Ch9-GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!

NINE GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!! "So now—we—we can just be our old selves again," said Roberto, panting. There were no signs of the soccer kids. As Jack looked around, he saw a newspaper stand and an outdoor café. "Hey, are you guys as hungry and thirsty as I am?" he asked.

"Yes!" Annie and Roberto said together. Jack pulled some pesos out of his backpack. "How are we doing here?" he said. He showed his money to Roberto. "Do we have enough for tacos and bus fare, too?" Roberto nodded, grinning. "Perfect," said Jack. "Let's grab a bite. Then Annie and I have to find a big banquet in the city." "Really? Do you not need to wash up first?" asked Roberto. "Oh, yeah…" Jack sighed as he looked at his mud-splattered clothes. "Let's worry about that after we eat," said Annie. The three of them stood up and headed inside the café. A heavyset woman with brown skin and gray hair was frying food behind a counter. A couple of teenagers were putting coins in a jukebox. Loud music started to play. "Three taco plates and three lemonades, please," Roberto said to the woman behind the counter. She nodded and put food onto three plates. Then she brought the plates to a table and set them

down. Soon she delivered three tall glasses of pink lemonade. Jack, Annie, and Roberto dug hungrily into their food. Jack gobbled up tacos filled with tomatoes, chilies, and cheese. He ate a big serving of black beans and yellow rice and gulped down his lemonade. "Roberto, you scored lots of goals today," Annie said, her mouth full. "Yeah, your feet moved like lightning," said Jack. Roberto laughed. "You two made me look good," he said. "You passed the ball to me every chance you got." "That's called teamwork," said Annie. "Yes, it is!" said Jack. "Someone called us the Beautiful Team!" "Right!" said Annie. She raised her arms above her head. "Yay, Beautiful Team!" she exclaimed. Roberto laughed. "You have a good enthusiasm for soccer, Jack and Annie," he said. "Enthusiasm is everything." Jack smiled. "Right, and now I have enthusiasm for eating this food," he said.

"Me too! It's so good!" said Annie, taking another bite of rice and beans. "Hey, Jack, where did you get that ring?" asked Roberto. "It looks like it's on fire." "What?" said Jack and Annie together. They both looked at the ring on Jack's finger. It was flickering with light. "Oh, man," whispered Jack. Annie's eyes grew huge. "What were we just talking about?" she asked. "Uh—good food," said Jack. "Jack's bicycle kick," said Roberto. "The Beautiful Team," said Annie. "Enthusiasm," said Roberto. "I said, 'Enthusiasm is everything.'" Suddenly the ring exploded with light. "That's it!" cried Jack. "Enthusiasm is everything!" said Annie. "Roberto, I think you just said something amazing and true and—" "And great!" said Jack. "But it wasn't me who first said it," said Roberto. "Pelé said it." "Pelé said that?" said Jack.

"Yes. My father read it in the newspaper," said Roberto. "Pelé said when you play soccer, 'enthusiasm is everything.'" "Okay, that's it, we just accomplished our mission!" said Annie. "We can go to Camelot now!" said Jack. They both shot their arms in the air and shouted, "GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!"

"What mission? Where's Camelot?" asked Roberto. He looked confused. "It's a long story," said Jack. "Just know that you helped us discover a really important secret of greatness from Pelé," said Annie. "Thank you!"