Running Behind Read online

  Copyright © 2018 Sylvia Taekema

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Taekema, Sylvia, 1964–, author

  Running behind / Sylvia Taekema.

  (Orca currents)

  Issued in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN 978-1-4598-1798-2 (softcover).—ISBN 978-1-4598-1799-9 (PDF).—ISBN 978-1-4598-1800-2 (EPUB)

  I. Title. II. Series: Orca currents

  PS8639.A25R86 2018 jC813'.6 C2017-907680-9

  C2017-907681-7

  First published in the United States, 2018

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018933734

  Summary: In this high-interest novel for middle readers, Jake can’t wait to compete in the upcoming cross-country championships. A free teacher guide for this title is available at orcabook.com.

  Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book on Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  Cover photography by Unsplash.com/Anton Darius Sollers

  Author photo by Trish Wolting-Meiboom

  ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

  orcabook.com

  Printed and bound in Canada.

  21 20 19 18 • 4 3 2 1

  Orca Book Publishers is proud of the hard work our authors do and of the important stories they create. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it or did not check it out from a library provider, then the author has not received royalties for this book. The ebook you are reading is licensed for single use only and may not be copied, printed, resold or given away. If you are interested in using this book in a classroom setting, we have digital subscriptions that feature multi user, simultaneous access to our books that are easy for your students to read. For more information, please contact [email protected].

  For Steven: great runner, great friend, just the kind of guy you want to have at your back

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Acknowledgments

  An Excerpt from “Hold the Pickles”

  Chapter One

  Chapter One

  The whistle blew, signaling the end of the sprints. The boys gathered around their coach. “Well,” he said, lifting his Diamonds cap and resettling it a little farther back on his head, “what do you think? You ready, Jake?”

  Jake rolled his shoulders. “Ready, Coach.”

  “Sure?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  “Shawn?”

  Shawn pulled off the headband holding back his long, wavy hair and gave Coach Dave a thumbs-up. “Ready, Coach.”

  “Don’t grow any taller in the next few days or you’re going to lose a lot of time ducking under every tree branch on that course.”

  “Yessir! I mean, no, sir. No growing.”

  “Ready, Tony?”

  Tony was rooting around in the bottom of the backpack he’d pulled off the picnic table. He held a flattened granola bar in one hand. “Ready, Coach.”

  “You going to pack that bag full of snacks for the trip?”

  “I was thinking I might need a bigger one.”

  Coach Dave chuckled. “You could be right. Ready, Sam?”

  Sam nodded. “Ready, Coach.”

  “No projects planned? No assignments due?”

  “My schedule is clear for takeoff.”

  “Right. Ready, Spencer?”

  “Always ready to run.”

  “Good. We’re going to miss Paul, but we’re glad to have you on board.” Finally, Coach Dave turned to look at the boy beside him. “So, Simon, think this bunch is ready?”

  Jake watched Simon push up his glasses and look around the circle of sweaty boys gathered in the parking lot. They had just finished their final cross-country practice before the provincial race in Barry’s Bay. Simon locked eyes with Jake and grinned. “It’s a dream team, best I’ve seen, hot as lava, cool as ice cream.”

  Coach Dave laughed. “Good to know you’re ready too, Mr. Assistant Coach. Well, that’s it then. We’ll see you Friday morning. Eat well, sleep well, pack light.” As the boys started to gather their stuff, he continued. “Don’t forget your team jerseys. You guys are the regional silver medalists. You’re going to the provincials. You have earned this opportunity through dedication, determination, talent and hard work. Do your region proud. Do your team proud. Do yourselves proud.”

  Shawn wiped an imaginary tear from his cheek. “That was beautiful, Coach.”

  The coach smiled. “Now get out of here.”

  Sam high-fived his teammates and started walking home. Spencer and Simon jogged to the bus stop. Shawn and Tony headed to the variety store across the road. Jake went to unlock his bike.

  “What do you think, Jake?” asked Coach Dave.

  “About what?”

  “The team, the weekend, the race.”

  Jake closed his eyes. The race was all he’d been thinking about since the moment they found out they’d qualified. His whole body felt like it was buzzing. “It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait.”

  “Me neither,” said the coach.

  “Tony’s got so much power, and Shawn can cover a lot of ground with those long legs of his. Sam’s so speedy and so smart about how he runs a race, and Spencer, he’s just so smooth. He runs so easily. So fast. No worries or hangups. It’s like nothing can throw him off.”

  “He loves to run, that’s for sure. But don’t downplay your own part in this, Jake. If I know you, you’ll find your way up front. I’ve got to admit, I like our chances. You guys have got heart. Plus, we’ve got a secret weapon.”

  “We do?”

  “Simon’s jokes!” Coach Dave high-fived Jake and got into his van. “Whatever happens this weekend, it’s sure going to be something to remember. You okay to get home?”

