by John Zakour
So far though, the gang hadn't hit any other banks, which gave me time to work on my soccer skills with Android Maya.
Maya Message: Sometimes I call Android Maya, Android Maya. Sometimes I call her Maya 2 or Maya 2.0. Sometimes I call her AM. I guess I’m still trying to figure out how she fits into my life.
Playing soccer with AM and the holograms, helped me understand what I was good at. I had good hustle. I might not have been super-fast, but I kept pushing. I also played really good defense. I wasn’t afraid to put myself in the way of the ball. While I didn’t have the strongest kicks, I had accurate kicks.
“You’re better at setting up plays on the field than scoring,” Android Maya told me as I passed the ball to her.
“I know!” I said. “I like that role!”
“Good!” Android Maya said, kicking the ball past the goalie and into the net.
We gave each other high fives.
“Do you think I’m ready for the game tomorrow?” I asked her.
“I do!” she said.
Grandpa appeared next to me. “I do too!”
Polly flew over and landed on my shoulder. “I don’t. And it’s not just that I don’t want you to get a big head, well, a bigger head. I don’t think that practicing in a super cool lab with a bunch of holograms will prepare you for the real world!”
“This is coming from a talking bird?” I huffed.
“Exactly!” Polly replied, gesturing with his left wing. “Look at me; I’m an amazing talking bird. I know stuff. I know that the lab and the real world are different.”
Tammy joined in the conversation. “I think you’re all right,” she said.
Polly flapped both wings. “I think I’m much better than all right! I’m one of a kind!”
“I mean, both sides are right. Polly, you have a point. In the very random real world, things work differently than in the lab. While the lab tries to simulate everything, it still can’t copy the real world.”
“Not yet!” Computer said.
“Ha!” Polly said, pointing at me. “Listen to Tammy. She’s cute and smart!”
Tammy looked at me. “But Maya, by putting in the practice, you have improved a huge amount. I expect you to go out there tomorrow and play better than you have ever played.”
“Well, the bar’s not set very high,” Polly remarked.
“That’s so true,” Marko chuckled, somehow getting involved in the conversation. “I remember once she fell flat on her face just running for the ball.” He started laughing. “That was funny…” He giggled some more. “So funny…”
Tammy put her arm around me. “Don’t worry, Maya; I’m sure you’ll play better than before.”
Not exactly the best pep talk, but it was an accurate one.
“She certainly can’t play worse than she used to,” Polly said. “Quite frankly, if she doesn’t fall on her face, it’s an improvement.”
Despite what Polly and Marko said, I felt good about myself and my chances. I had done the work, and I knew it would pay off. Would I be the greatest soccer player of all time? Nope. But I’d be better than before, and I would help my team. That was the important thing!
Chapter XI
During the car ride to the soccer field, Mom and Dad couldn’t stop talking about soccer and the game ahead.
“Today’s game should be a little easier than last week’s,” Dad said. “Last week you played Ivy Jones’ team…”
“Yeah, I recall, I was there!” I said.
Marko started to laugh. I glared at him, and he stopped. He made a zipping motion with his mouth.
“Remember, honey,” Mom said, “don’t take any team lightly. I understand you were pumped last week because, well, they were the first place team. And I know you and that Ivy Jones have had a rivalry since you were in first grade…when she took your sucker.”
“Yeah, Maya was so pumped last week,” Marko said. “She played like a machine rather than a human! Like she was a term--…”
I elbowed him in the gut, stopping him from talking.
“Yeah, Ivy and I do go way back…” I agreed.
“I used to get pumped for my rivals too!” Mom said. “A little let-down is natural, but still, I am sure you’ll push forward!”
“I plan to!” I said.
The car rolled up to the parking lot next to the field. Getting out of the car, I saw Ivy Jones talking to another girl. This girl looked a lot like Ivy. She had the same complexion and similar features. Ivy saw me and strutted over with the other girl at her side.
