Switching Goals

by Alex Morgan

  “Hmm,” Zane said. “Can you do a stretch standing up?”

  I jumped to my feet and pulled my right calf behind me with my right foot.

  “Okay, that’s interesting,” Zane said. “Just do some more stretches. Don’t worry about smiling. Pretend you’re warming up for a game.”

  I tried to do that, but it wasn’t easy with five people watching me. I did some shoulder stretches and then got on one knee to do some hip flexor stretches.

  “Good!” Zane said. “Keep your back nice and straight, Devin. Now tilt your right shoulder toward me so I can see the logo on your shirt. That’s it. Great!”

  I glanced over at my mom, who was leaning forward in her seat and watching the whole shoot intently. She had a very serious expression on her face, and I couldn’t tell if she thought I was doing a good job or a bad job.

  “Try to smile again, Devin,” Zane coached me. “Mouth closed. Great.”

  He looked up from the camera. “Okay, Sabine, get in there with Devin, please. And let’s bring in the soccer ball.”

  One of the assistants came up and put a soccer ball at my feet. Sabine stood next to me.

  “Maybe you could pretend like you’re dribbling it, Devin,” Zane said. “And Sabine could be on the other team blocking you or something.”

  “Sure,” I said, “But shouldn’t we be wearing soccer cleats?”

  Zane looked over at Tenshi. “I don’t know. Should they?”

  Tenshi shrugged. “I don’t know anything about soccer.”

  Ashanta spoke up. “This isn’t a real game, Devin. The scene is just you and a friend kicking around a ball in a park. Does that work?”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  “Um, can you show me how I should be blocking you, Devin?” Sabine asked.

  I had to think for a minute. “Well, I could pretend I’m about to kick the ball, and you could come in from over there, like you’re going to intercept it,” I said, pointing to a spot a few feet away.

  “I can do that,” Sabine said.

  We got into position. I extended my right foot so it was almost touching the ball.

  “Should I smile?” I asked.

  “Let’s try one where you’re both looking determined,” Zane said. “And Sabine, why don’t you put your hands out in front of you, like you’re blocking Devin?”

  Oh boy, I thought. Nobody in this room knows anything about soccer! But after bringing up the stretch, and the cleats, I wasn’t sure if I should say anything else.

  I decided I had to, though. This would be a pretty silly picture if I didn’t.

  “Um, Zane?” I began. “Nobody can put their hands on the ball in soccer except for the goalie.”

  “Well, Sabine can be the goalie, then,” Zane said, and he was starting to sound a little bit annoyed.

  I decided not to push it. Zane took some shots of Sabine blocking me with her arms, and then we did some where it looked like I was chasing her, and one where I was passing the ball to her. I really did pass it on the last one, and it rolled right past her and bounced into the wall. I almost forgot that I was at a shoot instead of on the field. That felt the best to me. It got me out of my head and stopped me from worrying if I was grimacing or whatever Zane had said I was doing. Who knew smiling could be so hard? After that, we took a short break for some water.

  “You’re doing great, Devin,” Sabine told me.

  “Thanks, but I’m not so sure,” I said. “You’re, like, an expert at this.”

  Sabine laughed. “I’ve been doing it since I was three,” she said. “Probably as long as you’ve been playing soccer, right?”

  “Right,” I said, and that got me thinking. Me jumping into modeling might be just as crazy as Sabine joining a soccer game without ever playing before. What had I been thinking?

  “What do you think? Do you like it?” Sabine asked.

  “It’s cool,” I said. “But I feel like I’m not doing anything the way Zane wants me to. And the whole shoot is kind of confusing. I mean, what’s the point of having a green background behind us, no matter what we’re doing?”

  “That’s called a green screen,” Sabine explained. “Zane can go into the photo and digitally add any background to it, like a park or a soccer field or something like that.”

  “Wow, I had no idea,” I said. “Is there a green screen at every photo shoot?”

  Sabine shook her head. “No. I’ve shot in all kinds of places. In restaurants, the aquarium, the beach . . .”

  I was learning so many new things. “So basically a model is kind of an actress, too,” I said to Sabine. “You have to act like you can play soccer, or are at a beach or a restaurant.”

