In the Zone

by Alex Morgan

  “The memes! Where that shoe is hitting you in the head! And you’re making that face!” Brandon mimicked the face Emma had made in the photo. “Classic.”

  Emma looked really upset. Jessi spoke up.

  “All right, Brandon. She said it wasn’t her. Leave it alone,” she said.

  “But she’s wearing a Kicks uniform in the picture!” Brandon protested. “Who else could it be?”

  Jessie just glared at him, and he shrugged and walked away.

  Zoe put a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Has this been going on all day?”

  Emma nodded silently.

  “That stinks,” I said.

  “I think there’s a bright side to this,” said Frida. Recently she had made friends with a retired movie star from the 1940s, and she’d started wearing her hair in old movie styles. Today her shiny auburn hair rippled down the sides of her face like waves.

  “What bright side?” Jessi asked. “Emma is totally mortified.”

  “But she’s a celebrity now,” Frida said. “Seriously. Those memes have been shared thousands of times. Most people would pay a lot to have a meme go viral.”

  “If this is what it means to be a celebrity, then I don’t want to be one!” Emma wailed. “It’s hard enough being a tall, gangly girl who’s constantly tripping over stuff. I don’t want to be famous for that.”

  “I’m just saying,” Frida went on, “that you could capitalize on this. Get an endorsement for shoelaces or something.”

  “Frida, when was the last time you saw a commercial for shoelaces?” Zoe asked.

  “Hey, I’m trying to think out of the box,” Frida told her. “It’s not like the memes are going to go away. Emma might as well make lemonade out of lemons.”

  “I hate lemonade,” Emma replied. “And I hope you’re wrong about the memes not going away. They’re just a constant reminder that I lost the game for us.”

  Everyone was quiet for a minute. I could understand how much it would hurt if a meme went around showing me missing a game-winning goal. I’d be miserable!

  “Don’t worry, Emma,” I said. “I’m sure this will blow over soon.”

  But Emma still looked worried, and she barely ate her lunch. (Okay, when I say “barely,” I mean she ate only her sandwich, cookie, and banana. She left half a snack bag of potato chips and a squeezable yogurt. Normally she finishes it all. It takes a lot of food to fuel my supertall friend who never stops moving.) I hoped practice would take her mind off the stupid memes.

  When school was over, the Kicks all headed for the girls’ locker room by the gym and changed into our practice clothes. Then we walked over to our field. Jessi was cracking everyone up with her impression of Mrs. Clarke, her algebra teacher.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of polynomials,” Jessi was saying in a high-pitched voice. “They’re just equations, not scary monsters!”

  “I swear, she talks to us like we’re in kindergarten sometimes,” Zoe agreed.

  Everyone was laughing but Emma. She stared down at her feet as she walked.

  Along the way, we passed the boys practicing on the school field. Back in the fall we’d been jealous that they had such a great field to practice on. But now our field was even better, thanks to Sally Lane, who owned the sporting goods store in town. We had brand-new sod, professional goalposts and nets, and all new soccer balls and cones.

  We all started stretching as soon as we got to the field, waiting for Coach Flores to start practice. After I stretched, I started dribbling a soccer ball. I was looking forward to practice. It felt good to be up and moving, after being stuck in school all day.

  When Coach Flores appeared, Emma ran up to her. Emma looked pretty upset. I was curious, so I dribbled closer to hear what she was saying. (And yes, I know that’s eavesdropping, but I was starting to get really worried about Emma.)

  “It’s just, I think maybe I need a break from the goal,” Emma was saying. “We’ve already got Zarine. I bet somebody else would be good at it too.”

  “You’re really good,” Coach Flores told her. “I don’t want to see you give up because of one accident.” Emma nodded but still looked sad. Coach Flores motioned for her to start walking. “Come on,” she said. “I have special plans for today’s practice.”

  I quickly dribbled back to the rest of the team. Everyone gathered around Coach when she approached.

  “All right, team. I know we had a tough loss this weekend,” she began.

  Everybody nodded and murmured in agreement.

