T.J. and the Hat-trick by Theo Walcott Page A

hands. It was like magic.
    ‘But, sir,’ said Rafi. ‘It’s the only ball we’ve got.’
    ‘Tough. Like I say, you should learn to control it. Now, if these two clowns who are rolling around on the floor will get up, maybe we can get on with some work.’

C HAPTER 2
    ‘I HATE HIM,’ said Tulsi in the playground after lunch.
    ‘He’s the scariest teacher we’ve ever had,’ Jamie said.
    ‘He’s mean,’ grumbled Rafi. ‘He stole my ball.’
    ‘Yeah, but he’s right, isn’t he?’ Tulsi said. ‘You can’t control it. And now we’ve got nothing to play with.’
    ‘Maybe you should try bringing your own ball sometimes,’ Rafi replied angrily.
    ‘Stop arguing, you two,’ said Jamie. ‘We can play with this fir cone. Me and TJ against you and Rafi. Here, TJ.’
    The fir cone bobbled over the tarmac. TJ kicked it, and it went spinning off across the playground. They all ran after it, dodging between the other kids. TJ reached the wall where the cone had stopped. He turned round, laughing. The others were still plodding towards him. The small boy, Rob, was following behind them with a notebook in his hand.
    ‘How did you get to be that quick?’ asked Tulsi.
    ‘Dunno,’ said TJ. ‘Look out. Here comes Mr Wood.’
    ‘Stand on that cone,’ Jamie hissed. ‘We’re not supposed to play with them.’
    TJ put his foot on the cone as Mr Wood approached. ‘So, what are you lot up to now?’ he asked.
    ‘Nothing, Mr Wood,’ Rafi said.
    The teacher looked at them for a moment or two, then he brought out Rafi’s football from behind his back. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble for playing with fir cones, and your ball control isn’t going to improve if you don’t practise, is it?’
    They all shook their heads. Mr Wood looked around at the crowded playground and the brown grass with the dead trees.
    ‘There’s not much room to play, is there?’ he said. ‘Where do you do PE?’
    ‘We don’t,’ Tulsi said. ‘Not since Mr Potter left, and even then it was rubb—’ She stopped, embarrassed.
    ‘I get the picture,’ Mr Wood said. He looked at the grass again and shook his head. ‘Listen, I’ll tell the Midday Supervisors to keep the little ones off this part of the playground. You could use that bit of wall as a goal.’
    They were all speechless. Mr Wood turned and walked away to speak to Janice, the head dinner lady. Halfway there, he paused. ‘No more football in the classroom, OK?’ he said. They all nodded.
    ‘I don’t believe it,’ Rafi said.
    ‘We’ve
never
had our own bit of the playground,’ said Tulsi. ‘Who’s going in goal? Headers and volleys, OK?’
    ‘Me,’ said TJ. ‘I’ve always wanted to be a goalie.’
    Tulsi and Rafi were attackers and Jamie was the defender. Tulsi lifted the ball into the air with one foot and tried to knock it over Jamie’s head to where Rafi was waiting. Jamie jumped and the ball cannoned off the back of his head straight at TJ’s goal. TJ moved quickly to one side and plucked the ball out of the air.
    ‘Hey!’ said Tulsi. ‘That was good. Maybe you really
are
a goalkeeper.’
    TJ was enjoying himself. He stopped almost everything they headed or volleyed at him. Then Tulsi missed with a volley.
    ‘Go on, TJ,’ she said. ‘My turn in goal.’
    TJ glanced over at Rob, who was writing something in his notebook. TJ wondered what it was.
    ‘Have you played this game before?’ Jamie asked him.
    TJ shook his head. ‘Not exactly like this.’
    ‘It’s dead simple. It’s me and you attacking. We’re only allowed to score with headers or volleys. If you miss, like Tulsi just did, then you go in goal. Or if you score five. That’s the way we play, anyway. Here, I’ll cross it for you.’
    ‘I hate headers,’ TJ began, but the ball was already flying towards him. Oh, well, he thought. I might as well try. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt a stinging thud as the ball collided with his nose. It always