  “Yep, that sums it up!” Sabine said. “As you can tell, I don’t know the first thing about soccer. I’m glad you do. If there is someone on set who actually knows how to do whatever it is we’re pretending to do, it helps.”

  “Zane didn’t seem too happy with my feedback,” I reminded Sabine.

  She laughed. “It’s true, they are all about getting the best shot, which might not always align with reality. Remember, they are taking hundreds of photos. You need to relax and have fun with it. You’re bound to get some good shots in there, even if some don’t feel right.”

  Then Zane called us back to continue the shoot, and we did a bunch of other more static shots. Sabine holding the soccer ball. Me sitting on a bench, lacing my shoes, while Sabine propped one foot on the edge of the bench like she was talking to me. Then we changed into leggings and tank tops and did it all again. I remembered Sabine’s advice, that they were taking a ton of shots of every pose. So I just tried to go with it and have faith that there were some great shots in the bunch.

  “Okay, that’s a wrap!” Zane called out. “Thank you, girls. You did a great job.”

  I changed back into my own clothes, and when I checked my cell phone, I was surprised to see it was after six o’clock.

  “Wow, that went fast,” I told Mom as we left the building.

  Mom yawned. “Not for me. That was a long afternoon.”

  Sabine waved to us from her mom’s car. “Bye, Devin! Hope we get to work together again!”

  “Bye!” I called back.

  “So, what do you think, Devin?” Mom asked. “Would you want to do it again?”

  I had to think about that. “I’m not sure,” I said. “It was interesting, seeing how it all worked, and it was fun getting to know Sabine. But I don’t think they’d want me to do it again. I couldn’t figure out how to smile! And I don’t think Zane liked it when I kept correcting him about the soccer stuff.”

  “Devin, you have the most beautiful smile in the whole world!” Mom said.

  “Of course you think that. You’re my mom,” I said. Then I gave her one of the closed-mouth smiles Zane had asked me to do. “It’s goofy, right?” I asked. “I mean, I feel goofy when I’m doing it.”

  Mom laughed. “Okay, maybe that smile is a little silly,” she agreed. “But I think you did great, Devin. I really do. I saw some of your photos on the screen. They looked really great.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said, and I looked at my goofy smile in the mirror. I wasn’t so sure.

  It’s a good thing I don’t want to be a professional model! I thought. At least, now I can concentrate on soccer again!

  Chapter Seven

  “Devin, concentrate!”

  Jessi’s voice snapped me out of my head and back into the warm-up for the Kicks game against the Buccaneers. Coach Flores had us taking turns in two pairs. Jessi and I were one pair, and Frida and Anna were another. Jessi and I were the attackers. We had to keep possession of the ball for thirty seconds while Frida and Anna attempted to steal it from us.

  Anna had swooped in and stolen the ball from me after barely ten seconds, passing it to Frida. Coach Flores blew her whistle, and the four of us left the center of the field.

  “Great, now do two laps around the field,” Coach Flores told us as Zoe, Grace, Anjali, and Sarah took o
ur places in the warm-up exercise.

  “What’s up, Devin?” Jessi asked as she jogged next to me. “You’re usually laser-focused on the soccer field. But you definitely weren’t paying attention back there.”

  I sighed loudly. “I just got all in my head about playing against the Buccaneers today. They’re one of the best teams in the league.”

  Jessi nodded. “That’s what I’ve heard. But they’ve never played the Kicks before.”

  “Yeah, but getting into the playoffs in the fall means we’re playing some different teams this time around—better ones,” I said. I bit my lip. “It probably wasn’t a great idea for me to miss practice yesterday.”

  Jessi and I were running side by side as we talked. We were right around the same height, so it was easy for us to keep pace with each other.

  “Aw, come on, Devin.” Jessi shook her head, her springy curls bouncing in the high ponytail she had pulled them into for game day. “You are the Kicks’ best player. Missing one practice isn’t going to change that. Your soccer-ball brain is just getting the best of you!”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. When Anna stole the ball from me, I was thinking of something Jamie had told me.” Jamie and I were on the same winter league team, the Griffons. We started out not liking each other much but ended up as friends. “She said the Buccaneers were hard to beat, and really fast.”

