CHAPTER ONE

Ten-year-old Michelle Tanner waved her red and orange pom poms. "Yay, go Lee," she screamed cheerfully. She grinned happily. Her fifth grade friend and classmate, Lee Wagner, was running into the end zone. Nobody was near him. "Touchdown!"

Lee flipped the ball to the referee. He jogged over to the sidelines.

Michelle and her two best friends jumped and chanted. "Go, Comets, go. Go, Comets, go." Michelle, Cassie Wilkins, and Mandy Metz made swishing noises, as if they were comets. Lee's cousin Suzie Johnson, five, eyed Michelle closely, trying to copy her. Michelle brushed away some of her strawberry blonde bangs after jumping.

Lee walked by to get a drink of water. He got his cup and turned to Michelle. "Thanks for being my cheering section, guys."

"It's our pleasure," Michelle said. "We're having fun. Your cousins remind me so much of my cousins, Nicky and Alex. I bet Derek's a good player." Derek, eight, was playing catch with several larger boys. Three-year-old Mark was over by the swings with his mom. Their dad, Joe, was recording the game.

"These outfits are cool, huh, guys?" The best friends wore matching white blouses and red skirts.

"Your dad found some great bargains, Michelle," Cassie complimented her. "My mom would be really proud. She loves to find things on sale."

Michelle got a sip of water, too. "He insisted we go shopping right away."

Mandy nodded. "Mr. Tanner said we should go all out. And I'm glad we did." Her dark curls flopped as she jumped.

"Yeah, cheerleading is fun," Suzie exclaimed. "Look what I did to my hair." The girls turned to her and laughed. She'd used her scrunchies to attach pom poms to her head. Instead of two black ponytails, she appeared to have two larger ones - one orange and one red..

"They're just like your cousins, Michelle," Cassie agreed. "Always doing something funny."

"Look this way, pumpkin," her father, Danny Tanner, shouted. He was pointing a video camera at her.

Mochelle turned, smiled, and waved a pom-pom. "Dad loves to make a big deal out of everything we do. With our large family, there must be a dozen cabinets full of tapes."

Lee ran back onto the field. He put on a black helmet with an orange comet, outlined in red, on the side. "Those red uniforms are cool, too," Cassie said.

"I'd rather have blue, that's my favorite color." Mandy hesitated. "Well, favorite football color. I love pink, too. But, what football team would wear pink?"

"Not one I'd want to be on," Derek admitted behind them.

Another of Michelle's classmates, Jamal Anderson, knocked the ball loose. Lee fell on it. "R-O-W-D-I-E," the girls shouted as they jumped and waved their pom-poms. "That's the way we spell rowdy, rowdy. Let's get rowdy. Woooo!"

"All right," the Comets' gray-heaired coach hollered. "That's the way to grab that ball!" Michelle thought he looked a little short of breath. "That ices it, guys! We're going to the finals!"

"Are you all right, Sir," Michelle wanted to know.

"I'm fine," the coach said defensively. "I just get so excited over these games."

Danny noticed the same thing Michelle did. "Maybe you'd better sit down and relax," he said from the sidelines.

"If I have chest pains, I'll sit down!" The coach went back to screaming instructions.

The game ended a couple minutes later. After the teams shook hands, Michelle listened to Lee's coach. "You boys did a great job. We're going to the finals now. You can hold your heads up high and say that after next Saturday, you'll be numnber one! Keep thinking about that. Comets are number one! And have that attitude when you come here to practice on Monday! Just one more week of hard work, and the trophy will be yours!"

Lee ran up to Michelle on the playground Monday morning. "Hey, Michelle. Thanks again for coming Saturday."

"You're welcome. I love helping my friends. Your coach sure likes to yell," she said. She didn't want to call him mean without knowing more about him. But, she thought he'd sounded kind of mean.

Lee seemed to struggle a little. "Well, he's just being a football coach. I mean, he loves to cheer, and he's always encouraging us. He insipres us to do our best. Even when we don't feel like it. That's just the way football is."

"I guess as long as he doesn't scream right at you," Mandy remarked as she walked up behind Michelle. "And he realizes you're there to have fun."

