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Harry considered the offer. “So if you win or I win, I get my hook back,” he said. “And if you win I have to work for you.”
“Uh-huh,” said Uma with a salty smile. “Like I said, you’ll be the first mate on my crew.”
“If you win,” reminded Harry. “If I win, you’ll be my first mate.”
“You’re not going to win,” said Uma smugly, crossing her arms. “I always beat you.”
“I might,” said Harry. “I’m fast.”
“Slippery, more like.”
“Slippery is still fast,” Harry said with a winning smile.
“So it’s a deal?” said Uma, keeping Harry’s hook behind her back while she held out her hand.
“Deal,” said Harry, shaking it. “Now tell me why you really need that ship.” He knew Uma well enough to know she wasn’t telling him the whole story. They’d been pirating all their rotten lives, and she’d never been interested in a pirate ship until today.
Uma leaned in and told him an unbelievable story about a missing golden trident and how they could bargain their way off the island with it.
Harry listened attentively without yawning or interrupting. But at the end of her story he did have one question. “Okay, say we do get that ship. How are we going to find that thing in the water?”
She waved her hand dismissively like Ursula did whenever she had to cast away any doubts in her victims’ minds. “I’ll figure it out later.”
“You really think we’ll get off this island?”
“If we play our cards right,” said Uma. “Negotiation is my specialty.”
Harry scratched his cheek with a fingernail, thinking it over. He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d agreed to, but however it turned out, he’d probably get his hook back, and he already missed it. “All right, let’s go put some rafts together then,” said Harry, studying the flyer again. “The race is this afternoon.”
A merman in a gold scale-patterned uniform came flying at him, sending the ball toward the goal, but Carlos blocked it quickly, throwing it back into the melee. Jay caught the ball with his paddle and ran down the field, jumping on shields, dodging every defenseman and cannonball shot in his path, until he successfully sent the ball whizzing into the Seaside goal. Yes!
But the Seaside team quickly recovered. Carlos was still celebrating Jay’s score when another merman came barreling toward him, almost certain to score. The ball shot toward the very edge of the goal, and right when it seemed all was lost, Carlos flew up and slammed it away from the net, just as the whistle blew to end the game.
Auradon Fighting Knights 3, Seaside Mermen 2.
It was the final game of the season, and they had just won the championship against the number one seed. Carlos cheered, jumping up in the air and waving his paddle. He pointed at Jay. “You!”
“You!” cheered Jay, removing his helmet and rushing across the field to thump Carlos in the chest. They laughed and joined their team in a group hug, a sweaty huddle of excitement and adrenaline.
Then, like the good sports they’d learned to be, they joined their teammates in consoling their opponents, who were congratulating them. “Good game, good game,” Carlos said, high-fiving the defeated mermen as they streamed by the Auradon Fighting Knights.
“Yo! Bomb Goalie!” yelled Herky, a rather large teammate
.
“Huh? What did you call me?” asked Carlos.
“Bomb Goalie! You’re the goalie, and you’re the bomb!”
“Ha! Nice one, thanks,” said Carlos, pounding his teammate’s outstretched fist. Herky enthusiastically tapped him back, sending Carlos flying right into the path of the Auradon mascot.
“Oof!” said a distinctly feminine voice from inside the Fighting Knight costume.
Jane! Carlos thought, rushing to see if she was all right. “I’m so sorry!” he said, helping her stand back up. Jane removed her costume helmet and shook out her hair.
“Are you okay?” asked Carlos.
“I’m fine,” Jane said with a laugh. “Risks of being the mascot.” Her dark hair was plastered to her cheeks and neck and she was all sweaty, but Carlos thought she looked sweet.
