missing the track tryouts.
“Hey, munchkin,” Addison said. She helped her brother lift up his bulging backpack. “Whoa, what do you have in here, rocks?”
“Yeah!” Charlie said. “We painted rocks today, and I got to be the special helper and . . .”
Addison tried to pay attention to her brother’s stories as they walked home. They lived eight blocks from school, and Charlie usually talked the entire way.
As they passed the middle school track, Addison saw the runners walking onto the field. Ms. Barnes was there with a clipboard and stopwatch. Addison also spotted Brie, Carly, and Ginny. They were some of the girls she had raced in PE.
The girls were all wearing running shoes in rainbow colors. The bright oranges and pinks and greens stood out against the sand-colored track. The sun went behind a cloud just as Addison felt a prick of jealousy land in her belly.
She wished she was out there too. She wished she had brand-new running shoes. She would lace them up strong and tight.
Addison imagined herself rushing down the track during a meet. She could hear the stands of fans cheering wildly. And she could feel exactly how the finish-line tape would feel as she broke through it.
The hardest part was that Addison knew she was faster than Brie, Carly, and Ginny. But that didn’t matter.
She looked down at Charlie. He was talking about who he’d sat next to at lunch and reporting that they’d played kitties again at recess. Addison gave his shoulder a little squeeze. The two of them continued on toward home.
I have to put track out of my mind for good, Addison thought. I’m not a baby. I can get over it.
Then it hit her.
I’m not a baby, she realized. I’m a babysitter.
And if she could find a different babysitter for Charlie, she could join the track team.
She’d just have to convince her mom to go along with it.
Chapter 2
DISAPPOINTMENT
That night, Addison reheated leftover macaroni and cheese in the microwave. Charlie sat at the counter, drawing blue and green dinosaurs.
“Here you go, buddy,” she said. She placed the steaming plate down in front of her little brother.
“Mac and cheese again?” he said.
Addison had to admit, the sticky noodles didn’t look very delicious. “Yes, again,” she told Charlie. “It’s either this or canned soup, and I know how much you love that.”
Charlie made gagging sounds.
“That’s what I thought,” said Addison.
She took her own plate and sat at the counter next to him. Her math homework was spread out in front of her like a fan.
“Maybe you should learn how to cook some other stuff?” Charlie looked at her hopefully.
Addison stabbed a gooey noodle. “Yeah, I probably should,” she said.
“Like hamburgers or spaghetti or pizza or chocolate-covered strawberries!” Charlie said as he twirled his food around on his plate. Addison grinned. Charlie did love strawberries.
* * *
After reading four picture books to Charlie and promising that she would learn how to make chocolate-covered strawberries, Addison said good night. Then she quietly left his room.
Addison went into the living room and started tidying up. When she was done with that, she made sure the kitchen was sparkling clean. She wanted Mom to be in a good mood when she told her about the plan to join the track team.
Addison was sitting at the counter, finishing her homework, when her mom walked in the door. Grocery bags hung from both of Mom’s arms. She had dark circles under her eyes.
Mom set the bags down with a big sigh. “Hey, Addie. Is Charlie asleep?” she asked. She came over and kissed Addison on the forehead. She looked exhausted, and Addison felt a pinch of guilt.
“Yep,” Addison said. She jumped off the counter stool and put a plate of macaroni and cheese into the microwave. “How was your day, Mom?”
“Oh, you know, long and tiring,” Mom replied as she sat down at the counter.
The evening shift at the nursing home meant her mom made more money. She’d promised Addison that babysitting Charlie after school would be temporary—a month at the most.
But one month turned into two. Now it had been an entire year.
Addison looked at Charlie’s drawings that hung on the refrigerator. She loved her brother, and she didn’t mind watching him. She just wanted to go to Sofia’s house after school every once in a while. Or join the track team. Or just be a kid.
She thought back to how she’d felt running around the track. How her body had felt as if it was meant to run. How she had felt as if she were flying.
She needed to find the courage to ask her mom about track.
“We ran a race today in PE,” Addison started. She took a deep breath and began to spin a pencil around her fingers. Addison always fidgeted when she was nervous. “I beat everyone by, like, a mile.”
“That’s great,” Mom murmured. She was flipping through a magazine. Addison wasn’t sure her mom was even listening to her.
“Afterward, Ms. Barnes said she’d love to have me on the track team,” Addison went on. “Tryouts were today. But I couldn’t go. Because of Charlie.”
At that, her mom looked up. There was sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Addie,” Mom said. “You know I need you to babysit him after school.”
“What about Mrs. Davis?” Addison asked, rushing the words out. “She used to babysit me when I was little, right?”
Mrs. Davis lived down the block. She had a cute dog that Addison had loved to play with.
“Yes,” Mom replied. “It’s just that Mrs. Davis charges money. I’m working hard so we can get ahead. I don’t have the money to pay Mrs. Davis.”
Addison’s heart sunk. “Oh,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know she charged.”
She felt her face flush. Of course Mrs. Davis charges money for babysitting, she told herself. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“I’m really sorry, Addie,” Mom said.
“It’s OK,” Addison said quickly. She felt tears coming for the second time that day. “I’d probably hate being on the track team anyway.”
