Unwanted child - стр. 26

As soon as the coach's whistle sounded, simultaneously acting as an incorruptible and fair referee, the four boys (including Ted) rushed from their seats into the centre of the circle, simultaneously pushing and trying to pull each other by the arms beyond the permitted playing space. Only one girl remained standing in one place, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away contemptuously. Her teacher jumped up to her, offering her to join the common game, telling and explaining on her fingers how much fun she would have. The princess, however, would not listen. She turned her back to Mrs Donova and headed in the opposite direction, snorting her nose and rolling her eyes.

Meanwhile, the confrontation on the court continued and tension was building. No one wanted to lose, but they were stretched to the limit. Ted stood exactly in the centre of the circle, holding the hand of the two boys on either side of him. Each of them was trying to pull the boy towards him, so that he would leave the place of the unqualified winner. From afar it looked as if they were about to tear him in two. But they were not strong enough to do that, and Theodore himself was much stronger than they were. Ted knelt down, continuing to hold back his opponents and forcing them to do the same to him. At the moment, he felt a pull both to one side and the other from himself. Suddenly, something happened that neither of them expected. Ted seized the hand of the boy in front of him and began to pull him towards him. The result was an irresistible force that he could not resist. All three moved from their seats. The boy who was behind Ted was outside the circle and instantly became a loser. Theodore himself fell on his back, lying half inside and half outside the circle. And the boy who had been standing in front of him, thanks to the power of the joint pull, left the playing field, doing a couple of somersaults, like a brave acrobat. Thus there remained two contenders for victory. Theodore and another girl, whom he had completely forgotten about, concentrating on the stern male rivalry.

Satisfied but tired, the boy began to rise, looking at the spectators, coach and tutor sitting opposite him. Many of them started waving their hands and actively showing something. The little wrestler caught himself thinking that he had won, and that he would soon be facing the finals, including himself and the two other winners of the other subgroups. Suddenly Theodore felt a nudge directed at his back, which was enough to throw the boy off balance once again and cross this contestant's name off the list of future finalists. With an extremely surprised expression on his face, which was made even more comical by his wide-open mouth, which had taken the shape of an oval, and the scream he emitted from surprise, the kid flopped down on the soft rubber surface that cushioned his fall.