In the Zone

by Alex Morgan

  “I know, but . . .” Emma trailed off.

  “Maybe you just need a little more time before you step in for a game,” I suggested. It seemed the perfect moment to bring up my idea to get Emma back into the zone. “There’s this event that’s just for goalies. It’s called Goalie-Palooza, and goalies compete in different activities. It’s really fun, with food and music. I think it could be just what you need, Emma.”

  “A goalie competition? I don’t know,” Emma sounded reluctant.

  But Danilo was enthused.

  “It’s a great event! I’ve competed in it,” he said. “You should definitely give it a try, Emma. Life is like a mirror. If you smile at it, it will smile back. This is your chance to shine.”

  “What a fantastic opportunity. Devin, do you have the sign-up information?” Mrs. Kim asked.

  “I can email it to Emma,” I said. My friend didn’t look too happy about my idea. I started to feel a little guilty.

  “Thanks, Devin!” Mrs. Kim beamed, but Emma just looked down at the grass.

  “I’m not sure, Mom,” Emma said softly.

  “Emma, honey, you can do it. I know you can,” Mrs. Kim said kindly.

  Emma sighed. Whether she liked it or not, it looked like Emma was Goalie-Palooza bound.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “So I had to hula hoop while drinking this sports drink,” Frida was telling us. We were sitting in the stands at our school’s soccer field the following afternoon, watching the boys’ soccer team play a home game against the Panthers.

  “Could you do it? I can’t hula hoop at all, never mind trying to drink something too.” Zoe shook her head. “I’d end up covered in it.”

  “I learned for the commercial. I had never tried it before,” Frida confided. “But Miriam told me that if a casting agent ever asks me if I can do something, I should always answer yes.”

  Frida was another example of how life was different in California. When I’d lived in Connecticut, I hadn’t known anybody who was a TV star. Frida had had a big role in the TV movie Mall Mania with teen pop star Brady McCoy. She’d also gotten a lot of commercials since then too. She had made friends with an older woman named Miriam Hall, who used to be a movie star many years ago. Frida idolized her, and Miriam gave Frida lots of acting tips whenever Frida visited the senior home, which was about once a week.

  Emma’s eyes grew wide. “But what if you couldn’t do it?”

  Frida shrugged. “Fake it till you make it,” she said, before chuckling in a deep, rich tone that sounded a lot like Miriam’s. “But I did learn. I spent the entire weekend practicing, and boy, were my abs sore!”

  “Mine are too after our training session with Danilo yesterday,” Emma said. “How about yours, Devin?”

  “I felt it when I got out of bed this morning,” I admitted. “It was a good feeling. Danilo is awesome. I would train with him every day!”

  Jessi pouted. “I wish I could have been there.”

  Emma slung her arm around Jessi’s shoulder. “Sorry. I didn’t know. It was a surprise. My mom said that next time you could all come. And,” she added with a sly smile at Jessi, “Danilo is really cute. Almost as cute as Sebastian.”

  Jessi smiled back. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  “Yeah, but Sebastian’s only your friend, right?” Zoe asked teasingly.

  Jessi shrugged. “What’s wrong with being friends?”

  Suddenly the crowd erupted into cheers, and we turned our attention back to the game.

  José, a midfielder, had intercepted a pass from the other team and sent it to Steven, who was a striker, like me. Steven ran fast to keep up with the ball, and when he was on it, he kept it close. The defenders swarmed him, and I saw him looking around for a passing opportunity. Cody was open, and Steven had a clear shot. He passed Cody the ball. Cody got it and charged toward the goal. He kicked the ball, hard and fast, into the right corner of the net. The goalie missed it. Score!

  The crowd went wild. Jessi jumped to her feet, clapping and cheering. “Way to go, Cody!” she yelled. Then she looked out over the stands. A lot of kids from school went to the games, and some other players on the Kicks were in the stands too. When we didn’t have practice or a game of our own, we tried to support the boys’ team, just like they did for us.

  Suddenly Jessi dug into my side with her elbow and pointed to the right of us. “Who’s that?” she asked.

