Playing For Love

by Dana Burkey

  Speaking of the game, I was shocked at how cool the nose guards suddenly are! I knew that people posted photos and everything online of the one the team made me and got for themselves, but I didn’t think too much more about it. But, apparently other people saw them and wanted to be a part of all of it! So, today at the away game there were at least 20 people that all had nose guards on as well! They were wearing them to support the team and cheer us on and everything, and it was great! It made me feel even more excited that I joined the team and decided to keep playing even after I got hurt.

  Well, after a rather boring day and then the game I came home and figured that I was going to write really quick then go to bed and it was going to be super boring to write about! But then my phone went off and I basically freaked out! That was because the text was from Jordan, asking me where he could get a cool nose guard like he saw everyone on Facebook wearing!

  I of course told him where I got mine, then let him know that our game on Thursday was a home game, so it'd be a perfect time to wear his nose guard if he got one. I was kind of nervous texting it to him, assuming he was only mentioning the nose guard to be nice or something. Basically, I was just trying to not get my hopes high over him to asking about everything. I mean, who knew if he was really going to buy it, right?

  Well, about an hour later he texts me again with a photo. And in the photo he was holding up a nose guard! It was clear he went out to buy one as soon as I mentioned it, and when he sent the photo he said he was going to start decorating it so he could wear it to the game Thursday! And from what I've heard about the Glendales soccer team, they're pretty tough this year. But, maybe we can win and I get another celebration hug from Jordan!

  There’s a good bit of time between now and then, but I'm excited all the same! There's just so much excitement coming! First I have my soccer game Thursday, then possibly the football game on Friday, and then of course the dance on Saturday! If things goes as planned then who knows, I might be dating Jordan by Sunday! Or at least I can dream, right?

  SEPTEMBER 23RD-TUESDAY

  School today was pretty lame with tests and then a big project we're starting in English, and then we had a longer soccer practice than usual tonight since the coaches heard some people talking about how easy the games on Thursday are going to be, so they wanted to make us do a lot of conditioning so we “don’t get lazy and start making simple mistakes that cause a team that we should easily beat get the upper hand.” I'm sore all over right now, but still really happy! Not from school, or even from practice, but rather from the car ride home!

  “So are you excited for the game this week?” Jordan asked me casually while we sat waiting for Ross to pump gas.

  “Yeah, but it should be an easy one,” I said back, at that point in the day not knowing I was about to head into a super hard practice. “I think I’m more excited for the dance this weekend at this point.”

  “I think a lot of people are,” he nodded.

  It looked like Jordan was about to say something else, but my phone went off interrupting the moment. It was just a text, so I was planning on ignoring it, but Jordan started laughing with a big grin on his face. He also said “Nice,” clearly approving of the ringtone I was using. See, my ringtone is the theme to Jaws, since sharks have been my favorite animal my whole life. When I was seven we were in Hawaii and we got to see them when we were out on a boat, and I thought they were so cool. Even Ross was afraid of them, but I just wanted to get closer to see them.

  Anyways, Jordan heard my ringtone and immediately asked, “That’s the theme from Jaws, right?”

  I nodded and hit the lock button on my phone so I could read the text later, but the message was from Beth and was clearly a long one since it wasn't just one text, but three all in a row. So, my phone kept going off, each time only getting a little of the ringtone in before it started over. I felt embarrassed by this for some reason, but Jordan thought it was great.

  “You know, I think Ross mentioned you like sharks once, but I totally forgot,” Jordan commented, still grinning. “Those movies are my favorite.”

  “Mine too.” I’m sure I was smiling like an idiot, but could not help it. “I know they’re old and everything, but I saw the first movie when I was little and it was the greatest thing ever.”

  “Yeah, they're so good it doesn't matter if they're older or don’t have the best special effects,” Jordan pulled his phone out and was typing. I assumed he was ending the conversation between us to chat with someone else until the same ringtone my phone had just made was coming out of his phone as well. “There, now I have a good text tone too.”

  “Awesome,” I said, in shock that he'd actually just downloaded the same ringtone I had. I turned my attention back to my phone since I assumed the conversation was over. But, then Jordan started a new conversation that instantly had me super excited.

  “Well, I know this game is supposed to be easy, but if you want to get in any training for the next ones I’d be happy to help you out,” Jordan said, turning in his seat to face me more head on. “Ross told me he practiced with you, but I don’t know how helpful playing with him is.”

  “Very true,” I laughed. “It wasn’t super hard to get by him, even when he was trying to tickle me as a distraction.”

  “Oh goodness,” Jordan said with a shake of his head. “Ross needs to stick to basketball. But, if you want me to help, I’d be happy to. I haven't played for a few years, but I'd probably provide at least a little bit more of a challenge.”

  “That'd be great,” I smiled, my heart speeding up at even the idea of practicing with Jordan.