  “It was an especially tough loss for one of our goalies, Emma,” Coach Flores went on, and I saw Emma’s face turn bright red. “It got me thinking that most of you have never played goalie before. All the positions on the team come with their own kind of pressure, but I think goalies are under more pressure than anybody else.”

  “It’s true.” Zarine spoke up. “It’s like you feel totally responsible when the team loses.”

  “Exactly,” Coach Flores said. “Even though every member of the Kicks is equally responsible for our team’s performance, no matter if we win or lose.”

  Grace clapped. “That’s right!”

  “So today we’re all going to do goalie drills,” Coach Flores said.

  A few of the girls groaned.

  “See, that’s exactly why I’m doing this,” Coach said. “Everyone needs to know what our goalies go through. So everybody, grab a ball and line up!”

  We quickly lined up on the field.

  “Goalies have to be really skilled with their hands,” Coach said. “For this drill I want you to walk around the perimeter of the field bouncing the ball from one hand to the other. If you drop the ball, dive for it and recover it with both hands.”

  It seemed like a simple enough drill, but we quickly learned that catching a ball one-handed isn’t as easy as it looks, especially when you’re moving. Soon girls were diving onto the grass, trying to catch their dropped balls. I dropped mine twice before I made it all the way around the field.

  “Great!” Coach said. “Now everyone find a partner and stand twenty yards apart.”

  Jessi and I ran out onto the field together (she’s almost always my partner when we drill) and faced off at twenty yards apart, using the yard lines to guide us. Coach Flores demonstrated some goalie throws for us. One was called an underarm roll, where you roll the ball along the grass to a player near you. The other was a one-handed overhead throw, which was better for longer distances but required a lot more precision. For a few minutes we took turns throwing the ball back and forth to each other.

  Next Coach Flores had us line up in front of the goal. She sent Zarine to the goal first. Grace took a shot at the goal, and Zarine caught it. Then Zarine ran to the back of the line and it was Grace’s turn at the goal. We kept going down the line until everyone had a turn.

  When it was my turn, I kicked the ball high and left and sent it whizzing past Frida. I jogged past her on my way to the goal.

  “Couldn’t you have gone easy on me?” Frida teased.

  I took my place at the goal. Jessi had the ball. I knew for a fact that she wouldn’t go easy on me. And she didn’t. She zigged and zagged across the field so that I didn’t know where to go. I was on the left side of the goal when she took her shot, sending it skidding across the grass to the right. I ran as fast as I could and then made a mighty dive, determined to get the ball. Whomp! I got it, but face-planting in the grass was never fun. I brushed dirt off my knees as I took my place at the back of the line.

  It was Emma’s turn to take a shot next, and she managed to get one past Jessi. Everybody cheered for her. Then at the goal, she stopped a ball from Jade.

  “See, you’re a natural,” I told Emma as she moved to the back of the line. But my usually sunny friend did not return my smile. She just nodded.

  We had a short scrimmage after that, and during the practice game Coach had each and every one of us take turns in front of the goal. Things got pretty hectic, because Coach kept swit
ching positions every few minutes. I didn’t mind so much. It definitely wasn’t a boring practice!

  By the time Coach Flores called for us to stretch and cool down, we were all sweaty messes. Zoe put an arm around Emma (which she had to reach up to do, because Zoe is so much shorter).

  “Mad respect, Em,” Zoe said. “It’s pretty scary in front of that goal, with the ball coming right at you . . .”

  “I could never do it,” Frida added. “You have to stay so focused!”

  “This is exactly why I need to take a break from goal,” Emma said.

  I acted surprised. “Emma, no! You can’t! We need you!”

  “The team has Zarine,” she replied. “You guys will be fine without me.”

  Coach Flores walked up to us. “How are you doing, Emma?” she asked.

  Emma shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I still think I need a break from goal.”

  Coach nodded. “I understand. I don’t want to pressure you. Why don’t you sleep on it?”

  “Sure,” Emma said with a nod.

  Coach turned to the team. “Great practice, everybody! Have a good night!”

  We walked back to the locker room.

  “Emma, you can’t give up the goal,” Zoe said. “Is that stupid meme bothering you? Is that what this is about?”

