Playing For Love

by Dana Burkey

  Since we were starting so early, I didn’t see anyone I knew during our first game. I knew a lot of people from school and from town were going to be there, but I tried to just focus on the game. It was hard at the start of the first game when I had a lot of people coming up to meet me. One little girl even asked for me autograph! Apparently it was big news about my nose and the nose guard and just everything! I did my best to be nice to everyone and all that, but also tried to get ready for the game. Well, even with the distraction of people asking me about my nose and everything like that, we easily won the first game 4-1. Then, we went and won our next game 3-2. So, when we tied our last game we were still able to move on to the next round.

  It was then, as we ate lunch during a short break that my friends arrived. Beth, Corra, Trey, Jordan, and Ross all came to see me. They'd been looking for me for a little while, and I guess even watched a whole varsity game by that point. Part of me wanted to be sad that they didn't watch one of my games yet, but considering how crazy the whole soccer park was, I couldn't blame them for not finding me! Instead I gave them all big hugs and let them know where I was playing for my next game. I wanted to have a more meaningful time with Jordan, but they were trying to go buy lunch at the concession stands, and I was trying to eat lunch while also stretching between games not to mention I was still trying to stay focused on the whole day. Not an easy task to say the least!

  Going into the next two games I saw that my friends and also my mom and dad were watching, but since it was a knockout round I tried extra hard to focus. I didn’t allow myself to get distracted at all, knowing that a bad game would end all of our hard work all season. So, I pushed as hard as I could and actually scored a goal in the first round of knockouts. It was the only goal of the game so we moved on thanks to me! A pretty great feeling for sure. Then, after that game, we crushed the next team 5-1 since one of their best players got hurt earlier in the day. It was kind of a bummer win to beat a team thanks to someone getting hurt. But, it was still a win so we got to move on all the same.

  When the game was over we got to watch the last half of varsity winning their second game, and then both teams waited together for our final rounds to begin. These were the most important and also the hardest since it was against all really good teams! Northlake was still in for both divisions, so we knew it wasn't going to be an easy end to our day. It was making me nervous, but thankfully Ross came and found me and decided to be brother of the year.

  “How're you doing Fi?” he asked, giving me a quick hug.

  “A little tired,” I said honestly. I was also a little shocked that he was coming to see me instead of hanging out with Skyler. But, I guess things like that shouldn't be too shocking anymore.

  “Do you want me to go grab you an energy bar or Gatorade or anything?”

  “I think I’ll be okay,” I replied. “My legs are just feeling kind of heavy after all the running.”

  “Well, you ladies are doing amazing, so keep it up,” he said with a smile. “Only three more games and you could be heading to state.”

  “No pressure or anything,” I said with a sigh.

  “Are you kidding?” Ross asked with a laugh. “You were on the news last night and all anyone today's been talking about. I’ve heard at least 10 people who weren't even watching your games talk about how inspirational you are. And even with all that pressure you're winning games and playing hard!”

  I was pretty shocked that the story was that big of a hit, but I guess it made sense. Like Jordan’s parents said, not a lot of soccer teams get big news coverage like we had. The problem was, Ross’s words were starting to make me even more nervous for the next few days. Well, they were at least, until he added something else that was just what I needed to hear.

  “You know,” he began. “Even if you guys lost the next three games, I think everyone'll still remember the fact that you've had a great season and worked so well together. People will be excited if you make it to state, but I think they'll still be just as proud if you don’t. At least I know I'll be.”

  That part literally made me want to cry. Not knowing what else to say, I gave Ross a big hug. A few months ago he never would've been so sweet, but something changed. Either me breaking my nose, or his relationship with Skyler was making Ross a pretty awesome big brother. Whatever was causing it though, I was happy for it!

  His words were just what I needed to push through during the next three games. We played Northlake first and the game ended in a tie. It put more pressure on the last two games, but we for sure rose to the occasion. It was like the tie lit a fire under us, and we were ready to do anything we needed to in order to win! So, we put everything we had on the field and won the next game easily. Then, as if we were just getting started, we won the next game 6-0! It was the biggest scoring gap of the whole tournament for any team, and as soon as we scored that final goal it was clear that we would be going to state. We had to wait until it was officially posted after Northlake was finished with their game as well, but just after 9pm we got the good news.

  Northlake was the likely choice to make it to state with us, but they faced some tough rounds through the day. In the end, they didn’t make it, but only one point! So, next weekend JV will be facing Drenton High School! When we played them in the final round they were pretty tough, and I know they'll be bringing their best next weekend. That means we have a whole week of hard work still to come! Varsity will also have to work hard, since Northlake’s varsity made it to state to face us for the title. And honestly, our team was pretty close to not making it! If Skyler hadn't scored a final goal in the last two minutes to win the last game of the day, there was a chance to they would be missing state all together! But, in the end, they won. And so, for the first time ever, two teams from the same school will be heading to state! Even without winning we're already making history!