“Ivy, I’m surprised you’re at my game,” I said.
“My team just finished playing on the next field over, and we won 6-0. I scored four goals,” Ivy smirked proudly.
“So, I guess you’ll be going home happy then!” I replied hopefully.
Ivy nodded. “I will!” She pointed to the girl standing next to her. “This is my cousin, Daisy Jones.”
“Hi!” Daisy said politely.
“Hi,” I said.
Ivy laughed. “You’ll be playing Daisy’s team today. Daisy isn’t quite as good as I am, but then again, who is?”
“Nobody is as modest as you are, either,” I replied.
Ivy crossed her arms. “Nope. I’m one of a kind!”
“Lucky us,” Daisy and I both said under our breath.
Ivy looked me in the eyes. “I just want you to know that I’m here watching!”
I shrugged. “Good, I love having fans!” I told her.
Ivy growled a little under her breath and then walked away.
Daisy turned to me. “My mom’s flower shop sponsors the team. I’m not as big of a competitor as Ivy is, but I still love to win!” she warned me.
“I do too!” I replied.
“May the best girl win!” Daisy said.
“No, may the best team win!”
“Sure, that too, I guess,” Daisy said, walking towards her team.
Tina came running up to me. My eyes lit up when I saw her. “Man, I’ve missed you!” I said.
“You see me every day at school,” she replied.
“I miss hanging out with you every afternoon!” I told her.
She nodded. “I miss you too, BFF, to the max, but one week down and one week to go, then no more being stuck at home after school, grounded.” She put her arm around me. “Plus, we get to kick these girls’ butts! Right?”
“Definitely,” I said.
“I hear you’re getting better at soccer,” Tina commented with a smile.
“How do you know that?”
“Polly sends me texts!”
“When did he get a phone?” I asked.
Tina shrugged. “No idea, but he says that you’re no longer totally hopeless.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m practically blushing with pride.”
Tina and I walked onto the field. Looking up, I saw a drone floating overhead. I guessed the guys in the lab wanted to watch. Glancing into the stands, I saw Mom and Dad waving their hands wildly. Gee, I guess winning the science fair and getting straight A’s forever, wasn’t as stimulating for them as watching a game of soccer.
But in thinking about it, sports are meant to be stimulating. I couldn’t blame them. Heck, just being on the field, I felt a rush of energy, probably from all the adrenaline in my body. As if I wasn’t excited enough, my heart raced even faster when I saw Dex sitting in the stands. Of course, Ivy sat next to him blabbing away, but Dex wasn’t paying attention to her, even though Ivy seemed to be working hard to get Dex to watch her, not the game. He looked at me. He smiled and waved.
I waved back.
“Subtle,” Tina told me. “Way to play it cool!”
Turning to her, I said, “I’m not cool. I’m filled with pride and emotion!” Tina pointed down the field at the other team. “Use some of that energy on them!”
I nodded. “Right, check. Got that!”
The ref blew the whistle and the game started! My heart began to pump faster; I could feel the bl
ood flowing through my muscles. I liked it. Still, I started easy, trying to get a feel for the game and the other team.
Daisy Jones had the ball, and she dribbled up the field. She made a quick pass to a girl from our school named Jill Hill. I knew Jill was a good athlete. She and Daisy together would be tough. I decided to hang back on defense. My goal was to try to create a scoring opportunity for Tina, or maybe even one of the Towers’ girls, Cindy or Cathy.
Moving towards Daisy, I noticed her eyes shift in Jill’s direction. When Daisy nudged the ball forward, I sped up, cutting the ball off. Without stopping, I tapped the ball sideways to Tina. Tina caught the ball on the fly and raced down the field. I followed her. I wanted Tina to take the shot because she had the stronger leg, but I also wanted the other team’s goalie, Teresa Bar, to at least be thinking that I might take the shot. I knew Teresa was a darn good goalie. I figured the more we gave her to think about, the better.
