The 3 J's = Justice

By Nancy Merz Roberts

Jonathan, Jake and Juan (known to their classmates as the 3 J's) ran off the soccer field, giving each other the high-five. They'd won again. They'd been buddies for five years-ever since first grade-and they had been on the soccer team for almost as long.

Jonathan was deaf, but it didn't keep him from playing soccer with his two closest friends. He read lips fairly well, but ever since Jake and Juan learned American Sign Language one summer, they all used sign language. They'd even inspired Coach to learn it.

As they headed for the gym locker room, Coach said, "Good game, you three," signing the words at the same time.

The three waved back.

"Hey, Juan, did you bring your baseball cards?" Jake said.

Jake and Juan talked out loud and signed at the same time. By now it was second nature for them.

"Yeah. The whole bunch." Juan replied as he put on his jacket with his number and name on it in red and blue. (Those were the school colors.) The other two followed his lead and put on their jackets, jogging along side by side, just like the three musketeers.

"You going to trade?" Jonathan signed.

"Maybe."

They entered the back of the locker room. As they were about to turn at the far end of the last row of lockers, Jake stopped and put out his hand. They he raised a finger to his lips and pushed the other two back behind him. He'd heard two voices whispering right around the corner.

"Hurry up! You said picking the lock would be easy" The voice sounded scared.

"I didn't say that." The other voice sounded annoyed. "I said I could do it, and I can. It'll just take a couple of minutes. They'll all be out on the field celebrating their win. No sweat."

"And we'll get the baseball cards and be gone before anyone knows we've been here," the first voice added.

Jake, thankful he could sign, passed on the conversation silently to his buddies behind him, adding, "I think they're seventh graders."

"We need to get Coach," Jonathan signed.

"Can't," Jake signed. "We have to go past them to get to Coach's office, and they'll know we heard them."

As Juan moved forward, trying to see who was after his prized cards, his shoulder nudged a half-open locker door and it banged shut with a thud.

"Who's that?" one of the thieves said to the other. The second one started toward the noise.

The 3 J's were trapped. The only way to the school offices to get help was past the older boys.

"Stay here," Jonathan signed. "I have a plan."

He stepped around the corner, glancing at the two boys, who quickly tried to look innocent. Jonathan boldly walked in their direction.

"Do you think he heard us?" one whispered to the other.

Jonathan read his lips, but gave no indication he understood what was being said.

The second one laughed out loud. "Heck no. Look. Jacket #9. I've heard about him. Good soccer player, but deaf. We don't have to worry about him. Get on with opening that locker as soon as he's past you."

Jonathan walked past them to the end of the row of lockers, heading towards the door and the P.E. offices.

Already one of the seventh graders was picking the lock of Juan's locker.

Jonathan knew he had to hurry. Once out of the door, he raced down the hall to Coach's office and began to sign rapidly.

"Slow down," said Coach. "I'm not that good."

Jonathan started to pull Coach toward the door.

"Whoa! What's the ." Coach began.

Jonathan signed again, only this time more slowly.

As Coach read the message, his face got red. He hurried out of the office, with Jonathan following, and burst into the locker room.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he demanded of the two seventh grade boys standing in front of the open locker, baseball cards in their hands. "This isn't your locker room."

"And that's not your locker," Jake chimed in, coming around the corner. Juan followed closely behind.

"And those aren't your baseball cards," Juan added. "That's my locker and those are my cards!"

"Looks to me like you boys are in a heap of trouble," Coach said sternly. He took the baseball cards from them.

Juan turned to face the two seventh graders. "So you 'don't need to worry' about Jonathan, huh?" he said, repeating what he'd overheard. "You've got a lot to learn!"

"He's one smart guy, both off and on the soccer field!" Jake said.

"Yeah. If he hadn't been able to fool you into thinking you didn't have to worry about him," Juan explained, "Coach wouldn't have caught you red-handed."

The seventh graders stood there with their mouths hanging open.

"Good team work," Coach said to Jonathan, Jake and Juan.

"That is what it's all about," Jonathan signed, and the 3 J's gave each other their special one-for-all and all-for-one high five.