Left Out Read Online Free

computer sat on the desk. Boxes were everywhere.
    â€œYou like it?” his mom asked.
    Landon climbed up on the bed and looked out the windows, smiling. “It’s like the inside of a pirate ship.”
    â€œThere’s a park just a few streets away.” His mom pointed out his window. “The school—did you see the school?—it’s not far either.”
    â€œI did.” Landon thought about the boys and the school, and then his face brightened. “I can walk to football practice! That’ll make things easy for you guys.”
    â€œLandon . . .”
    â€œYes?”
    She sat down on his bed and patted the spot beside her. He took it.
    â€œI’ve been thinking about football.”
    â€œIt’s America’s sport, Mom.”
    She stroked his hair and he made a big effort not to back away. “It’s harder than it looks, Landon. You’re not a violent person. You don’t get angry very often, and when you do, you . . . you . . .” She pointed at his implants. “You unplug.”
    â€œJust because I don’t push people into other people’s tables doesn’t mean I don’t want to. In football, you’re supposed to push the other guys. It’s part of the game.” He pulled away from her touch.
    His mother stood up and went to one of the boxes. “I’ll say this once and only once. Be careful what you wish for, Landon, because you just might get it.”
    From out of nowhere she produced a razor-blade box cutter and with one quick motion slit open the top of the biggest box. She began taking things out and setting them carefully on the bookshelf. He knew working calmed his mother’s nerves. She placed several ceramic animals in a small cluster Landon could see—a lion, a tiger, a bear, an elephant. She stepped back to review them before fussing some more.
    While she worked on arranging the cluster, Landon taped a Cleveland Browns poster to the wall.
    His mother took a picture from the box, examined it, and smiled before showing him. “Remember this?”
    It was a picture of the four of them—Landon, Genevieve, and his mom and dad—plummeting nearly straight down on Splash Mountain, the best ride in Disney World. His sister and his parents had their hands in the air and their mouths open, screaming with joy during that scary final plunge. Landon gripped the seat, ready to endure the fifty-foot drop. It wasn’t his idea of fun, but he had wanted to prove to himself he could do it. He’d insisted they get the photo, to record the experience, and whenever he looked at it he was glad he’d taken the ride.
    â€œThat was a fun time.” Landon glowed with pride.
    She smiled warmly and set the picture on the shelf.
    Landon removed his football from another box. It was his best present from his dad last Christmas, an official NFL ball, and he placed it next to the Disney World picture. His mom paused to study it.
    â€œYou know, I’ve been thinking . . . ,” she said, “you can be part of a football team without actually having to be out there with people bashing your noggin where you’ve already got some sensitive equipment.”
    He tilted his head at her. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell . . .” She adjusted the picture. “You can help out the team and be a part of it. Every team has one of these . . . well, it’s a manager, a team manager. All the big-time college programs have them, a student manager, and high schools do too. Lots of sports teams have managers, and they’re very important, and I think it would be a super way for you to fit in.”
    She left the picture alone and stared hard at him.
    Landon’s mouth sagged open as he processed everything she was saying. She had actually devised a plan for him to be on a football team without playing football. It was diabolical. He shook his head violently and reached for his ears, ready to pull the