Of course, it was possible that he was lying to her, but the sincerity in his voice convinced Nancy that for once he was telling the truth.
She was glad, but nervous, too. With both Tom and Ray out of the running, she would now have to tell Ned something that she knew he didn’t want to hear: His friend and co-captain, Mike O’Shea, was definitely responsible for the practical jokes—and a lot more, besides!
Chapter Thirteen
That afternoon an enormous pep rally took place in the gym. Emotions ran high as the band played a medley of fight songs. The cheerleaders whipped the crowd into a hand-clapping, foot-stamping frenzy. The division championship was at stake that night, and one question loomed large in everyone’s mind: Would the Wildcats win the crown, or would they go down in defeat?
Nancy stood near the doors with Bess and George, pondering a different question: When and how would the practical joker strike next? There was no doubt in her mind that he would. He had to! This was his last chance to stop the team’s drive for the title.
As the rally’s finale neared, a series of floats motored onto the court. A thousand purple and orange balloons fell from the ceiling as a platoon of baton twirlers kicked and smiled. It was an exciting scene, but Nancy was too worried to enjoy it.
A second later, George touched her arm. “Nancy, I think there’s a problem outside. Want to check it out?”
Outside in the corridor, the team members were waiting to be introduced to the crowd. They were all nicely dressed in khaki slacks, ties, and Emerson, blazers, but on their faces were looks of worry. What now? Nancy wondered.
“Ned? What’s going on?”
“It’s Mike . . . he hasn’t shown up yet,” her boyfriend said tensely.
“He knew about the rally, right?”
“Of course he did!” Ned snapped irritably.
Nancy felt her face go red. Part of her wanted to shout at him, and part of her wanted to beg him not to be angry with her anymore. In the end, she did neither.
“Maybe he’s been delayed for some reason,” she suggested evenly.
Howie Little stepped forward and shook his head. “Mike’s the first one to arrive anywhere, even for practice!”
“Yeah, it’s not like him to go AWOL,” Andy Hall added.
Nancy didn’t see what she could do about the situation. If her suspicions about Mike were correct—and she was certain that they were—there was no telling where he might be.
In the gym, the dean of the college stepped up to the microphone. “And now it’s time to meet our team!” he announced. “First, playing forward, number thirty-two . . . Kyle . . . Jefferson!”
Cheers shook the gym. He was starting at the bottom of the roster, Nancy realized. That was good. It meant that Mike and Ned, the co-captains, would be the last to be introduced. Mike had a few more minutes to show.
One by one, the players walked into the gym as their names and numbers were called. Nancy watched the front entrance of the building anxiously, but finally Ned was the only one left in the corridor. Mike wasn’t going to appear.
“Looks like I’ll have to cover for him,” Ned muttered. “Where is he?”
Inside the gym, the dean’s voice rose excitedly. “And next, the finest point guard in the history of our school . . . co-captain of the team, number seven . . . Ned . . . Nickerson!”
The roar that burst from the crowd was thunderous. Ned strode confidently into the gym, stopped, and raised his arms in a victory sign. The roar grew even louder. Nancy was proud that Ned was so popular, but at the same time she felt terrible. She knew how torn up he must feel. This was definitely a moment he would want to share with Mike!
Slipping back into the gym, Nancy watched Ned step forward to the microphone and smoothly apologize for Mike’s absence. Wisely,’he didn’t dwell on it, but moved straight into his thank-you’s to the team’s supporters.
As he talked, Nancy felt another touch on her arm. It was Pat Burnett. Like his team, the coach was wearing khakis, a tie, and an Emerson blazer. He also wore an identical look of worry—worry that she knew was growing from more than his concern over the upcoming game.