  A girl with long red hair had stood up, cheering along with everyone else. She held a sign that said in big letters: GO, CODY! She had drawn stars and soccer balls all over the poster too. There was even a pink heart in the bottom corner.

  “I think that’s Ciara,” I said. “ I’m pretty sure she’s in my World Civ class.”

  “Hmmmmmm,” Jessi said as she slid back down onto the bench.

  Emma, Zoe, and Frida looked at the girl with the sign and then back at Jessi. Then they looked at me, their eyebrows raised.

  I threw my hands up into the air in bewilderment. I didn’t know what was going on, or how Jessi was feeling.

  The game continued, and we sat down. I could practically feel Jessi thinking next to me. Her entire body was rigid, and her brow was creased.

  I tried a gentle approach. “I know you and Cody are just friends,” I said, “but it still must be weird to see another girl here cheering for him.”

  “Yeah. Like, who is she?” Jessi wondered. “I never heard Cody mention her before.”

  “Maybe they’ve got some classes together,” I suggested.

  “Maybe,” Jessi said. “But the sign? With a heart? That’s more than just classes together.”

  “Wait. I’m confused. I thought you liked Sebastian now,” Zoe said.

  “I do. I mean, not like that.” I gave her a look. “Okay, maybe like that.” If Zoe was confused, Jessi sounded even more so. “But it feels weird to see this Ciara girl with a sign for Cody. He’s been totally annoying me, and I thought I was kind of over hanging out with him. Now I don’t know.” Jessi let out a big sigh.

  “No matter how smart you are, matters of the heart will always make you dumb,” Frida interjected. “At least that’s what Miriam always says.”

  “That makes sense, because I am feeling pretty stupid right now,” Jessi admitted. “Like, why am I feeling this way?”

  “Because it’s totally confusing,” I shared. “Steven texted me the other day and asked if we were just friends. What am I supposed to say to that? I’m not allowed to date, and even if I were, I don’t think I’d be ready. It’s just way too complicated. But at the same time I really like hanging out with Steven.”

  Emma smiled sympathetically. “I’m so glad that the only crush I have is on Brady McCoy. It makes life so much easier.”

  Zoe put her arms around Emma and Frida, who sat on either side of her.

  “We’ve got each other, and that’s what counts,” she said. “No matter what!”

  That broke the tension, and we all relaxed as the game heated up and took back all of our attention.

  The Panthers tightened their defense after Cody’s goal. The game was at a stalemate until Steven squeezed through their defense. He had a clear path to the goal, when a Panthers’ defender came barreling toward him. It looked like he was trying to trip Steven. Yet Steven outmaneuvered him, deftly guiding the ball away and giving himself a clear shot at the goal, which he took, and pulled off.

  Steven had tied up the game 2–2, and the Kangaroos had control of the ball. Jake charged down the right side of the field, zooming past the Panthers’ midfielder, and passed to José. José passed it to Cody, who pushed back the defenders and scored again.

  The crowd cheered, and as we all clapped for the Kangaroos, I saw Jessi watching Ciara out of the corner of her eye. She was waving her sign in the air with excitement, calling Cody’s name. This must be so weird for Jessi, I thought. If it had been another girl holding a sign for Steven, I don’t know what I’d have been thinking.

  It was Kangaro
os 3, Panthers 2, and time was running out on the clock. All the Kangaroos had to do was keep the Panthers from scoring, and so their defense tightened up like crazy. Another scoring opportunity appeared as the ball got passed from Kangaroo to Kangaroo down the field, before being passed to Steven. He dodged around a defender as he made his way for the goal. Right before he reached the penalty box, he kicked the ball, hard and high over the goalie’s head.

  Goal! The score was 4–2 and it stayed that way until time ran out on the clock.

  “Their defense has really strengthened this season,” Zoe remarked as people started leaving the stands.

  I nodded. “Steven said Coach Valentine was working on improving their defense,” I said. “It was their weak spot in the fall.”

  Emma shuddered. “Coach Valentine! I don’t miss having him as a coach.”

