"Guess what?" seventeen-year-old Joe Hardy asked in excitement as he came rushing through the door into the kitchen where his petite mother, Laura, was standing near the refrigerator.
"What?" asked brown headed Frank, from the kitchen table. He had beat Joe home from school by about thirty minutes and was eating his second slice of apple pie. His mother had just gotten up to refill his glass with milk.
"Remember when Nick, Emily and I were called into the office?" Joe asked sitting down at the table as his mother brought another glass of milk over to the table and set it down in front of him.
"Yeah," Frank said, grinning at his brother's enthusiasm. His brown eyes twinkled merrily as they took in the excitement in his year younger sibling's blue eyes.
"Well, we've been chosen to represent Bayport High in the first annual gymnastic tournament," Joe told them, taking the saucer of pie his mother handed him. "Thanks," he said, smiling up at the blond headed woman whose features he had inherited.
"That's fantastic!" Laura congratulated Joe, sitting down. "How many schools are competing?"
"Six," Joe replied. "Bayport High, Southport High, Cornwell, Mercury, Tomlin and East Bridge," he informed them. "Each school is allowed 3 entrants. The tournament is going to start a week from Saturday in Tomlin."
"Why Tomlin?" Frank asked. "Looks like Cornwell would be the ideal place. They have the biggest gym and it's centrally located."
"But it was the brainchild of Principal Reynolds at Tomlin High," Joe explained. "I'll be practicing tomorrow after school and every day after school next week, as well as this weekend," he continued. "Next Friday, we'll be going to Tomlin with Coach Anderson. Family and supporters can come on Saturday."
"Why are you going Friday?" Frank asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly.
"Coach Anderson wants us resting in our hotel rooms by 9 p.m. The tournament begins at 7 a.m. sharp," Joe said.
"Is there a prize?" Frank questioned.
"The school gets a trophy and the top gymnast gets a Series Workout Center imported from Italy," he informed them.
"You're going to need it if you keep devouring pie like that," Frank teased as Joe polished off his pie in 5 bites. Joe stood up and took his dishes to the sink and rinsed them. He went over, kissed his mom, grabbed his backpack and left the kitchen, whistling happily as he headed upstairs.
Frank grinned after his brother, gave a small shake of his head, then stood and took his dishes to the sink. He then kissed his mom, picked up his backpack and followed Joe. "Homework?" he asked in surprise as he passed Joe's room. Joe was sitting on his bed, pulling out his history book. He'd been in a rush to get started and hadn't closed his bedroom door.
"Yeah," Joe admitted with a grimace. "I have a paper due on Wednesday, and with practice every night and this weekend, I thought I'd better get it done while I had the time."
"Okay," Frank said slowly. "Where's my brother and what have you done with him?" Joe picked up his pillow and tossed it at Frank, who caught it. "Seriously," Frank offered Joe. "If you want some help?"
"I got it," Joe said. "But thanks anyway."
"All right then," Frank said with a small sigh. "I'm going to dump my books and head down to the pizzeria. Want me to bring you back anything?"
"No thanks," Joe said, shaking his head as he picked up his notebook. "Can I use your computer?" he asked.
"Go for it," Frank told him, leaving Joe's doorway and going into his own room. He set his backpack down beside his desk then left.
"Over here!" Frank heard a familiar voice shouting as he entered the pizzeria. Frank turned and saw his blond headed, brown-eyed, seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Callie Shaw, sitting at a table waving him over. He smiled and made his way past several crowded tables until he reached the seat beside Callie and sat down.
"Where's Joe?" a seventeen-year-old chubby blond headed Chet Morton asked, looking questioningly at Frank with brown eyes.
"Doing homework," Frank replied causing Chet's eyes to go wide.
"Joe?" demanded Vanessa Bender, a blond-headed, gray-eyed beauty who sat at Chet's right.
Frank grinned at Joe's seventeen-year-old girlfriend. "I know," he said. "Amazing," he added, his eyes twinkling.
"Why?" eighteen-year-old Phil Cohen asked. "Joe never does his homework until the last minute and school has barely been out an hour."