  Sadly, before we could decide on a time to practice together or anything like that Ross climbed back in the car and turned on the radio nice and loud. It clearly wasn't the best time to plan anything, so I told myself I'd find a chance to mention it another time. And in a way, I'm kind of glad about that part of it. This means I have a good reason to start up a conversation with Jordan. I don’t even have to think about it. Instead I can just walk up and say “Hey, so when are we going to practice?” Although right now, the idea of playing soccer at all makes me want to cry. If my legs don’t fall off today, it'll be a miracle! Time for a lot of sleep so I can hopefully find the will to roll out of bed tomorrow!

  SEPTEMBER 24TH-WEDNESDAY

  This morning I was super tired! I barely had time to get ready for school, and was actually still working on making my messy bun look intentional for part of the ride to school. It looked more or less okay when Jordan got in the car, but aside from a quick hello he went right into talking to Ross about something to do with one of their classes, so I didn't get the chance to ask about practicing. And we have soccer practice right after school today so I won’t see Jordan on the way home either. I’m actually sitting in math right now, since we have some free time after our quiz so I wanted to write down everything that just happened at lunch!

  First of all, I was still tired at lunch so I was kind of zoning out. But when I finally started to hear the conversation around me I was shocked!

  “I just don’t know if my parents'll let me miss this one,” Taylor was saying.

  “But you already bought a dress,” Corra reminded her.

  “My mom said I can either return it or save it for another dance, but she really wants me to be there for the party.”

  “Wait, what?” I asked, not sure what they were talking about still.

  “My dad's having a work party at our house this weekend and my mom told me she wants me a Lizzy there since it’s the first one since my dad's been as his new job,” Taylor explained. “So basically I don’t get to go to the dance.”

  I’m sure my mouth dropped open in shock over that one. I mean, I knew Lizzy’s dad had a really important job at one of the law firms in town, but it sounded crazy for her to miss the dance for a boring party. I say boring since I've been to some of the parties my dad's accountant friends have hosted and they're so awful every time that Ross and I usual
ly sneak home early pretending to be sick or have a ton of homework.

  “They're really going to make Lizzy miss her senior homecoming?” Beth asked, just as appalled as I was.

  “She said she's going to try cry a lot and remind them she is a senior and everything so they let her go. But I know if they let her go to the dance they'll for sure make me still be there for the party,” Taylor explained.

  “But you bought your ticket already,” I offered, knowing it was a weak attempt to help.

  “True, but they don’t care,” she sighed. “So I get to be bored to tears all evening and then see everyone post pictures about how much fun they're having.”

  “Well, we'll just have to do something fun Sunday to make up for it,” Beth offered. “And if you want to still come sleep at my house after the dance you totally can!”

  That was when everyone started coming up with ideas to make the after dance party as fun as the dance itself. We planned some fun movies to watch and special junk food to make and it seemed to help cheer Taylor up. It made lunch fly by pretty fast, and when I felt for my next class, I was super excited for the whole weekend ahead. But then I started thinking about it again, and I feel like a jerk!

  Okay, I don’t feel like a jerk for planning a fun girls night after the dance. I feel like a jerk for being kind of happy Taylor isn't going to the dance. I mean, what kind of friend am I? Well, I guess the answer to that is that I am the insecure flat chested kind!

  I just kind of started thinking about the fact that if Taylor is with us then we're going to be near each other and even if I look great, guys like Jordan are more likely to notice her before me. Pathetic right? It’s terrible for me to even think like that! But I did think like that, and now I have to try to stop! Sure, Taylor is beautiful, but she’s still my friend. And honestly, if Jordan's looking for someone like her, then even if she isn’t at the dance then it doesn't mean he will ever fall for me. I’m not like Taylor is so many ways, so I shouldn't be jealous even if Jordan ever does go for her instead of me!

  Wow, after writing all that down I feel silly. I need to get over this already. Taylor or no Taylor, the dance will be fun, and whether or not Jordan likes me I have a lot to be thankful and happy for! I mean, Ross is being a great older brother, I’ve made a lot of new friends from soccer this year, and my closest friends are the best in the world! There, a much better note to end this journal entry. Well, that and it’s time to go to my next class so I can’t write anymore... Bye!

  SEPTEMBER 25TH-THURSDAY

  As expected last night's soccer practice was awful. We did conditioning the whole time so my body is pretty sore. But, we honestly needed it to get our minds back on track and ready for the game. Sure, it’s not going to be a hard one, but we have some big ones coming up so we can’t get lazy now. Okay...I just sounded like a total jock! This soccer stuff is really taking over my life.

  School was uneventful, although hearing Jordan and Ross talk about how excited they were for the game tonight was pretty cool. When school was over, we headed home and then I got picked up by Skyler for the game. Ross said him and Jordan were working on something before the game so he asked Skyler to help out on getting me back to school. My mom and dad were both at work so it was the only option, and not a bad one at that. In fact, on the way to school Skyler was telling me more about how her and some other people are planning on going on the Fan Bus to the game in Lakeville tomorrow night. It’s a super nice coach bus that the football boosters bought last season to help more student attend away games. She hinted that Ross was getting tickets for me and my friends, but I didn’t find out anything offical just yet.