  Jake nodded.

  “Still biking, huh? Might as well while you still can.” The coach tugged the zipper on his jacket up a little higher and scanned the sky. “One of these days it’s going to snow.”

  Chapter Two

  Jake took one last look at the picture on the screen and then shut down the computer. He’d been looking at photos of the Barry’s Bay area. Lakes, hills, trees. It looked awesome. Jake was tired, but he didn’t know if he’d be able to sleep. Excited didn’t even come close to describing how he felt. So much had been going on lately. There was the big cross-country run in Deep Rapids the previous Saturday, where the Diamonds had come in second overall. Jake glanced at the silver medal hanging over the corner of his bulletin board and grinned. Then came the news that the team had qualified for the provincial race this weekend in Barry’s Bay. And then the final city race just the day before, where Spencer had come in first an
d Jake, right on his heels, was a close second. He could still hear the cheers and feel the sting of the high fives from his friends on the team.

  Coach Dave had told them that their other regular teammate, Paul, had come down with chicken pox and wouldn’t be able to make it to Barry’s Bay. Jake had recommended inviting Spencer to run in Paul’s place, surprising even himself. All season long he’d considered Spencer Solomon his enemy number one. But that was only because Spencer had come in first in every city race he’d run—races that Jake had been trying so hard, sometimes too hard, to win. But there was no denying that Spencer was one amazing runner. Now they’d be teammates, and Jake couldn’t be happier.

  Jake placed his team jersey in the duffel bag. He’d finish packing the next day, but he didn’t want to risk forgetting his jersey. He was glad Spencer had been able to come out to practice on such short notice and that their buddy Simon was there as well. Simon was a good guy, and he was funny. He’d come all the way to Deep Rapids just to cheer Jake on and had instantly made friends with the rest of the team. So Coach Dave had invited him to Barry’s Bay. His main duty was to provide encouragement and comic relief for the team.

  When Jake had become obsessed with winning that autumn, it was Simon who had pointed out it was doing him more harm than good. Coach Dave had told him just to run because he loved it. At practice this afternoon Jake had caught himself being a little too hard on the other guys. He just wanted to make sure they were taking the race seriously. This was a big chance for them, and he knew they could do well. Coach Dave had given him a wink when he saw Jake deliberately backing off. They were already a good team. They all knew what they needed to do out there. Jake knew they could count on every team member to do his job. No need to worry.

  As he got ready to climb into bed, Jake heard the doorbell. He glanced at his clock. Ten o’clock. Pretty late for visitors. It was probably one of Luke’s friends coming to pick him up so they could go out to listen to a band somewhere. Jake’s brother Luke was a musician. He had a big concert coming up in a couple of weeks. By then the big race would already be history. Jake’s eyes traveled once more to the silver medal hanging above his desk. Was it crazy to think they might earn another one? He smiled. They sure could try.

  Jake lay back on his bed, hands behind his head. He took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. He had just closed his eyes when he heard a soft knock on his door.

  “Jake?”

  He sat up again quickly. “Yeah?”

  His mother opened the door. “I thought you’d still be awake.” She smiled. “Listen, your coach is here. He’s wondering if he can talk to you for a minute.”

  “Coach Dave? Why?”

  “He didn’t say. Why don’t you come find out?”

  Chapter Three

  Jake pulled a sweatshirt over his pajamas and hurried downstairs to the kitchen. What news couldn’t wait until the team loaded up the van Friday morning? Jake didn’t know if he could take any more. He was going to go into excitement overload.

  His parents sat at either end of the table. Jake slid into the seat across from Coach Dave. Uh-oh. Something was up. The coach wasn’t a big man, but he looked like he’d shrunk somehow since Jake had seen him last, just hours earlier. He still had his coat on, and he slumped on the chair. His Diamonds hat sat on the table in front of him, and his hair was messy. Jake figured he knew what this was all about. The coach was worried that Jake was so focused on winning again that he wouldn’t run his best or treat his teammates and competitors right. Those couple of slips at practice today were probably still bothering him, and he wanted to talk to Jake about them. Make sure he was on track. Run to run, was Coach Dave’s philosophy. Winning will take care of itself. Well, Jake would set his mind at ease. There was no problem.

  “Jake—” Coach Dave began.

  Jake jumped right in. “Coach, I know I was a little tense at practice today, but I feel good. I feel loose. I won’t get a case of the worrywarts. Promise. Chicken pox is enough to deal with, right?” He laughed.

  The coach smiled weakly. “Right. That’s great, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.” He ran his hand over his face.

  “What news?”

  “It’s Spencer.”

  “Spencer?”

  “He called me about an hour ago. He says…he says he can’t run this weekend.”

  What? This was the last thing Jake had expected to hear. He felt his heart begin to beat faster, and his face got hot. “What do you mean? He said he was coming. He was super pumped about it. What happened?”

