On the ground, Andy said: "What's the trouble, Ronnie? Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes, I heard you. Andy, listen. I'm taking off—"
"Sure, in just a minute," the freckled boy said. "But, look, the next time you see me cut across the—"
"You don't understand!" Ron said intensely. "I'm running away!"
"What?"
Larkin's whistle sounded the signal to resume play. The airball shot into the sky, and the two teams sped after it. Andy was late getting started. He looked at Ron and gasped: "You can't do that—"
But Ron Carver was already in flight, and his PF was heading away from the center of the action, heading over the jagged pinetree tops that surrounded the Roverwood Home for Boys, heading for the misty green hills beyond.