On a whim, he sneaks them into his backpack and leaves the store. He wanders into a sporting goods store and tries on a pair of expensive silver running shoes. Kids in one of his classes mock him for the shoes, so he leaves school. He tries to cut his one and only pair of high tops down to shorter shoes, but they end up looking ridiculous. As Ghost watches the other kids on the team in their workout clothes and running shoes, he begins to feel inferior. He calls the coach, who reluctantly plays along and picks him up.Ĭoach works Ghost hard on the track. Rather than tell his mother what’s happened, Ghost says he needs to call his uncle to come get him. The principal suspends Ghost for the rest of the day. The principal starts to give him a suspension but softens when he learns Brandon started the brawl. Ghost fights back and is sent to the principal’s office. The next day, Brandon starts teasing Ghost. Mom is skeptical but agrees, hoping the sport will keep Ghost out of trouble. He gives Ghost a ride home, where he convinces Ghost’s mom that he’ll look out for the boy. The coach asks Ghost if he’d like to join the team.Ĭoach is a cab driver by day. Ghost beats the boy, even in his jeans and ratty shoes. When Ghost won’t leave, the coach agrees to give him one chance to race. To be a Defender, runners have to be the best of the best. The coach yells at him at first, explaining this is one of the most elite teams in the city.
Convinced he can beat the fastest team member, he walks down to the track and lines up beside the boy. Ghost thinks of himself as a basketball guy and doesn’t know or care much about running. One afternoon, Ghost sees a track team practicing and sits down to watch.
He spends most afternoons roaming on his own after buying a bag of sunflower seeds from Mr. He gets in a lot of fights at school, especially with a bully named Brandon. Ghost often gets teased for his old and ill-fitting clothes or the haircuts his mother gives him. They live in a shady part of town called Glass Manor.
Ghost’s mom works in a hospital cafeteria, and they usually eat food she brings home from work. That’s how Ghost learned to run, out of necessity.ĭad is now serving 10 years in prison.
Ghost can’t forget the horrible night he and his mother fled their house in their pajamas and took refuge in Mr. When he was in fourth grade, his alcoholic father shot a pistol at him and his mom. Seventh-grader Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw hasn’t had an easy life.
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