  She was talking about the time when Coach Flores had been called away in the fall for a family emergency. The boys’ season had been over, so Coach Valentine had stepped in to coach us. He was really tough, but I did learn a lot from him. And even he wasn’t as tough as Coach Darby, my soccer coach from the winter league. I definitely liked Coach Flores the best. She was so nice and made soccer fun.

  “The boys certainly don’t have it easy with him,” I said. “But look how they’ve improved!”

  As we walked onto the field, I saw Ciara talking with Cody. Jessi hung back, not sure what to do. When Ciara left the field, Cody and Steven came over to us.

  “Great game, guys!” I said. “That was some awesome footwork out there, Steven. I don’t know how you got that goal. I’m impressed.”

  Steven’s cheeks got a little redder, and they’d already been flushed from the game.

  “Thanks, Devin,” he said.

  Jessi was also congratulating Cody, but she wasn’t her usual loud, energetic self.

  “Hey, do you guys want to come out for pizza with us?” Cody asked. “The team is going out to celebrate.”

  Jessi shook her head right away. “Sorry, but I’ve got too much homework.”

  Steven looked at me hopefully. “Devin, can you come?”

  “Let me text my mom,” I replied. I was torn. Part of me hoped she would say no. It would be weird being there without Jessi.

  But my mom said yes (why is it that parents are strict until you want them to be?), and soon I was at Vinnie’s Pizza with the boys’ soccer team. Luckily, some of the other Kicks were there, including Grace, so it didn’t feel too strange. Ciara was there too, and I noticed she sat next to Cody.

  Steven and I ate pizza and did a play-by-play analysis of the game.

  “So when he went left, I went right,” Steven said.

  We had a good conversation about the game, but I couldn’t help feeling like something—or actually, someone—was missing. It was strange not having Jessi and Cody teasing each other and joking around as Steven and I talked. I wondered if Jessi and Cody would be able to keep hanging out with each other, now that this whole Ciara thing was making life more complicated.

  If they didn’t, could Steven and I still be friends?

  CHAPTER TEN

  The next day at school Emma told us all at lunch that there would be a twist to the training session we would be invited to.

  “Danilo wants to train on the beach,” she explained. “My mom will drive us all there on Saturday.”

  “That sounds fun, but Coach Flores always says she doesn’t believe in beach training,” Zoe pointed out. “She says it can build bad habits, since the grass field is so different.”

  Emma nodded. “I told Danilo that. He actually called Coach Flores, and she said it’s okay to do it once in a while, especially since Danilo thinks it will help with my goalie fear.”

  “Goalie fear? That sounds like a contagious disease,” Jessi joked.

  “Well, it’s a real thing,” Emma told her. “And you want me to get over it, right? So I’ll get back in front of the goal?”

  “Totally!” Jessi agreed.

  “Well, I’m looking forward to it,” I said. “I’ve lived in Southern California for months now, and I hardly ever go to the beach.”

  Zoe shook her head. “That’s because you’re always playing soccer.”

  “See? It’s a perfect combination,” Emma said. “Soccer and the beach!”

  That night when I was video chatting with Kara, she couldn’t believe I was going to be beach training on Saturday.

  “There are three inches of snow on the ground here!” she complained. “It’s spring break next week, and I still need to wear my winter coat and boots outside!”

  I nodded. “I miss the snow. But not when it just keeps snowing, and snowing, all the way into spring.”

  • • •

  Saturday came, and it was a beautiful day (like most days in Southern Cali), perfect for beach training. Normally we’d have a game on Saturday, but it was the start of spring break and no game was scheduled. Coach Flores had thought about canceling practices during break too, but we had convinced her to keep them. We had a game the following Saturday, and everybody wanted to be ready for it.

  That morning I dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, following Emma’s instructions. I put on flip-flops, because Emma had said that we’d be training barefoot. After breakfast Emma’s mom pulled up in her big van. Emma, Jessi, Zoe, and Frida were already inside, along with two of Emma’s brothers, the youngest ones. Sam was eight, and Peter was ten. I took the last remaining seat, and Mrs. Kim drove off.