  Once the games were all over and people were finally calming down from all the celebrating, we decided to go out for food as a team. We'd had some food at the field all day, but everyone was super tired and hungry after the last round of games. So, we loaded into our bus and celebrated the whole way home! Then, we got off the bus to cheering fans and loaded into cars to head to Applebee’s. It was the closest restaurant to the school that was still open, so we figured it'd be the best option. We filled almost the whole place, which was more or less empty especially after everyone saw how loud we were. The staff were okay with it though, since we were all ordering a lot of food and everything like that. I was sitting with my mom and dad since they were there as well, but at our table was also Ross, Skyler, Jordan, Corra, Beth, and Trey. There were also tables of my friends sitting all around us, so people were kind of switching seats and moving around all the time. It was it a little confusing when our food would come out, but we worked it out okay.

  At my table we talked a little about the news spot since I hadn't talked to Beth about it too much, and Jordan also wanted to hear more about it too. I guess seeing it on TV wasn't enough, they wanted to know what it was like for me to watch it as well. And so I told them everything, being really honest about how much I cried when I heard all the great things everyone on the team was saying about me.

  “My mom was crying through the whole thing too,” Jordan explained. “And I think I even saw my dad tearing up a little. It was a really good piece, so I think people were able to connect with it a lot thanks to how they put it all together.”

  “Yeah, it was really emotional,” Trey nodded. “I think if it was much longer I would've been in tears too.”

  “What do you mean, would've been? I saw you blinking an awful lot and wiping your eyes when it was over,” Beth teased.

  While we all laughed along with Trey, I happened to catch Jordan’s eyes for a second. He smiled at me, then nodded a little. Was that his way of saying he'd been emotional as well? Or that he just thought it was funny that Trey got emotional watching it? I’m not really sure, but making eye contact with him was nice in that mo
ment since we were all laughing and having a good time. Hanging out with all of my friends was a great way to spend the evening after such a long day playing soccer!

  The rest of the night was fun chatting about all kinds of random things and just relaxing. I could feel myself fading fast, especially after I ate my burger and fries, but I wasn't the only one. It was like the adrenaline from the day was coming down for all of us finally. Slowly, we all began to trickle home. I got a hug goodbye from Jordan, but at that point it wasn't even all that exciting since I was so exhausted. In fact, on the ride home I actually fell asleep in the car. My dad had to wake me up and then help me get to my room since I was basically sleepwalking at that point. I crawled into my bed and fell asleep without even changing out of my dirty and sweaty clothes! Thankfully I woke up around 2am and took a quick shower. The little bit of sleep helped me stay awake just long enough to get cleaned up then crawl back under my covers in nice clean pajamas!

  I'm a little more awake since I have been drinking coffee the whole time I've been writing this, but I still feel like my body needs to stretch a lot! It'll be nice to have today and tomorrow off from practice. Later this week we have some special games and practices, so that'll keep us busy. Tuesday we get to play on special teams that are picked by the captains and will be more or less just for fun. But then Wednesday night we play varsity versus JV in a game that's all about bragging rights. Apparently varsity always wins, but JV always puts in a good fight. This year though, I heard rumors that JV might actually have a shot at winning. I might need to fit in some practice on my own tomorrow just to make sure I'm up for the challenge! But that'll wait for tomorrow. Today I'm sticking to homework and other things I can do while sitting down and resting!

  OCTOBER 27TH-MONDAY

  I woke up today feeling so much better than yesterday! I think stretching a lot yesterday afternoon helped, and then I also took a super-hot shower before bed to help my sore muscles too. It was the right idea for sure, since today I didn’t even feel tired or stiff at all this morning. I actually felt awake too, which was a nice surprise since I was up pretty late doing homework and studying.

  Well, today at school was more of the same from last week. A lot of people talking about the video and everything like that, and then a lot of people also talking about the news as well. And about the games. It was like soccer was taking over our whole school! Part of it might be the fact that thanks to some early season losses our football team won't be going on to playoff this year, so this Friday's their last game of the season. I almost feel like having soccer to root for is helping people get over the fact that football's ending without any post-season glory. They usually make it to at least a few of the games after the main season is over, so it’s been a bummer for students and then also the die-hard fans around town for sure.

  Since we didn’t have practice today I decided to hang out with Corra tonight, and that was when things got really interesting. We were just going to stay at her place and watch movies and all that, but then we got a surprise when her cousin Summer came by to visit. Summer's in college in Chicago, but was home over the weekend for a friends wedding and stopped by to see Corra and her family before she flies out tomorrow morning. I've met Summer a few times, so I was excited to see her again, especially when she told us the big news!

  “I’m getting married this summer,” She said with a grin, holding up her hand to show us the ring on her finger. “Nick proposed yesterday when we went out for breakfast. I guess seeing our friends get married gave him some inspiration.”