Frank laughed out loud then explained to his friends about the upcoming gymnastic tournament.
"That's great!" Vanessa declared, her eyes shining. "Joe's really good."
"So is Emily," Chet added dreamily.
Frank raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Chet's got a crush on her," Phil explained.
"I was going to ask her out for this weekend, but I guess she'll be too busy," Chet said glumly.
"We could hang around and watch her, Joe and Nick practice," Phil suggested, causing Chet to brighten up immediately.
When Frank returned home later that evening, he found Joe had almost finished his history paper. Frank pulled his physics book from his backpack and lay down on the bed to read. Twenty minutes later, he heard the phone ringing. Less than a minute later there was a rap on his door and Mrs. Hardy poked her head inside.
"Frank, the phone's for you," she told him.
Frank put his book down and went into the hallway. He picked up the receiver and watched his mom go downstairs. A couple seconds later, he heard the click when she hung up. "Hello," Frank said into the receiver.
"Frank, this is Todd Dylan," a man's voice came through.
"What can I do for you?" Frank asked, wondering why Bayport High's principal would be calling him.
"I was wondering if you could come over to my house this evening?" Principal Dylan asked. "But don't tell your brother," he added hastily.
"Why not?" Frank demanded.
"I'll explain when you get here," he promised.
"Okay," Frank finally agreed. "I'll be there in about 20 minutes."
Not wanting to tell Joe he couldn't tell him what was going on and refusing to lie, Frank never went back into the bedroom. Instead, he went downstairs and told his mom about the call and asked her not to let Joe know where he had gone. Then he went to the garage, started up his motorcycle and took off for Principal Dylan's house.
He was still wondering why Dylan hadn't wanted Joe to know when he became aware of a truck gaining on him. Frank glanced back and saw a dark green Ford coming up fast.
Frank pulled over to the right as far as he could so the truck could pass. The driver must have stepped on the gas because the truck picked up speed. As it got closer to Frank, the right front of the truck hit Frank's rear wheel. Frank lost control as the truck sped on around the curve ahead and out of sight.
"What?" asked brown headed Frank, from the kitchen table. He had beat Joe home from school by about thirty minutes and was eating his second slice of apple pie. His mother had just gotten up to refill his glass with milk.
"Remember when Nick, Emily and I were called into the office?" Joe asked sitting down at the table as his mother brought another glass of milk over to the table and set it down in front of him.
"Yeah," Frank said, grinning at his brother's enthusiasm. His brown eyes twinkled merrily as they took in the excitement in his year younger sibling's blue eyes.
"Well, we've been chosen to represent Bayport High in the first annual gymnastic tournament," Joe told them, taking the saucer of pie his mother handed him. "Thanks," he said, smiling up at the blond headed woman whose features he had inherited.
"That's fantastic!" Laura congratulated Joe, sitting down. "How many schools are competing?"
"Six," Joe replied. "Bayport High, Southport High, Cornwell, Mercury, Tomlin and East Bridge," he informed them. "Each school is allowed 3 entrants. The tournament is going to start a week from Saturday in Tomlin."
"Why Tomlin?" Frank asked. "Looks like Cornwell would be the ideal place. They have the biggest gym and it's centrally located."
"But it was the brainchild of Principal Reynolds at Tomlin High," Joe explained. "I'll be practicing tomorrow after school and every day after school next week, as well as this weekend," he continued. "Next Friday, we'll be going to Tomlin with Coach Anderson. Family and supporters can come on Saturday."
"Why are you going Friday?" Frank asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly.
"Coach Anderson wants us resting in our hotel rooms by 9 p.m. The tournament begins at 7 a.m. sharp," Joe said.
"Is there a prize?" Frank questioned.
"The school gets a trophy and the top gymnast gets a Series Workout Center imported from Italy," he informed them.
"You're going to need it if you keep devouring pie like that," Frank teased as Joe polished off his pie in 5 bites. Joe stood up and took his dishes to the sink and rinsed them. He went over, kissed his mom, grabbed his backpack and left the kitchen, whistling happily as he headed upstairs.