  It was true that I hadn’t spent much time on the beaches since I’d moved to California from Connecticut. I lived close enough, and lots of kids in my school loved to surf and boogie board on weekends. But Zoe was right—most of my free time was spent on soccer. So I was pretty happy to be able to combine both for Danilo’s training session.

  “I’m psyched for the beach training,” Jessi remarked as we headed down the freeway.

  “I’ve heard that practicing on sand is less stressful on your joints,” I said. “And that can mean fewer injuries. That sounds good to me. It was no fun being benched at the start of the season, after I pulled that muscle.”

  “That’s a good reason, but that’s not why I’m psyched,” Jessi said. “We’re going to be training next to the big, beautiful, blue ocean!”

  Frida gave a little shudder. “I am not a fan of sand. You can spend five minutes on the beach, and when you get home, you find it in your clothes, in your hair . . .”

  “And even in your underwear!” Zoe finished, singing the words. Everyone laughed, except for Emma’s two little brothers, who were absorbed with whatever game they were playing on their tablets in the backseat.

  Soon we reached Blue Hollow, one of the beaches that is part of California’s state park system. It’s not the kind of beach with a boardwalk with games and ice cream stands. It’s a beautiful stretch of sand on the border of the big, beautiful, blue ocean, as Jessi would say. On the other side of the beach is a white fence, and beyond that, private homes are nestled into small hills dotted with scraggly green plants.

  Even though it was a sunny spring day, it was still sort of chilly for swimming. But several surfers in black wetsuits were lined up on the shore. Some people strolled along the water’s edge, talking or walking dogs. Some beach chairs were scattered about, filled with people reading or relaxing.

  Mrs. Kim parked, and we exited the van. Emma’s brothers dumped their tablets and ran across the sand, screaming with happiness, and throwing a football back and forth. Danilo came running toward us, dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts, with a soccer ball under his arm.

  “You’re right,” Jessi whispered to me. “He is cute.”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Kim!” Danilo said brightly. “Good morning, girls!”

  “Good morning!” we all said back to him, rather loudly. Danilo had that effect on everyone, I guess. Instant energy.

  “You know Devin, and this is Jessi, Frida, and Zoe,” Emma said, pointing to each one of us.


  “Thank you for doing this, Danilo,” Mrs. Kim said. “Have fun training. I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.”

  “Thanks, we will,” Danilo said. Then he turned to us and clapped his hands. “Okay, girls! Let’s warm up with a jog!”

  He took off toward the water’s edge, and we followed him. Danilo stayed on the sand, but as we jogged, the water would sometimes creep up and touch our bare feet. Emma squealed the first time it happened.

  “It’s so cold!” she said.

  A light breeze was blowing, and it felt good. As we jogged, I felt a sort of Zen thing happening. I moved my feet to the rhythm of the waves. I watched the white gulls swoop and soar in the blue sky above. Every breath I took, I tasted salty air.

  We circled back and headed up the beach to an area where Danilo had set up four cones. I wasn’t winded from the jog at all. If anything, I was feeling even more energized.

  “This is one of my favorite drills to do on sand,” he said. He stood at the end of the line of cones. “What I’m going to ask you is to move sideways, weaving between the cones. When you get to the last cone, stop, and I’ll gently toss the ball to you, and you’ll gently kick it back to me—with the top of your foot, or your leg, since you’re not wearing any shoes. Got it?”

  We all nodded.

  “Great!” Danilo said. “Everybody line up behind the first cone. After you kick it back to me, move to the back of the line.”

  We lined up. I was first. I moved sideways, weaving between the cones like Danilo had showed us. It was way different from moving on grass. I felt more resistance in my calves.

  When I got to the end, Danilo sent an easy lob at me. I bounced it back to him with my shin.

  “Nice, Devin!” he said.

  We did that drill for a while, so everyone got several turns. Then we stopped, and Danilo took two cones and placed them the same distance apart as the official goalposts in our middle school league—twenty-four feet.