"Yeah, he does. Anyway, what you said about doing anything?"

Michelle looked at him curiously. "What is it??"

"Well..." He hesitated. "My parents should both be able to make it to this game. Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary are gonna be here all week, too. Uncle Joe's work sent him here. So, they're making a vacation out of it. But, Dad's going to be working, Uncle Joe's at a conference, and Aunt Mary will be with my cousins all week."

"So, what's the problem," Cassie wondered.

"Well..." He seemed unsure of how to word it. So, he simply blurted out the words. "We could use a coach."

CHAPTER TWO

"A...coach," Michelle said after a moment of silence.

"Coach Harris was short of breath at the game." Lee said it got worse later. "His son convinced him to go to the hospital. It turned out Coach had a small heart attack."

"Oh no" and "is he all right" flew from several lips at the same time.

"He'll be okay. But they have to keep him there a few days. And, he won't be able to coach us in the title game." Lee breathed deeply. "My family will be busy. But, you've got a big family. I'm sure your dad would be good. He was a sportscaster, right?"

Michelle nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, he and my Aunt Becky will be busy. They're producing a special series of programs for the station."

Lee understood. Danny and Becky hosted a local talk show called "Wake Up, San Francisco." They sometimes helped to produce other shows for the station, too. "What about your Uncle Jesse? Or Joey?"

Jesse was Jesse Katsopolis, her dad's brother-in-law. Jesse moved in to help raise Michelle and her sisters after Michelle's mother died in a car accident. Her dad's best friend from college, Joey Gladstone, also moved in then. Jesse later met and married Becky.

"One thing's for sure. I don't think Michelle's sisters could do it." Cassie laughed. "It's one thing to put together a class party. It's another thing to coach a football team."

Michelle agreed. "I can hear Stephanie now. 'I'll coach the team if there's a cute ninth grade boy at quarterback. And, if I get to sit next to him.'" Michelle's sister Stephanie, was 14, and crazy about boys. Her other sister, D.J., was 19 and in college.

"Just watch. Nicky and Alex will wind up coaching," Mandy teased. Nicky and Alex were Jesse and Becky's identical five-year-old twins. All nine members of Michelle's family lived in her full house.

Michelle spoke solemnly. "I can ask. But, Uncle Jesse and Joey have their radio show. And, one of them might have to take off to watch Nicky and Alex a couple days. I was going over to Cassie's after school today as it was. Nicky and Alex might be over with me," she told Cassie. "Unless someone in their playgroup volunteers to take them."

Cassie pointed to Lee. "Maybe his Aunt Mary could watch Nicky and Alex."

Lee agreed. "I'll have to ask. Sounds like everyone but you will be busy."

Michelle could tell something was on his mind. She didn't know if she dared to guess. "Wait, Lee. You mean...you want me..."

"Michelle, coaching is easy. Just draw up some plays, teach us, and tell us to have fun." He stared at her a second. "You...do know how to make up plays, don't you?"

"I'm afraid not. We've played soccer. Stephanie was great at baseball. I've played it, too. Joey's played hockey. But, football? In the final's? I like watching it sometimes, but...I don't know about this," she finished, sounding quite uneasy.

Snobby Rachel Tilly walked up to Michelle and her friends. Rachel hadn't been very nice when she and her family moved there the previous year. Rachel and Michelle had started to become friends in the last days of fourth grade. But, Rachel had been away all summer, so that seed hadn't had much time to bear fruit. Plus, while Rachel was nicer now, she still sounded a little arrogant at times. She boasted about herself and said the wrong things sometimes.

"What are you trying to do now? It can't be Class President, one of your friends in antoher class is doing that ths year," Rachel said.

Cassie turned to her. "Rachel - can you coach Lee's football team this week?" Michelle was thankful that her friend had put Rachel on the spot.

Rachel shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Cassie." She brushed back her incredibly long hair. "I'm a star. Not the coach of a bunch of guys running around bumping into each other. Now, ballet, I could coach. I was in dance school all summer in New York," she reminded her friends.

