tall glasses of lemonade. The calendar said September, but it still felt like August outside.
Ben, Shawn’s younger brother, came intothe kitchen. “I’m bored.” He looked at Shawn and Bobby hopefully.
Bobby knew what that meant. Ben wanted to hang out with them.
Shawn shook his head. “We’re busy, Ben.”
Mrs. Taylor said, “I’m going to the garage to pack some summer things away. It’s supposed to get colder this week. I don’t want Ben underfoot, so please watch him.”
“Mom! Bobby and I are practicing,” said Shawn.
“Well, Ben can practice with you,” his mother answered.
Shawn looked at her with horror. “No, he can’t. He’s too little.”
“I think you were about Ben’s age when you started kicking a soccer ball,” Mrs. Taylor reminded Shawn.
Bobby was surprised. That meant Shawnhad been playing around with soccer for a couple of years.
“Where’s Sara?” Shawn asked. Sara was Shawn’s older sister.
“She’s babysitting,” his mother told him.
“She should be babysitting for Ben,” Shawn muttered.
“I won’t be long,” Mrs. Taylor said. “Just play upstairs for a while.”
Bobby followed Shawn up to his room. Ben tagged along. The first thing Bobby saw in Shawn’s room was his soccer gear laid out on his bed. A brown T-shirt. Black soccer shorts. White shoes with spikes. Shin guards.
Bobby had all the same equipment, but it was at the bottom of his closet. He hadn’t even taken it out of the bag.
“How come your stuff is on your bed?” Bobby asked.
Shawn shrugged.
“Oh, he likes to look at it. He likes to try on his uniform,” Ben said. He stuck his arms up in the air and shouted, “Goal! G-O-A-L.”
Ben loved to spell.
Shawn glared at Ben. Bobby walked over to a wire cage on Shawn’s desk. Inside the cage, running on a wheel, was Twitch, Shawn’s white mouse.
Twitch jumped off the wheel. He came over to Bobby and sniffed at his finger. Then he scampered away.
Bobby noticed a picture on Shawn’s desk. “Hey, you’ve been working on the Worm,” he said. The Worm was Planet Man’s archenemy. Bobby had told Shawn about his art project. Now he and Shawn were planning a comic book about the adventures of Planet Man and the Worm.
Shawn nodded. “I’m not done.”
Bobby could see that. Right now, the Worm just looked like, well, a worm. He had a long, squiggly body and two bulging eyes. He didn’t look like a villain who could destroy the world.
“Worm. W-O-R-M,” Ben said proudly.
“Ben. Stop with the spelling, already,” Shawn said.
The phone rang. Ben ran into his parents’ bedroom to get it. “H-E-L-L-O,” the boys heard him say. Shawn sighed.
Ben came back, holding the phone. “Bobby, it’s your mom.”
Bobby’s mother wanted him at home. “I’ve gotta go,” he told Shawn.
“Too bad,” Shawn said. “I wanted to practice some more.”
Bobby didn’t say anything to that.
When Bobby got home, his parents were waiting for him. They were sitting on the living room couch. Bobby frowned. The Quinn family hardly ever used the living room except when company came.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” his mother replied. “Of course not. We just have something we want to talk to you about.”
His parents looked so serious. “Is Lucy okay?” Bobby asked anxiously.
Right then, Lucy bounded into the living room. She looked fine.
“Come sit down, Bobby,” his mother said. “We have some big news.”
Bobby sat down in the large red chair next to the couch. He liked the red chair. It had plenty of room for Lucy to sit next to him.
He patted the cushion of the chair. Thatwas all the invitation Lucy needed. She jumped up and snuggled next to Bobby. For once, Lucy was quiet. She wanted to hear the big news, too.
Mr. Quinn cleared his throat. “Bobby, I think you know that your mother and I have wanted to give you a brother or a sister for a while now.”
Bobby did know that. His parents talked about how
Ben, Shawn’s younger brother, came intothe kitchen. “I’m bored.” He looked at Shawn and Bobby hopefully.
Bobby knew what that meant. Ben wanted to hang out with them.
Shawn shook his head. “We’re busy, Ben.”
Mrs. Taylor said, “I’m going to the garage to pack some summer things away. It’s supposed to get colder this week. I don’t want Ben underfoot, so please watch him.”
“Mom! Bobby and I are practicing,” said Shawn.
“Well, Ben can practice with you,” his mother answered.
Shawn looked at her with horror. “No, he can’t. He’s too little.”
“I think you were about Ben’s age when you started kicking a soccer ball,” Mrs. Taylor reminded Shawn.
Bobby was surprised. That meant Shawnhad been playing around with soccer for a couple of years.
“Where’s Sara?” Shawn asked. Sara was Shawn’s older sister.
“She’s babysitting,” his mother told him.
“She should be babysitting for Ben,” Shawn muttered.
“I won’t be long,” Mrs. Taylor said. “Just play upstairs for a while.”
Bobby followed Shawn up to his room. Ben tagged along. The first thing Bobby saw in Shawn’s room was his soccer gear laid out on his bed. A brown T-shirt. Black soccer shorts. White shoes with spikes. Shin guards.
Bobby had all the same equipment, but it was at the bottom of his closet. He hadn’t even taken it out of the bag.
“How come your stuff is on your bed?” Bobby asked.
Shawn shrugged.
“Oh, he likes to look at it. He likes to try on his uniform,” Ben said. He stuck his arms up in the air and shouted, “Goal! G-O-A-L.”
Ben loved to spell.
Shawn glared at Ben. Bobby walked over to a wire cage on Shawn’s desk. Inside the cage, running on a wheel, was Twitch, Shawn’s white mouse.
Twitch jumped off the wheel. He came over to Bobby and sniffed at his finger. Then he scampered away.
Bobby noticed a picture on Shawn’s desk. “Hey, you’ve been working on the Worm,” he said. The Worm was Planet Man’s archenemy. Bobby had told Shawn about his art project. Now he and Shawn were planning a comic book about the adventures of Planet Man and the Worm.
Shawn nodded. “I’m not done.”
Bobby could see that. Right now, the Worm just looked like, well, a worm. He had a long, squiggly body and two bulging eyes. He didn’t look like a villain who could destroy the world.
“Worm. W-O-R-M,” Ben said proudly.
“Ben. Stop with the spelling, already,” Shawn said.
The phone rang. Ben ran into his parents’ bedroom to get it. “H-E-L-L-O,” the boys heard him say. Shawn sighed.
Ben came back, holding the phone. “Bobby, it’s your mom.”
Bobby’s mother wanted him at home. “I’ve gotta go,” he told Shawn.
“Too bad,” Shawn said. “I wanted to practice some more.”
Bobby didn’t say anything to that.
When Bobby got home, his parents were waiting for him. They were sitting on the living room couch. Bobby frowned. The Quinn family hardly ever used the living room except when company came.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” his mother replied. “Of course not. We just have something we want to talk to you about.”
His parents looked so serious. “Is Lucy okay?” Bobby asked anxiously.
Right then, Lucy bounded into the living room. She looked fine.
“Come sit down, Bobby,” his mother said. “We have some big news.”
Bobby sat down in the large red chair next to the couch. He liked the red chair. It had plenty of room for Lucy to sit next to him.
He patted the cushion of the chair. Thatwas all the invitation Lucy needed. She jumped up and snuggled next to Bobby. For once, Lucy was quiet. She wanted to hear the big news, too.
Mr. Quinn cleared his throat. “Bobby, I think you know that your mother and I have wanted to give you a brother or a sister for a while now.”
Bobby did know that. His parents talked about how
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