Before her mom could say anything else, Addison stacked up her homework and hurried to her room.
Chapter 3
RUNNING FOR FUN
The next day was another running lesson in PE for the Franklin Bulldogs middle schoolers. At first, Addison’s legs felt sore from the race the day before. As she took long strides, though, her muscles loosened. Soon she was passing all of the other kids during their warm-up laps.
But with each step, she felt more disappointed. It was fun to run. But she would never be able to join the track team. She could never run a real race.
“Show-off!” Sofia yelled, laughing as Addison lapped her.
Addison didn’t slow down. She kept pumping her legs and arms. She imagined she was a cheetah. A gazelle.
Ms. Barnes tweeted her whistle. “All right, everyone. Now that you’re loose, let’s do some sprinting drills,” she told them. “Run as fast as you possibly can for one hundred meters. Then walk for fifty, and then sprint again. Let’s go!”
Addison flew around the track during the sprints. The wind blew through her hair. Even in her worn-out shoes, she was faster than all the girls. And the boys.
“This will be the last one hundred-meter sprint!” Ms. Barnes shouted.
Addison let her legs do what they wanted to do. She ran as fast as she could. Her legs burned with the effort, but she didn’t let up until she crossed the mark on the track.
Once everyone had finished, the class gathered over on the grass around their teacher.
“Next we’re going to work on some different conditioning exercises,” Ms. Barnes said. “These will help strengthen your muscles. Then you can run even faster.”
Addison’s class stood in a line while Ms. Barnes called out different exercises for them to do.
“Lunges!” she yelled, and they all lunged.
“Jumping jacks!” she yelled, and they all jumped.
“Squats!” she yelled, and they all squatted.
It was tiring. By the time they were done, Addison was covered in sweat. She and Sofia fell to the ground.
“That was so much fun,” Addison said, smiling. Her body felt like a wet noodle.
“Fun? You have to be kidding me,” Sofia said. “That was more like torture.”
“I loved it,” Addison said, and she meant it. The exercises had been hard, but she enjoyed the way it felt to push herself to the edge.
And if doing the exercises could make her run even faster? That was just a bonus.
Sofia shook her head. “You are one weird girl, Addison Jones.”
Addison laughed. “I might be weird, but at least I’m fast.”
“You know, you really are so much faster than everyone out here,” Sofia said. She rolled over and tugged on a blade of grass. “It’s so obvious you love running. You need to join the track team.”
“I can’t,” Addison said. “You know that my mom needs me to watch Charlie.”
“Maybe I could help somehow,” Sofia said. She raised an eyebrow. She always made that face when she was coming up with a plan.
“I don’t think you can,” Addison said. “But don’t worry about it. It’s my problem, not yours.”
The rest of the class went by in a flurry of kicked-up dirt. Addison ran until sweat was dripping down her back.
If PE was the only chance she’d get to run, she was going to give it her all.
By the time the period was over, Addison’s legs were shaky and weak. She could barely make it up the stairs to the locker room.
Addison and Sofia changed and gathered their backpacks. They were about to head to algebra when Ms. Barnes walked over.
“Hey, Addison, can I talk to you for a moment?” Ms. Barnes asked.
Sofia nudged Addison before waving goodbye. Addison turned back toward the teacher. “What’s up, Ms. Barnes?”
“We missed you at track tryouts last night,” Ms. Barnes said.
“I know,” Addison said. She shifted her bag. “I couldn’t make it.”
“I’d really love to see you out there,” Ms. Barnes said. “Even though you missed the tryouts, you can still join the team. What I saw today convinced me.”
“Really? That’s so cool. Thank you,” Addison said happily. Then she thought of her mom’s tired face. “But I’m just too busy with . . . other stuff.”
She didn’t want to admit to Ms. Barnes that she couldn’t join track because she had to watch her brother. Ms. Barnes would just ask why they couldn’t get a babysitter. Addison would be forced to tell her about her family’s money problems.
“Well, promise me you’ll at least think about it,” Ms. Barnes said. “Our first practice is tomorrow after school. If you decide to come, you just need to bring the activity fee.”
“OK,” Addison said, trying to sound calm.
“I hope you’ll come,” Ms. Barnes said. “See you tomorrow.” She smiled and went back into her office.
Addison stood in the hallway, staring down at her dirty shoes. What am I going to do now? she thought.
Addison kept thinking as she walked toward her next class. Being on the track team would be a dream come true, she told herself. There has to be a way to join.
She had a little bit of birthday money from her grandparents. She had it stashed in her jewelry box at home. She’d been saving it, but it would probably be enough for the activity fee.
Charlie’s chubby face, covered in pink paint, swam into her mind. But what would she do about Charlie?
Addison slid into her seat in algebra. Next to her, Sofia had one eyebrow raised again.
“I’ve been thinking,” Sofia said. “I have an idea for solving your track problem.”
“Yeah?” Addison said, smiling. For the first time, she felt really hopeful. The two girls ducked their heads together and started whispering.
Chapter 4
THE PRACTICE PLAN
The next day after school, Addison, Sofia, and Charlie walked over to a small playground. It stood right by the middle school track.