  “He didn’t explain. Just said he was sorry, but he couldn’t come.”

  “Sorry? It’s Wednesday night. We leave Friday morning. That’s awfully short notice.”

  “Well, to be fair, we didn’t give him much notice either, did we, Jake? We only asked him yesterday. Maybe he forgot he had something else planned.”

  “Then he shouldn’t have agreed so quickly. Or he should realize that this race is more important than whatever it is he is doing. Way more important.”

  “Jake, listen, I was able to put Spencer’s name in because he’s already listed as a runner in the city league, but—”

  “Never mind Spencer then.” Jake waved his hand in the air. “Choose another name off the list. Maybe Max Chen can come. He’s a good runner.”

  “No, it’s too late. He’s not—”

  “Or Simon. He’s been out with us already. He was at practice today. He knows the game plan.” Jake felt a dull throbbing in his temples. Simon wasn’t very fast, he thought to himself, but maybe…

  Dave was shaking his head. “Jake, you don’t understand. I already filed the entrance papers online. We’re registered. You, Sam, Tony, Shawn, Spencer. That’s our team. I was able to substitute Spencer in for Paul, but I can’t change any of those five names now.”

  Jake swallowed hard. “You can’t change the names?”

  “No.”

  “Did you tell Spencer that?”

  “Yes.”

  “That means none of us can go?”

  Dave sighed. “I’m afraid it looks that way.”

  The only sound in the kitchen was the steady ticking of the clock. After a long moment Jake asked, “Did you tell the other guys?”

  “Not yet.” Dave looked at his watch and sighed again. “I wanted to tell each of you in person. Your house was closest. But I think it’s too late now to tell the others tonight. I’ll let them know tomorrow.”

  No one said anything for a few minutes. Finally Dave pushed back his chair. He cleared his throat and picked up his hat. He shook hands with Jake’s parents. “Seems a shame,” said Jake’s dad, shaking his head.

  Jake stuffed his bare feet into his sneakers and walked Dave to his van. It was cold outside, but they didn’t hurry.

  “Jake,” said Dave, “I know you’re disappointed. I am too. I just can’t tell you how sorry I am about this.”

  There was that word again. Dave was sorry. Spencer was sorry. Somehow sorry just didn’t cut it. The anger Jake felt began to warm him up. This wasn’t right. He was going to go and talk with Spencer.

  “There’s got to be a way we can fix this,” said Jake, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. “I have an idea. Could you hold off just a bit on telling the guys?”

  “Sure, but I’ve turned it over and over in my head, Jake. I’ve even talked to the race organizers. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

  Jake nodded. “You’re probably right. But I’ll give you a call in the morning. Don’t do anything until then. Please?”

  Chapter Four

  Jake didn’t sleep much. He got up way before his alarm went off and almost tripped on the duffel bag lying open on the floor. Would he still need it this weekend? He pulled on some sweats and made his way downstairs. The dark was just dissolving into gray. He scribbled a quick note with his running route so his parents wouldn’t worry and slipped outside.

  The frosty air stung a little when Jak
e sat down on the cold, concrete step to pull on his shoes. He double knotted the laces and tugged on his hat. He felt awful, not just for himself, but for the whole team. He was the one who had insisted Dave ask Spencer to join them in the first place. He should have left well enough alone. Jake wanted to blast Spencer for being so selfish. What could be more important than going to this race? It was the provincials. This was a big deal. Or maybe it didn’t matter to a hotshot runner like Spencer. Maybe he did that kind of thing all the time.

  After some stretches, Jake blew into his hands, shook them out and began the jog over to Spencer’s house. It was pretty far, but that was okay. Jake needed time to settle down and work out what he was going to say. He couldn’t show up at someone’s house so early the streetlights were still on and pretend he was just making a friendly visit. Spencer would know exactly why he’d come.

  Before he knew it Jake had turned the last corner. Spencer’s house was the third one in. Simon’s was the fourth. Several cars were still parked along the street, and few people were out and about yet. He hoped he wasn’t too early. Determined to get the weekend back on course, Jake pushed open the gate and made his way up the path to the porch. Then he stood there, staring down at the flagstones, trying to figure out how to begin.

  “Hey.”

  Jake almost jumped out of his skin. Spencer was sitting on the porch steps untying his shoes. He’d been out for a run too.

  Spencer looked at him, then down at his shoes again. “You heard from Dave.”

  “Yeah. Last night.”

  Spencer nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “What’s up?”

  “I, uh, I’ve got something else this weekend.”

  “You can’t get out of it?”

  “I can’t get out of it.”

  “You know this means none of us can go.” Jake tried to keep his voice even, but it was hard.

  Spencer looked his way again. “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t help it.”

  Jake’s hands balled into fists. He tried hard not to yell. “Of course you can help it. Look, we can fix this,” he said evenly.