  Well, as we were getting ready for the game I was shocked to see that more and more fans were showing up with face masks on. It was hard to tell who people were since the field lights were on and tended to kind of reflect off of the metal and plastic parts. I thought at one point I could see where Ross and Jordan were sitting, but it was pretty hard to be sure. So, rather than worry about it I tried to just get ready for the game and everything.

  As expected the game was super easy. I felt like we were barely trying at one point and still managing to score. In fact, we scored three times in the first half, and I assisted on one, and I did a throw in that lead to the other! I was feeling pretty great, but then when the second half started I not only assisted one goal, I managed to score! That’s right...I SCORED MY FIRST GOAL!!!

  Now I know, it was against an easy team and all that, but it still felt amazing. I hugged all the girls as we ran back to reset for the kickoff, and when I looked into the crowd I was shocked to see that even more people seemed to be wearing face masks than there had been when I looked before the game, and they were all cheering for me. Okay, maybe for the team as well, but it felt like it was all for me and it was beyond amazing. It was the first time anything like that has ever happened to me!

  When the game ended, I was excited to see that Ross and Jordan exited the stands to come down and congratulate me. Since the win was a whopping 7-2 it wasn't the same excitement as usual….it was even bigger! Ross threatened to lift me up on his shoulder, but I was able to more or less dissuade him from that one pretty fast since it would look like we were trying to rub it in that we won by so much and the other team didn't deserve that. So instead he picked me up and gave me a big hug and took a selfie with me and posted it online right away. Jordan also gave me a hug, but it wasn't quite as over the top as Ross’s. After that, I was in such an adrenaline rush from the goal and winning the game it felt like just minutes later the varsity game ended in a win as well. The whole night was flying by in a blur!

  “You guys were great out there,” Ross said to Skyler and I as we walked to his car after the game. “I think that was the best soccer game I’ve ever seen.”

  “Considering you’ve only been to like 3 is that really all that impressive?” Skyler asked, giving him a playful punch in the arm.

  “Okay, okay,” he laughed. “Maybe I should say it was more exciting than even any football game I have seen. How's that?”

  “Better,” Skyler and I agreed at the same time.

  “So, we’re all on for the game tomorrow, right?” Jordan asked once we reached the cars. Skyler and Ross's cars were parked together so it made it easy for us to chat before we headed home.

  "Yep, I got tickets for all of us,” Ross explained. “I got them for Corra, Beth, and Taylor too.”

  “Awesome,” I grinned.

  After chatting a little bit more about the details for getting ready for the game, we all loaded up to head home. I was a little bummed that Skyler decided to drive Jordan home since his house was on the way to hers, but I tried to remind myself that I was going to get to spend a lot of time with him at the game tomorrow, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

  When I got home, I starting texting Beth, Corra and Taylor about the game. And it was weird. Taylor mentioned that she wasn't sure if she wanted to go to the game now. I guess she heard it was going to rain and didn’t want to get sick for the weekend. This just means I'll need to try again tomorrow and see if I can convince her to actually join us for the fun. I mean, it’s a school dress down day and we get to go to the away game! If she can’t go to the dance, then she really needs to be there for the game!

  SEPTEMBER 26TH-FRIDAY

  It was a pretty big bummer today at lunch. Taylor told us that she's for sure not going to the game, and she even went up to Ross this morning to let him know she didn't need her ticket. So, even if we'd convinced her to change her mind, her ticket's already been passed on to someone else. But, considering that was the only bummer part of the day, I can’t be too upset! First of all, it’s dress down day. That basically means we don’t have to wear our uniforms to school if we don’t want to. In the past I've never bothered to dress down, but this time, I was super excited! I wore a cute pair of jeans, my green shoes, and a new green v-neck I found at the mall with Beth. I was planning on just wearing a jean jacket or a random
sweater with it, but then I remembered this morning that my mom has this super cute gold cardigan. Sure, it’s my moms, but she never wears it and when I asked she was more than willing to let me steal it for today. It's a pretty gold with shiny threads woven all through it so it kind of sparkles without being straight up glitter in your face!

  Once I was done getting dressed this morning, I took the time to curl my hair like I did for the last game we all went to and then added a cute headband to make it look less over the top for school all day. I spend some time making my eyes really pop with my makeup, and then even painted my nails with a gold french manicure! When I stepped back and looked in the mirror, it was kind of crazy! I mean, never in a million years would I have believed a year ago I would be able to dress up and do my hair and makeup and actually look cute for school the way all the upperclassmen girls always did. And not only that, I was actually hanging out with the people at school that everyone considered popular!

  The whole ride to school was spent going over final details. It sounded like we were all going to meet up at my house again and then get pizza before we headed out. Ross would still drive since only Beth and Corra were coming, so it gave us plenty of room in the car to all drive to the bus together. I was excited about it all day, but when me and my friends got into Ross’s car at the end of the day it was clear that the plan had changed.

  “Where's Jordan?” I asked after Ross commented that one of us could sit in the front seat.

  “Him and Trey went to get pizza,” Ross explained as Beth moved to sit up front and we headed for my house. “We're just going to eat at the park while we wait for the bus.”