Mandy held out a hand. "See, Michelle. You have to. Rachel won't even try to get the Comets the league title."

Michelle noticed Rachel mulling it over. Rachel loved publicity. Was this a way she could gain it? She wasn't sure. But, she knew Rachel might take the offer just for that. So, Michelle jumped at the opportunity. "Okay, Lee. If I can't find anyone else, I'll coach your team."

"Thanks. Could you be at our practice at four?"

Michelle shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

CHAPTER THREE

After the boys' doctor appointments, Jesse dropped Nicky and Alex off at the Wagners. The Johnson children, Derek, Suzie, and Mark, were all playing in the back yard. Cassie's mom had dropped Michelle and Cassie off there, too. The girls were swinging on the swings.

Suzie was changing a doll's diaper when Nicky walked up to her. "Hi," he said sweetly. "Can I help with that?"

"Why would you play with dolls?" Derek complained.

Michelle was going to speak up for Nicky. He didn't mind playing with dolls, since he'd grown up with Michelle and her sisters. However, Suzie gave Derek a look. Michelle could tell Suzie had things under control.

"I think it's very nice if a boy wants to play with me," Suzie said. She turned back to Nicky. "Here, give her her bottle?" Nicky took the doll in his arms. "Keep her head propped up, she's very tiny. Here, you better sit while you feed her."

Nicky sat feeding the doll her bottle while Suzie picked dandelions. He looked at Derek and Mark. "You must be her brothers," he said.

"Yeah. Are you Michelle's brother?" Mark wanted to know.

"No. I'm her cousin. How come you don't live with your cousin?" Nicky asked.

Derek laughed. "Lee's fun. But he lives half-way across the country from us. We're from Texas."

Nicky gave a nod of understanding. "You must hafta cross the street to get there."

"Texas is a long way away." Mark thought for a moment. "It's...five or six blocks."

Michelle turned to Cassie as they went inside to put on their uniforms. "Isn't that cute how little kids think?" Michele asked. Cassie nodded.

Suzie took the baby from Nicky and walked away, burping it. Nicky went inside to use the bathroom. A second later Alex returned from doing the same. Since they had on matching red shirts with blue jeans, the Johnson children thought it was the same boy.

Suzie sat her baby in a stroller. She danced and pranced on the way over to Alex, carrying her dandelions. "These would make a pretty bouquet, wouldn't they?" Suzie asked him.

Alex turned on the charm, just like he'd seen his dad do with his mom. "Yeah. You dance real nice." Suzie thanked him. "Do you go to school?" Alex asked.

"Derek and I are home-schooled. Do your parents live with Michelle's Mommy and Daddy?"

"With Michelle's Daddy. Michelle's Mommy's in Heaven," Alex reported. He didn't sound sad like an adult might. To him, it was just a fact of life. Suzie, however, felt really bad for Michelle.

"That's where our Grandma went," Mark reported.

Alex grinned. "Do they know each other?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah, I bet they're best friends."

"I'll go ask your Mommy." Alex raced inside. A few seconds later, Nicky came outside with Michelle.

"What's wrong?" Michelle asked Suzie.

Nicky's face quickly brightened. "I know what Daddy says makes girls happy. " Nicky went over to the Wagners' garden and plucked a daisy.

Michelle stifled a giggle.

Nicky walked over to Suzie and spoke sweetly. "I hope you feel better."

Suzie smiled warmly as she took the flower. "Why, thank you. You're so nice."

Wrs. Wagner called out to them. "Anyone coming to watch Lee better come on." Michelle, Suzie and Derek ran into the house, while the twins remained behind with Mark.

Suzie held the daisy as they got into the minivan. Once they buckled up, she plucked the petals. "He loves me, he loves me not...." Once she pulled the last one off and said "he loves me," she sighed contentedly.

Suzie couldn't wait to tell her new friend the news. "Guess what," she proclaimed merrily to Michell, clasping her hands together. "This is the best vacation of my life."

Michelle smiled as she turned from the window. "I'm glad you're having a good time. What's your favorite part?"

"That cousin of yours. I'm gonna marry him someday," she declared.