  “Oh yeah? Let’s see them catch me!” Jessi started sprinting ahead of me.

  Jessi zoomed around the field. “Save it for the game!” I called to her just as Coach Flores’s whistle blew.

  “Come on, everybody, grab a drink before the game!” Coach Flores said. “And then you can do your sock swap!”

  The sock swap was a pregame Kicks tradition that we started last fall. After grabbing some water, we all flopped down together in a circle on the grass before each of us took off one sock (Coach Flores let us wear socks with any pattern we wanted) and passed it to the teammate on our right. By the time we hit the field, none of the Kicks were wearing matching socks. It was funky and fun, and I loved it!

  I took off one of my socks. They were bright Kicks blue, like the outfit from the shoot, and had pink pigs with balloons tied around their middles floating in between white, fluffy clouds. Ever since we started doing the sock swap, my mom’s been on the hunt for fun socks for me, and she especially liked this pair.

  “Get it? When pigs fly?” she had chuckled when she gave them to me.

  “Wait, is that a comment on our ability to win?” I had asked.

  Mom had gasped. “Oh no! I didn’t mean it that way at all! Should I take them back?”

  “I’m kidding. They’re cute,” I had told her.

  For this sock swap, Emma was sitting next to me, so I handed her my sock.

  “I love it! Oink, oink!” Emma snorted, then laughed.

  Jessi was sitting on my other side. She gave me one of her socks, a bright pink one dotted with black-and-white raccoons dressed up like ninjas.

  “The Buccaneers won’t be able to catch our ninja raccoon feet,” Jessi joked. “They’ll never see our kicks coming.” She leaped to her feet and got into a karate stance, moving her arms and hands slowly in the air.

  “Oh!” Frida exclaimed, coming to stand next to her. “I needed a role for this game. I could get into being a ninja. What’s my character’s motivation?”

  Zoe frowned in concentration, her forehead wrinkling. “How about the soccer ball contains the stolen jewels of a royal ninja family. Anyone who keeps them from falling into enemy hands will not only be a hero but will also win the hand of the prince in marriage.”

  Frida wrinkled her nose. “Marriage? No thanks! I’ll settle for my reward in riches and fame.”

  Zoe shrugged. “Fine by me. Most fairy tales have some guy winning the hand of the princess. I thought we could turn the tables.”

  Frida nodded thoughtfully. “A modern interpretation of a classic. I like it! But what—what does he look like?”

  Zoe laughed. “That’s totally up to you.”

  “Okay, girls!” Coach Flores said. “You’ve got this. Just go out there and do your best, like I know you can. Zarine, you’re starting on goal. Let’s see Sarah, Anjali, Jade, and Frida on defense. Jessi, Taylor, Maya—you’re my midfield. Devin, Hailey, Grace—I want you on forward.”

  I nodded, excited to be starting the game. I looked up into the stands. Since we were playing on the Buccaneers field, there were more Buccaneers fans than Kicks fans. But I knew I had my own fans cheering us on, and that’s when I spotted my mom, my dad, and Maisie sitting in the bleachers. I waved, and they waved back.

  “Okay, soccer-ball brain,” I whispered quietly to myself. “Focus on the field, not self-doubt, and we’ve got this.”

  The game started, and I could see from the get-go that Jamie was right. The Buccaneers zipped around the field like lightning and were great at stealing. However, fast didn’t always equal accurate. Many times the stolen balls went shooting out-of-bounds a few seconds later. When that happened, the Kicks were able to take possession and throw the ball back into the game. Remembering advice that Coach Flores had drilled into us gave me the confidence to handle the throw-ins like a pro.

  “Now remember”—I flashed back to a practice with Coach Flores—“every throw-in is a game-changing opportunity, but you have to think it through. Remember, you can turn throw-ins into goals. If you get the ball into your hands, then panic and throw the ball blindly, it won’t be helpful. Stop and think: What do you need to do? A long throw can help attack and advance on the goal. A short throw can help you gain ground. You’ve got to think fast while you’ve got the ball in your hands. It takes practice to perfect it.”

