Run For It by Matt Christopher Page A

in bed. Theo had gone to see her butwas only allowed to stay for a few minutes. Marj was barely able to talk.
    Theo had never faced such a terrible and sudden change, and it scared him. He couldn’t help wondering if she was going to
     die. He didn’t want to talk about Marj with his parents; his mother was upset enough.
    Theo felt helpless, wishing there was something he could do for Marj. But there wasn’t. Sure, he could visit her once in a
     while or phone her. But that was about it.
    There was a tap on the bedroom door. Mrs. Gordimer peeked in at him. “Sweetie, are you all right? You look kind of down.”
    So do you,
Theo thought. But all he said was, “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little tired.”
    “Paul is here. Can he come up?”
    “Sure.” Theo sat up and swung his legs off the bed as Mrs. Gordimer left the room. He didn’t feel like having company, but
     he didn’t want to worry his mother by saying so.
    Paul came in a minute later carrying his baseball glove. “Hey, Gee, let’s go to the park. A bunch of guys are going to play
     some ball.”
    Theo shook his head. “I don’t feel like it today. Another time, okay?”
    “You sure?” Paul asked, giving Theo a curious look. “It’s a good day for it.”
    “Yeah, well…” Theo stopped there. Paul looked at Theo, who looked away.
    Finally, Paul said, “What’s going on? Did that stuff in gym class today get to you?”
    “No… well, yeah. But it’s not just that.”
    “Well, what? Anything I can do?” Paul sat in Theo’s desk chair.
    Theo lay back on the bed. “There’s nothing anyone can do.”
    “Hey, at least give me a clue. I mean, I’m your friend, right?”
    “It’s my aunt Marj. She’s real sick.”
    “Yeah, I heard,” said Paul. “I met her, she’s a cool lady. How bad is it?”
    “Real bad. She’s been getting this treatment, but she looks terrible. And there’s nothing I can do to help. I feel really
     bad.”
    “Sure. I’d feel the same way,” agreed Paul. “But maybe she’ll get better.”
    “She sure doesn’t look like she’s getting better.” Theo felt tears blurring his eyes. “Last time I saw her, she looked awful.”
    Paul stood up suddenly. “You know what, Gee? I just remembered. There
is
something you could do for her. Well, sort of. If you want to give it a shot, that is.”
    Theo stared hopefully at his friend. “Yeah? What?”
    Paul said, “You know my dad is really into running, and he hears about all these races. He found out about a five-K race that’s
     open to all ages, and it’s supposed to raise money for cancer research and help people learn about new medicines and stuff.”
    Theo blinked. “That sounds neat, but what does it have to do with me?”
    “You could run the race. It’s in three months. That would be a way to —”
    Theo’s loud laugh interrupted Paul.
“Me?”
    “Sure,” Paul replied. “Why not?”
    Theo shook his head. “After my ‘run’ today? Get real! By the way, what’s ‘five K’?”
    “It means five kilometers. That’s a little over three miles, which —”
    “Three
miles?
I almost passed out trying to run a
quarter
of a mile! You’re kidding, right?”
    “No, I think you could do it,” said Paul. “I’m working out to be ready for football in the fall, and I run a lot. I really
     like it. I bet you would, too, if you gave it a try.”
    Theo rolled his eyes. “Sure, you like it.
You’re
an athlete. But
me?”
    Paul sighed. “You may be more athletic than you think, but unless you try, you’ll never know. Anyway, it’s a no on softball,
     huh?”
    “Not today,” Theo said. “I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one afternoon. I’ll walk you down, and that’ll be enough of a
     workout for me.”
    When the boys reached the front door, Paul turned to Theo. “You should talk to my dad. He could tell you how to get started
     in running. It doesn’t have to be torture.”
    “Yeah, right,” Theo said.
    Paul looked a little irritated.