  I didn’t know much about Nick, so Summer quickly filled me in. Basically Nick and Summer met when they were still in high school. Then, they went to college together in Chicago until last year when Nick graduated. And now, with Summer only a few months away from graduation as well, Nick popped the question! Once I had the basic story down it was fun to sit and listen to Summer talk about how excited she is to plan the wedding and then also how she never thought she'd meet the man she would marry in high school. She said it was something that happens in the movies, not in real life. And how perfect is that?! I mean, I always think how things with Jordan and I would be different if we were in a movie!

  “When did you know you guys were right for each other?” I asked, thinking about Jordan and I right away. “Was it like love at first sight?”

  “Not really,” she said with a laugh. “The first time he really spoke to me I was bored at a party and he was fall down drunk and needed help. That was before he grew up...a lot!”

  Summer explained that Nick liked her, but she'd made him wait until the play she was in ended before they started really dating. They were friends and everything, but she was focusing on the play instead of him so she could do a good job. So, I was of course freaking out! I mean, that's basically what the whole team told me! They said that the reason Jordan wasn’t making a move might be that he was waiting until soccer was over! Since I'd told Corra about what the girls on the team said, she immediately caught on to my line of thinking and started asking Summer more questions as well.

  “So when you finally started dating after the play was over, did he just walk up and ask you and everything?” Corra asked, since she didn’t already know any of the smaller details either.

  “Not really,” Summer laughed. “He was going to ask me out, but first he just flat out kissed me! It was super romantic since we were standing in the snow and he had brought me flowers to my final night of the show. But when he went to ask me officially, he got so caught up in the moment he just went for it and kissed me!”

  I about swooned! It was perfect. And, the more she talked about everything the more it sounded like maybe Jordan and I could end up like her and her fiancé! It was all I've been thinking about all night, and I really feel like once state's over next weekend I might finally find out from Jordan how he really feels! Now I just need to be patient and wait for that all to actually happen. Oh, and I kind of want to win state so I need to spend all my time waiting working extra hard! So basically, this week's going to be extra exhausting and crazy for sure! But, hopefully when it's over, I'll get to finally get what I always wanted: to be Jordan’s girlfriend!

  OCTOBER 29TH-WEDNESDAY

  School's been a little more normal yesterday and today, but it was still pretty great overall! Monday night when I was done writing I decided to run on the treadmill for a little, so yesterday I felt like I'd really be ready for the “Dream Team Game.” We were talking about the game on the way to school yesterday, and Skyler assured me that she was going to pick me for her team since I was one of the best players on JV. I wasn't sure if she was just saying that to make me feel good, but Jordan and Ross agreed so that was pretty cool!

  In the end Skyler proved true on her word. When I got to practice I was given a pink bandannas and I was told that I was on the “Pink Panthers.” The “Yellow Yellers” were all given yellow bandannas to show their team as well. We had about 20 minutes with our teams to get ready for the game and to get to know our team and everything. Then, we got started on a scrimmage that was pretty much all fun! A bunch of people from school were there to cheer us on, and they could even buy yellow or pink bandannas to cheer for their favorite team as a fundraiser for next year’s uniforms and all that. Most people bought two for fun and cheered the whole game for everyone! I got to play forward most of the game, and it was a lot of fun to work with Skyler to score a few goals. Oh, and usually a few goals would be a big deal, but the rule with the Dream Team Game was that neither team could have a goalie. Basically the rule was just to make the game more exciting for the people watching.

  Well, that was yesterday and it literally was a blast. Today, however, was the big game between JV and varsity. That meant we all wore our socks like it was game day, and then after school we warmed up like it was a normal game. We have two uniforms, a white and a green, in case we play teams that are either color. So, for the game the JV team wore green and varsity wore white. Oh, and the stands wer
e packed with just about everyone at school! I guess word got around that JV might actually win this year, so everyone was there to see if it all play out.

  The game was really hard from the second we got started! Coach Heather and Garry were reffing, and were being really strict about calling everything. Sure, we were all being good sports about it, but we also had to follow all the rules like a normal game! By the end of the first half the game was still 0-0. I was getting tired, but it was a good feeling to know that this was one of the first times that JV had actually made it that long in the yearly match without letting varsity score. But, the thing that made it the best, was that during the halftime break Jordan came down to the bench to wish me luck.

  “Great job so far Fabulous Fiona,” Jordan said with a grin.

  “Thanks Jordan,” I said between drinks from my water bottle.

  “I just thought you'd like to know that Becca usually always goes up for blocks in the goal, since no one's going for low shots,” he explained in a rushed voice. “If you shoot the ball low she won’t be able to block it and it should go right through.”

  I looked at him in shock. He was giving me inside info on Becca Greenfield, the goalie for the varsity team. It was likely from watching her the way he watched me during our practices, but this time he wasn't using it to beat me. Instead he was using the information to help us beat varsity.

  “I’ll let her know after oday so she can keep an eye on it for the game this weekend, but for now you can use it to help.” He gave me a killer grin then turned and headed back to the stands.