Moon Runner Read Online Free Page B

Elementary.
    First he announced the boys, reading from the paper on his clipboard. The boys popped up and down and cheered when their names were read. Sammy didn’t make a team. But then again, he’d told Coach a long time ago that he’d be visiting his grandparents the weekend of the meet.
    Coach announced the girls’ class D team, pausing between announcements for the noise to die away.
    Mina straightened the fabric of her shorts, matching the stripes so they ran evenly from one side to the other. After her miserable finish in the fifty meter, she was sure she wouldn’t be on the Elizabeth Morris Elementary team.
    “And on the class C fifty-meter relay team: Ruth, Shawndra, Liz, and Cassie.”
    All four girls stood up and shouted, “Yes!” and slapped one another’s palms.
    Mina sucked in a breath of air. But she’d been right. Even though she could run fast, she wouldn’t be competing. She wasn’t a racer after all. Mina closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her eyelids to keep from crying.
    She heard Coach take in a breath, preparing for the next announcement: “And on the class C fifty-meter sprint: Mina Lee and Ruth Largness.”
    Mina opened her eyes. At first a little flame of excitement rose up in her — she’d made it! Had she heard right? Ruth had stood up and was looking at her. Mina stood too and then Ruth sat down. No palm slapping. No Fellow Friends Handshake.
    Mina focused on the asphalt underneath the picnic table. She scraped at the loose bits with her toe. Two Fellow Friends competing against each other.
    She glanced in Ruth’s direction. How did Ruth feel? Did she think Coach’s assignment was a joke? Or was she a little worried?
    But Ruth didn’t seem to be thinking about Mina.
    She and the other three relay racers huddled together in a clump. They whispered some lovely secret, then burst apart with a cheer.
    I ought to be excited, too,
Mina thought. She’d made the team, after all. She’d made it without even being an athlete.
    Yet instead of running with friends, she’d be running alone, against a friend. Sure, she’d be running against the girls from the other schools, but especially against Ruth. Only one girl would win first place.
    “I’m in the fifty-meter sprint,” Mina told Mom as Mom fixed celery and peanut butter for Paige.
    “My goodness, what big news,” Mom said. “Such a surprise, Mina.”
    Mina ran her fingertip along the sharp edge of the countertop. She wished the news was as good as Mom thought.
    Mom continued: “I want to see this with my own eyes, honey. Let’s go practice at the park. I haven’t jogged in weeks. I could use a run.”
    Mom handed the celery sticks to Paige. “Bring these along, sweetie.”
    The park lawn had just been mowed, the marks of the tractor mower imprinted in the soft, flattened grass. A eucalyptus tree cast dark green shadows.
    Paige dashed to the swings and pumped her way up.
    “Fly high, little hummingbird!” Mom shouted at Paige.
    Mom jogged in place, then moved onto the grass. “I feel like I have two sacks of potatoes tied to my hips!” she shouted.
    Mina had to laugh. She began to sprint, passing Mom.
    “Go slow,” Mom said.
    But Mom’s jogging looked like a funny walk. Mina wanted to show off. She wanted Mom and Paige to see her as the champion that she was. She went once around the edge of the park as fast as she could. Then she got a cramp in her side. She bent over and pressed on her ribs, but the pain didn’t go away.
    Mina sat down on a bench and observed Mom’s slow progress — twice around, three times, four times.
    Paige pumped the swing as high as it could go, the chains creaking against the horizontal pole.
    Mom just kept plugging along. At least Mom was still running while Mina sat, a champ with a cramp.
    Finally, Mom stopped and joined Mina on the bench. She rested her forearms on her thighs, her hands clasped together, and caught her breath.
    “There’s more I haven’t told you,” Mina