  “Maybe,” Emma said. She sighed. “I don’t know.”

  I had never seen Emma like this—and I hated it! I wanted my goofy, eternally positive friend back.

  But something told me that getting her back wasn’t going to be easy.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next day at lunch I almost walked right by Emma without recognizing her. Today, instead of covering her face with her World Civ book, she had put on a baseball cap and pulled it down over her face.

  “Is that you, Emma?” I asked, peering under the brim of her hat.

  Emma sighed and looked up. “You spotted me. I thought I could be invisible.”

  Just then Mrs. Castillo, the assistant principal, walked by. “No hats in school!” her voice rang out. “Please take it off, Emma.”

  Emma shrugged as she removed the cap from her head. “It wasn’t working anyway.”

  As she stuffed her hat into her backpack, I asked, “Are people still talking about the memes?”

  “Oh, yeah. In fact, in homeroom this morning Amy Rodriquez showed me a new one. It had that stupid picture of me. This one just says ‘MAJOR FAIL’ in capital letters.” Emma crossed her arms on the table and put her head down.

  I shook my head. “That’s awful. I’m sorry, Emma.”

  Jessi came over, carrying her lunch tray.

  “Why aren’t you guys at our regular table? I couldn’t find you!”

  “Emma is trying to be invisible,” I said as I sat down and got my lunch out of my backpack.

  “Um, you’re going to need to work on that, Emma,” Jessi said. “I can totally see you. You might want to consider Harry Potter’s Invisibility Cloak.”

  A couple of kids from the next table pointed at Emma and laughed. Emma saw them and groaned.

  “I’m ready to transfer to Hogwarts,” she sighed.

  Frida and Zoe had found us and were sitting down too.

  “Why the table change?” Frida wondered.

  “I’m trying to disappear,” Emma admitted. “But it didn’t work. I had a hat on but Mrs. Castillo made me take it off. I don’t like the fame, Frida. If you want to swap your face with mine on all those memes, feel free.”

  “It will blow over,” Zoe said encouragingly. “You’ve got to wait it out.”

  Emma looked miserable. Jessi and I exchanged glances, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing: subject change!

  “So my mom and dad were talking about baby names the other day,” Jessi began. Her mom was having a baby. At first Jessi, who was an only child, hadn’t been too happy about it. She came around to accepting it after Emma and I gave her a crash course in babysitting. It turned out that Jessi was a natural with little kids. Knowing that had made her feel a lot better about becoming a big sister.

  “My father wants to name the baby Clarence if it’s a boy.” Jessi shook her head. “It was my great-grandfather’s name. But I think it’s way too old-fashioned. Can you imagine looking at a tiny little baby and calling him Clarence?”

  “The name ‘Clarence’ has gravitas,” Frida said in her dramatic way, emphasizing the word “gravitas.”

  “It’s got what now?” Emma asked, frowning.

  “Yeah, who is Gravitas?” Zoe wondered.

  “ ‘Gravitas,’ ” Frida said solemnly, looking at each of us one by one. Our actor friend knew how to ham it up. “Means ‘dignified and serious.’ ”

  “That just proves my point!” Jessi exclaimed. “What is dignified and serious about a baby who poops in diapers?”

  I laughed. “But he won’t be a baby forever!”

  “That’s true, but I’m hoping for a baby sister anyway,” Jessi said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Baby sisters aren’t all that great sometimes, believe me,” I said, thinking of my little sister, Maisie, who knew exactly how to push all of my buttons.

  “The trick with sisters,” a boy’s voice suddenly said, “is to get them to do what you want. My little sister thinks that weeding the garden is the most fun thing in the world. It used to be my chore, and I pretended it was so much fun, that she begged to do it. Now I’m off the hook.”

  I looked up as I felt Jessi’s elbow dig into my side. It was Sebastian, the new, cute boy whom Jessi had pointed out at Yum Yum Yogurt.

  “I’ll have to remember that,” Jessi said as she smiled at him.

  While Jessi was talking, Emma put her head on the table and covered her head with her hands.

  Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “I’m invisible. You can’t see me,” Emma said, her voice muffled.

  “Hey, you’re Emma! I was at the game last Saturday. That was a spectacular save you made in the first half,” he said.

  Emma lifted her head up. “That’s not what I’m being remembered for from that game.”

  “Oh, you’re talking about all those memes, huh?” Sebastian asked. Emma nodded her head sadly. “The way you play, I wouldn’t worry about it. Soon you’ll have lots more memes about what an amazing player you are.”

  “Thanks,” Emma said, and I saw her smile for the first time that day.

  Sebastian glanced at Jessi. “So, Jessi, a bunch of us are going to the movies on Sunday. Do you want to come?”

  “That depends,” Jessi said. “What are you seeing?”

  “We want to check out the latest Star Warriors movie,” Sebastian said. “The galactic queen is supposed to defeat the evil alien warlord in this one. . . . Sorry, do I sound too much like a nerd?”

  “A little, but that’s okay. I like to nerd out over Star Warriors too,” Jessi admitted.

  “Yeah, and you should see her when The Sunshine Puppies comes on!” Emma joked.

  The Sunshine Puppies was a kids’ show that Jessi had watched when she was younger and that she still liked now. She was really looking forward to watching it again with her new sibling.

  “I told you, I’m not afraid to admit my love of The Sunshine Puppies,” Jessi said, laughing.

  “It’s my sister’s favorite show,” Sebastian said, and he shook his head. “Oh, man! Now I’m going to have the theme song stuck in my head.”

  Jessi laughed and burst into song. “What’s better than sunshine? Sunshine . . . puppies . . .”

  Sebastian put his hands over his ears. “Nooooo!” he joked. Then took his hands away from his ears and got serious. “So, what’s your number? I’ll text you the details. We were planning on going to the Sunday matinee.”

  While Jessi and Sebastian traded info, Zoe looked at me and made a questioning face. I returned her look with one of my own.

  After Sebastian left, I asked Jessi, “What about Cody?”

  “What ab
out him?” Jessi said as she picked up her slice of pizza and took a bite.

  “Well, you know. . . . You, me, Steven, and Cody all hang out together,” I reminded her.

  “Yeah, but why would that mean that I can’t hang out with Sebastian, too?” Jessi asked. “It’s not like Cody’s my boyfriend.”

  “I mean, I know you guys aren’t dating, but isn’t he more than just a friend?” Zoe asked, sounding skeptical. “Cody did take you to the fall dance.”

  “It was just a dance, Zoe.” Jessi sounded irritated. “It’s not like we got married.”

  “Yes, but we all thought you guys were sort of . . . together,” Emma added.

  “We are not dating. We never were,” Jessie insisted.

  “I get it, I guess, but it’s just kind of strange to see you going to the movies now with Sebastian,” Zoe pointed out.

  Jessi shook her head. “Listen, guys, it’s no big deal. Sometimes I go to the movies with you, Zoe, and sometimes I go with Devin. It’s the same thing.”

  It was obvious that Jessi didn’t think it was a big deal, but I suspected that Cody might think it was a big deal. And that could cause problems with our whole arrangement with Cody and Steven, who were best friends.

  “Does this mean we’re not going to hang out with Cody and Steven together anymore?” I asked.

  “Why would it?” Jessi replied. “We’re all friends. This doesn’t change anything.”

  I felt a little better. Maybe I was getting too wound up. I mean, I really liked Steven, but how could we spend time together if Jessi started preferring Sebastian over Cody? That would mean that Steven and I would have to start hanging out without them.

  The thought of that kind of freaked me out a little bit. I always said that my parents wouldn’t let me date, but deep down I knew that I wasn’t ready to date either. Dating meant holding hands and stuff, and the thought of that just made me feel nervous. When the four of us hung out together, I didn’t have to worry about that. But now . . .

  Then I heard my grandmother’s voice in my mind. “Cross that bridge when you come to it.” Grandma always had a wise saying for me whenever I had a problem. She and my grandpa had just recently come for a visit from Connecticut, so most of her sayings were fresh in my mind.