CHAPTER 1 Oh no I can’t find my lucky gloves Anywhere Gabe Santiago frantically searched his bedroom He tore apart his closet and upended his laundry basket spilling dirty clothes everywhere He lay on his stomach and looked under his bed finding nothing but dust bunnies a stray sock and an overdue book he needed to return to the school library He pulled open every dresser drawer and tore through his unmade bed Nothing Nada 4
Where could they be he grumbled Gabe’s mom a tall woman with olive skin and flowing black hair poked her head into the doorway and said If you don’t hurry you’ll be late for your football game She tapped her watch But Mom Gabe said I need to find my gloves They’re black and white with a giant lightning bolt on them Have you seen them She shook her head You can find them after the game No They’re my lucky gloves I wore them when we won the championship last season We haven’t lost a game since You and your silly superstitions It was true Gabe was very superstitious Even his best friends Logan Parrish Annie 5
Roger and Ben Mason gave him a hard time about it They’ve got to be around here somewhere Gabe began to rummage through his torn-apart room again Maybe they wound up in the donation box I took over to the thrift store last week his mom suggested Gabe’s heart sank Ugh he said with slumped shoulders Our season is doomed Then he closed his bedroom door and followed his mom out to the car Gabe cupped his bare hands and blew into them for warmth It was a chilly Thursday evening in Grover Lake Gabe stood on the 6
sidelines trying to stay warm while the East Grover Lake Grizzlies offense was out on the field Even though it was a perfect night for football Gabe’s lingering sense of doom and gloom over his missing gloves clouded his attitude Gabe was the team’s backup running back Ben was the starting back He and Gabe were about as opposite as they could be Ben was tall and lanky Gabe was short and stocky Mostly Gabe came in on third downs or when Ben needed a breather He also played special teams sometimes returning punts and kickoffs Let’s go Grizzlies Get a fresh set of downs Annie paced along the sidelines a clipboard in hand and a red Grizzlies cap pulled low over her tangled brown hair Her 7