  And practice we had, with a ton of different throw-in drills. Throw-ins happen at every game, but those practices were especially coming in handy against the Buccaneers!

  At one point, I had driven the ball down the field and was in scoring range of the Buccaneers goal, when one of their defenders came upon me suddenly with that lightning speed and kicked the ball out from under me. The kick had no aim, and the defender wasn’t passing it to anyone. All she was trying to do was get the ball away from me. It worked, but the ball went shooting out-of-bounds.

  I raced over to throw the ball back into the game. Grace had carved out some space for herself within striking distance of the goal, and I knew a long throw-in to her could result in a scoring opportunity for the Kicks.

  Just like we had practiced about a million times with Coach Flores, I grasped the ball firmly between both hands, my fingers making a W shape as I held the ball in front of me. I took a big step forward as I moved the ball up and behind my head, getting ready to throw it. Using the force of my entire body, I powered the ball toward Grace, who expertly caught it with her feet and drove it into the goal. We had scored!

  “Yes! Perfect long throw-in, Devin!” Coach Flores cheered from the sidelines, and I raced over to Grace to slap her on the back.

  “Great catch.” I grinned.

  “Great throw.” She smiled back.

  But there wasn’t time for chatting. We had to hustle. The game started up again, and the Buccaneers were getting aggressive and running us ragged with their speed. The Kicks were trailing by one goal when the second half of the game started. We had possession of the ball a lot but kept getting stuck in midfield and unable to make any progress toward the Buccaneers’ goal. Then, with just a few minutes left in the game, the Buccaneers stole the ball and kicked it out-of-bounds again.

  I had another opportunity for a throw-in. Once again I assessed the situation. A long throw wouldn’t work this far up the field. My best bet was a short throw-in to Jessi, who could move it down the field toward Grace.

  I tossed the ball high to Jessi, setting her up for a header. She leaped up to meet the ball, bouncing it off her head toward Grace, but a Buccaneers defender swooped in at the last moment and kicked the ball away from Grace.

  “Darn it!” I muttered
under my breath, frustrated. The Buccaneers were turning out to be every bit as good as their reputation.

  As time on the clock was running down, I knew we had to tie it up to force a shoot-out; otherwise, we would lose.

  After getting possession of the ball back, the Kicks managed to move the ball closer to the Buccaneers’ goal. I was trying to create space and keep my distance from those dangerous Buccaneers defenders when we got another throw-in chance. Taylor took this one and sent a long throw my way.

  I felt the excitement rising. This was it! I could score and give us a chance at the win. I ran as fast as I could to outpace those speedy Buccaneers defenders while Taylor sent the ball flying in the air ahead of me. I had to dodge and weave without losing sight of the goal.

  My foot connected and sent it flying into the goal, high above the goalie’s head. I had done it! I tied up the score and forced a shoot-out. The Kicks had a chance at beating the Buccaneers!

  I raced away to share the joy with my team when I heard the referee’s whistle blowing repeatedly. “Offsides! Offsides!”

  Who? Me? I thought. Ugh! I slapped my forehead with my palm. My heart sank as I realized what had happened.

  While I was trying to run faster than the Buccaneers and get the ball that Taylor had thrown to me, I must have outrun the nearest Buccaneers defender, putting me closest to the goal before the ball hit the ground.

  It’s all right, I thought. We’ll get the ball back. I’ll get another chance. . . .

  Tweeeeeet! The ref’s whistle blew.

  “Game over! The Buccaneers win!”

  The stands erupted in cheers for the Buccaneers. I facepalmed.

  “It’s okay. Great game.” Jessi came up to me, panting. “They were tough.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, but I should have been paying better attention to where I was.”

  Jessi dug her elbow into my ribs. “You are a world-famous supermodel now. You’ve got other things on your mind besides worrying about who is closer to the goal—you, the ball, or the nearest Buccaneers defender.”

  “Ha ha,” I said sourly, not in the mood to be teased about it just yet. Was that really the reason I’d messed up our chance to tie the game?