Frank grinned after his brother, gave a small shake of his head, then stood and took his dishes to the sink. He then kissed his mom, picked up his backpack and followed Joe. "Homework?" he asked in surprise as he passed Joe's room. Joe was sitting on his bed, pulling out his history book. He'd been in a rush to get started and hadn't closed his bedroom door.
"Yeah," Joe admitted with a grimace. "I have a paper due on Wednesday, and with practice every night and this weekend, I thought I'd better get it done while I had the time."
"Okay," Frank said slowly. "Where's my brother and what have you done with him?" Joe picked up his pillow and tossed it at Frank, who caught it. "Seriously," Frank offered Joe. "If you want some help?"
"I got it," Joe said. "But thanks anyway."
"All right then," Frank said with a small sigh. "I'm going to dump my books and head down to the pizzeria. Want me to bring you back anything?"
"No thanks," Joe said, shaking his head as he picked up his notebook. "Can I use your computer?" he asked.
"Go for it," Frank told him, leaving Joe's doorway and going into his own room. He set his backpack down beside his desk then left.
"Over here!" Frank heard a familiar voice shouting as he entered the pizzeria. Frank turned and saw his blond headed, brown-eyed, seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Callie Shaw, sitting at a table waving him over. He smiled and made his way past several crowded tables until he reached the seat beside Callie and sat down.
"Where's Joe?" a seventeen-year-old chubby blond headed Chet Morton asked, looking questioningly at Frank with brown eyes.
"Doing homework," Frank replied causing Chet's eyes to go wide.
"Joe?" demanded Vanessa Bender, a blond-headed, gray-eyed beauty who sat at Chet's right.
Frank grinned at Joe's seventeen-year-old girlfriend. "I know," he said. "Amazing," he added, his eyes twinkling.
"Why?" eighteen-year-old Phil Cohen asked. "Joe never does his homework until the last minute and school has barely been out an hour."
Frank laughed out loud then explained to his friends about the upcoming gymnastic tournament.
"That's great!" Vanessa declared, her eyes shining. "Joe's really good."
"So is Emily," Chet added dreamily.
Frank raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Chet's got a crush on her," Phil explained.
"I was going to ask her out for this weekend, but I guess she'll be too busy," Chet said glumly.
"We could hang around and watch her, Joe and Nick practice," Phil suggested, causing Chet to brighten up immediately.
When Frank returned home later that evening, he found Joe had almost finished his history paper. Frank pulled his physics book from his backpack and lay down on the bed to read. Twenty minutes later, he heard the phone ringing. Less than a minute later there was a rap on his door and Mrs. Hardy poked her head inside.
"Frank, the phone's for you," she told him.
Frank put his book down and went into the hallway. He picked up the receiver and watched his mom go downstairs. A couple seconds later, he heard the click when she hung up. "Hello," Frank said into the receiver.
"Frank, this is Todd Dylan," a man's voice came through.
"What can I do for you?" Frank asked, wondering why Bayport High's principal would be calling him.
"I was wondering if you could come over to my house this evening?" Principal Dylan asked. "But don't tell your brother," he added hastily.
"Why not?" Frank demanded.
"I'll explain when you get here," he promised.
"Okay," Frank finally agreed. "I'll be there in about 20 minutes."
Not wanting to tell Joe he couldn't tell him what was going on and refusing to lie, Frank never went back into the bedroom. Instead, he went downstairs and told his mom about the call and asked her not to let Joe know where he had gone. Then he went to the garage, started up his motorcycle and took off for Principal Dylan's house.
He was still wondering why Dylan hadn't wanted Joe to know when he became aware of a truck gaining on him. Frank glanced back and saw a dark green Ford coming up fast.
Frank pulled over to the right as far as he could so the truck could pass. The driver must have stepped on the gas because the truck picked up speed. As it got closer to Frank, the right front of the truck hit Frank's rear wheel. Frank lost control as the truck sped on around the curve ahead and out of sight.