Tina and I moved up the field to the striking position. Tina faked a pass to me. Teresa leaned just a tad towards me. Tina, taking advantage of the space made by Teresa’s lean, blasted the ball into the corner of the net.
The ref blew his whistle. “Goal!” he shouted.
Tina and I gave each other high fives.
“Nice pass!” Tina told me.
“Thanks! Nice goal!” I told her. “Now I’m going to drop back on defense and protect the lead. Playing defense is what I’m best at.”
“That’s a good plan. We’ll play this like the pros. Protect the lead!” Tina said.
Our classmates and teammates, Halley and Wendy Comb, came over to us. “Great goal!” they both shouted.
Being twins, they often talked alike, which could be cool at times and annoying at other times. (Yes, our team has a set of twins and a set of triplets. Not sure how it worked out that way.)
“What’s the plan now?” the twins asked.
“The three of us play defense, a lot of defense,” I told Halley and Wendy. “We make sure they don’t score, and we set up a nice break away run for Tina.”
“I like that plan!” Tina said.
Halley and Wendy nodded. “We do too!”
“Should we tell, Jen, our goalie?” Wendy asked.
I shook my head. “Nah, if we execute properly, it’ll be obvious.”
The ref blew his whistle for the game to continue. We had a plan. It made perfect sense. But as Grandpa often says, plans are always easier said than done. That being said, with Halley, Wendy and I concentrating on defense, we managed to stop Daisy and Jill Hill from getting any good shots. The three of us continually swarmed to the ball or the ball carrier. With the lead in hand, we made sure that neither Daisy nor Jill had a clean shot at the goal. The first half ended with us up by one goal. The other team hadn’t yet scored.
Our coach, Mr. Pink, got us together at the halftime break and made sure we had some fruit and stayed hydrated. “You girls are doing great!” he said. “My main concern though is that you have fun and stay healthy!”
He then added. “The other team will now probably send their players up front to try to cover our defense. That’ll give us a chance to break Tina free for another goal.”
We put all of our hands in a circle and yelled, “Go, team!”
Mr. Pink had hit the nail right on the head. At the start of the second half, the other team lined up 11 of their girls at the front line. The only player they kept back was their goalie.
They had the ball and were starting the second half. I figured they’d feel excited and confident, and perhaps even a little nervous. I knew it was our chance.
They needed to strike fast. My goal was to make sure that didn’t happen. I needed a plan but a flexible and adaptive one; one that I could implement in a split second. I had to plan without planning. Or, I as I like to say, I needed to improvise.
The ref blew his whistle. Daisy kicked the ball up the field towards Jill. I rushed forward just as Jill tried to kick the ball back to Daisy. Diving across the ground, legs first, I tapped the ball towards Halley. Halley and Daisy both rushed at the ball. Halley lowered her shoulder just a little, bracing for impact.
Daisy smashed into Halley. Halley hit the ground. The referee blew his whistle and shouted. “Penalty on Daisy. The Science Rocks team gets the ball!”
I’d forgotten our team name was Science Rocks. It’s not quite as cool as it sounds. We were sponsored by the University Geology department, so the name was linked to them. Still, it was kind of cool.
The ref blew his whistle.
Tina started down the field. She faked a kick to me. Jill and Daisy anxiously jumped towards the fake. Tina kicked the ball down the field motioning for Halley and the team to follow. She then tapped the ball to a trailing Halley.
Halley hauled off and smacked the ball as hard as she could with her right foot. The ball ripped off her foot, flying past Teresa into the goal.
“OMG!” Halley gasped. “I scored a goal. Is that right? I had my eyes shut, I think!”
Our team ran to Halley and hugged her.
“OMG!” she repeated. “I scored a goal!”
“And I got an assist!” Tina noted.
The game continued with our opponents trying their hardest to score on us, but our defense held tight. When the ref finally blew the game over whistle, we’d won 2-0.
As the team and I celebrated our victory together, I felt great! When I noticed Dex walking towards me, I felt even better.
