Left Out by Tim Green

back the urge to puke up the churning liquid in his stomach.
    He didn’t know how the other linemen did it. Travis looked so blocky. Gunner and Brett Bell were both big guys too, but they ran right alongside the team’s running back, Guerrero, and Rinehart, the backup quarterback. Skip Dreyfus, the starting quarterback, was in a league of his own. He led the team in every sprint, from start to finish. If Skip ever got tired, he never showed it.
    Even though he was kind of scary with his burning greeneyes, red hair, and angry freckles, Landon couldn’t help but admire Skip. First in everything, he snapped from one place to another like a gear in some kind of machine. As quarterback, he barked out the cadence with command, executed handoffs with precision, and delivered whistling passes that sometimes left the receivers wiggling their fingers to ease the sting. Everyone admired Skip, even the coaches.
    Landon wondered if he’d ever get respect like that. Or any respect at all.

22
    After practice he climbed into the Prius without speaking. And even though the drive wasn’t more than a few blocks, Landon left a puddle of sweat in the front seat when he got out.
    â€œLandon.” His father pointed to the puddle. “Get a towel, please.”
    â€œSorry. We ran super hard.” Landon grabbed a rag from the bucket in the garage that his father used when he washed the car, and he mopped up the sweat.
    â€œI know.” His father watched him closely and gave a nod of approval before they headed into the house. “I saw you. You worked really hard, and you’ll get there someday.”
    His father’s words somehow made Landon feel worse.
    Inside, Landon headed upstairs to take a shower. Minutes later, from his bedroom window, dripping and wrapped in a towel, he saw his sister and her two new best friends splashingabout in the pool in the evening shadows. Already there was a star in the sky, but he could still make out Megan’s skinny figure as she bounced high and did a flip off the diving board. Katy and Genevieve shrieked and clapped from the shallow end. Landon turned away from the window. It felt wrong to spy on them.
    When he came back down in clean shorts and a T-shirt, his father was busy in the dusky shadows of the living room, writing feverishly at his desk. Landon wandered over and stood until his father looked up.
    â€œWhere’s Mom?” Landon asked.
    â€œOh.” His father scratched his neck. “This is a big job she’s got now, Landon. Really big. So it’s hard for her not to work, even on a Saturday. I think it’ll be a while before she gets settled into more regular hours.”
    â€œLike days?” Landon asked.
    â€œMaybe weeks. Maybe months.” His father glanced at the glowing computer screen, the bluish light spilling over his face. “I’m not sure, really, but my book is coming along well. I’m calling it Dragon Hunt. Um . . . my main character is kind of modeled after you.”
    â€œMe?” Landon looked suspiciously at the screen. “Why?”
    â€œWell, a good main character has to overcome obstacles, and you want him to be a nice person, and that sounds like you to me.” Landon’s father smiled and pointed at him before glancing toward the screen. “I thought I’d maybe name him ‘Landon’ too.”
    Landon felt a chill. If his father did ever get his book published, the last thing Landon needed was another thing peoplecould make fun of—Landon, the oversized guard of Dorchester. “No, that’s okay. I don’t think so.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Landon’s dad laughed and offered a puzzled smile. “Why wouldn’t you want a character named after you?”
    â€œI just . . . I don’t know, Dad. Do I have to have a reason?” Landon backed away toward the kitchen. “Can I get something to eat?”
    â€œSure, there’s plenty of