I nudged Tina. “Do I smell okay?” I asked.
“No worse than normal,” Tina smirked.
“Hi!” Dex said.
“Hi!” I replied.
“Smooth,” Tina said.
I glared at Tina. She smiled.
“You played great!” Dex said, looking at me.
“Thanks!” I replied, my heart beating a little faster
Tina rolled her eyes.
Dex put his arms behind his back. He smiled nervously. He stammered out his next words. “My parents would like to know if you want to go out for ice cream with us…”
“She’d love to!” Tina said, pushing me towards him.
“But my parents…” I said.
“Will be very happy for you!” Tina added. “I’ll make sure they know where you are!”
“Great!” Dex said. “Let’s roll!”
Holding up a finger, I told Dex and Tina. “First, let me tell my parents!” I knew I was supposed to be grounded. I just hoped the soccer game win would be enough to make them weaken.
“I’ll meet you next to our car; it’s the red Volvo…” Dex said, pointing to the parking lot.
Gazing out at the parking lot, I noticed a lot of red Volvos.
Dex noticed that too. “It’ll be the red one that I’m standing next to!” “Check!” I replied.
Tina rolled her eyes again and shook her head. “This is sad…” she mumbled.
Mom and Dad walked over to me.
“Honey, you were great!” Mom said. “You used your physical and mental reflexes to get the job done!”
“Thanks!” I said as she hugged me.
Dad bent over and hugged me as well. “Honey, you’ve always reminded me of your mom but never more than right now!”
“Thanks!” I said again. After all, being compared to my mom was high praise.
“Do you guys mind if she goes for ice cream with Dex and his family?” Tina asked for me.
“No, of course not!” Dad said, completely forgetting I was supposed to be grounded. “Dex senior and I got our Ph.D.’s together. And Dex’s mom, Dora, is a professor of Geography at the university. They’re great people.”
“Plus, Grandpa and Dex’s grandpa were friendly rivals,” I added.
“Great point!” Dad said.
Mom smiled at me. “We’ll see you at home.”
Walking towards Dex, I saw that Ivy had already zeroed in on him. She leaned on his car and smiled. “Oh Dex, I love soccer almost as much as you do!”
“That�
�s nice,” Dex said, without really looking at her.
Reaching the car, I said, “Hey Dex, I’m ready to go!”
“Great!” Dex smiled. “My parents will be here in a second.”
Dex opened the back door to the car for me. What a gentleman. I slid into the car, grinning snidely at Ivy.
“Ah, where are you guys going?” Ivy asked.
“To get ice cream!” Dex told her. “See you at school,” he added, moving to the other side of the car.
Looking at Ivy, I grinned some more. She mouthed to me, “This is not over!”
Ivy is not one to give up easily. I kind of respect that.
Chapter XII
I felt great sitting in the little ice cream shop with Dex and his family. First off, my parents had given me a pass, and now I was out with Dex and his family, eating ice cream. It’s kind of hard not to feel great when you’re eating ice cream! I had a hot fudge sundae with strawberry ice cream. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it is delish.
Dex’s parents reminded me a lot of my parents. They certainly were nice enough and way smart, but when it came to the ways of kids, they were fairly clueless. Of course, I guess that’s kind of how a lot of parents are.
I chomped down ice cream and listened to Dex talk about his two favorites, science, and soccer. Dex did love to talk but that’s okay, I loved to listen. In fact, I didn’t even notice when Tammy walked into the ice cream shop.
Tammy put a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry to break up this party, but I need Maya!” Tammy said.
“Ah, no you don’t!” I replied. “My parents are giving me a little free time.”
I figured since it was Saturday, all the banks were closed. That meant I didn't have to deal with a bank robbery.
“Wait, aren’t you Maya’s little brother’s babysitter?” Dex asked Tammy.
“Yes. It’s a homework emergency,” Tammy explained quickly. “We need her super brain!”