“I can’t believe he scored another game winner!” Tabitha said.
Vee was about to respond when a voice from the front seat interrupted, “Actually, Van Persie scored the goal.”
Mark held up his smart phone. Vee peered closer and could see Mark had been watching the game.
“Well, Chicharito assisted,” Vee blurted out.
“True, but they should never have been losing in the first place. They are cutting it awfully close, if you ask me.” Mark said.
Vee hadn’t asked, but she was impressed. She didn’t want to admit it, but she also agreed with him. Her favorite team was giving her high blood pressure lately. She couldn’t even count the times the guys in red had had to score in the last seconds just to avoid a defeat or a tie.
“You watch soccer?” Vee asked, unable to help herself. Most of the Brookville boys she knew only like the big three: NBA, NFL, MLB.
“Our uncle lives in London,” Mark said by way of explanation.
“You like Man U?” she asked tentatively.
“I’m a Man City fan, actually. But I keep an eye on the competition,” Mark answered. Vee contemplated this information. Manchester City and Manchester United were archrivals. Both teams came from the same city in the middle part of England and were invariably battling for first place. Vee had heard that a Man City fan and Man U fan couldn’t even travel in the same car over in England without coming to blows!
Vee settled into the back seat, unsure of what to say next. This called for some serious observing. She decided it would be a good idea to get her shoes on while digesting this new information about Tabitha’s brother. She opened her bag and took out her indoor shoes. The bag tipped and her old, ripped socks and the camouflage bandana came spilling onto the seat. Vee quickly tried to shove them back in.
“These are nasty,” Tabitha said in a non-judgmental tone, pointing at her old dirty socks. She picked up the bandana. “But…I still think this looks pretty cool.”
Vee got her shoes tied and grabbed the bandana, this time tying it around her ankle. “How’s this?”
“Even better,” Tabitha answered.
Vee could see the parking lot for Total Sport. It was jammed with SUV’s and helicopter parents. Vee could never handle the hovering types. Helicopter parents are the ones who study every minute of every practice. They don’t even bring a book. They watch every second as if they could will a clumsy kid some skills. They are the moms or dads convinced they know more than the coaches, who scream at the referees, and generally embarrass their kids about fifteen times worse than your average parental unit.
Vee felt sorry for all those kids, some of them already teenagers, whose moms were still running up to them with tissues for a runny nose, or forgotten hair bands for a pony tail. All their fussing might as well might as well be like wearing a giant sign that read, “My kid can’t take care of him or herself.” Exactly the wrong message to send, in Vee’s opinion.
Vee was so relieved Tomas wasn’t like that. Sure, he worried when she forgot her pants in 12-degree weather, but to Vee, that was just being a good parent. He let her make mistakes and he also let her make her own decisions about most things. Rather than a helicopter, Vee considered Tomas more of a trapeze parent. He had enough faith in her to watch her fly high, but was always ready with the safety net in case she took a header down to the ground.
“Hand me Bubba,” Mark said to the back seat in general.
Vee glanced around for something that might fit the bill. She saw Mark turn back and thought he looked impatient. In the silence, she tried to come up with something witty, “Uh … Bubba? Where are you? I don’t see any lost dudes back here.”
Vee could see a small grin flash across Mark’s face. Tabitha laughed outright.
“Bubba is the name of his lacrosse stick,” she said, picking it up from the floor of the back seat.
“Oh, right, of course,” Vee said, with a chuckle. “Nice to meet you, Bubba. Sorry if I was stepping on your head!”
“Oh, Bubba’s tough, don’t worry,” Mark said from the front seat, patting the netting of the stick. “Not too many brains in there anyway.”
“Seriously, your lacrosse stick has a name?” Vee asked.
“Oh yeah, this is Bubba. Webber is at home. He is a little under the weather. And Thor is retired. He won the League cup a few years back with a game winner.”
“Ah, yes, I see,” said Vee, pretending to understand.
“Have a good game everyone,” Rini said from the driver’s seat. “Bubba, keep the fouls down.”
Vee, Tabitha, and Mark piled out of the car and hustled into Total Sport, which resembled a chaotic airplane hanger. The sides of the building looked like a metal barn. They were red and massive, and the entrance was congested with throngs of parents and kids all trying to enter and exit at the same time. Bags, sticks, and balls clanged their way in and out of the building. Vee was surprised that Mark held the door for them both to enter first.
Through the crowds, Vee was relieved to see the Bombers gathered on the closer field.
“I have to make a pit stop,” Tabitha said and headed to the bathroom. Vee jogged over to Olivia, Avery, and LJ, who were passing the ball around.
“Hey guys,” Vee said, as she dropped her bag and bent down to check her laces and shin guards.
“Where’d you come from?” Olivia asked in a friendly tone that Vee was relieved to hear.
“I got a ride from Tabitha, but the parking lot was totally jammed. She’s in the bathroom.”
Vee carefully went through her pregame routine, including getting warm enough to do her important injury prevention stretches. Vee had sprained her knee badly during the summer and it had taken weeks for it to heal. The doctor said it was just dumb luck that she didn’t tear her Anterior Cruciate Ligament. There was no more terrifying injury for a soccer player than an ACL tear. The physical therapist taught Vee how important it was for her to warm up before she played and to strengthen the muscles in her legs to prevent future injuries. No medical advice has ever been taken more to heart. Vee was meticulous about caring for her knee. Plus, she found doing the exercises before she played helped her relax.
“Don’t take forever!” LJ teased.
Vee finished sticking her laces into the sides of her socks when she heard someone calling her name.
She looked around, assuming the male voice was her coach, but instead was surprised to see Mark Gordon walking her way.
Puzzled, Vee jogged over to meet him.
“What’s up?” Vee asked.
“Isn’t this yours?” Mark asked, holding out the bandana.
“Oh yeah, thanks. I guess it fell off somewhere.”
“It was by the door. It’s a zoo getting in here at changeover.” He was right. When the exiting teams and the arriving teams all tried to jam through the door with their bags, it was chaos.
“Yeah, that was crazy.” Vee bent down to retie the cloth around her ankle. She was surprised to find Mark still standing there. She looked up at him.
“Good luck in your game today,” Mark said.
“Yeah, you too,” Vee replied. “Have fun with Bubba.”
“Oh, yeah. Bubba and I are gonna make some magic,” Mark said with a smile and then turned back to his field.
Vee’s eyes lingered on Mark as he sauntered back toward the lacrosse field. He wasn’t at all what she had expected, she thought. And, she noticed, he had green eyes. She got up to rejoin her team when Olivia intercepted her.
“What was that all about?” Olivia demanded.
“What was what all about?” Vee was taken aback.
“What were you and Mark Gordon talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“I saw you, Vee,” Olivia said in an agitated tone.
“We weren’t talking. I dropped something; he was just giving it back to me.”
“What, some ripped old socks?” Olivia asked.
“What are you talking about? Why are you
being so weird lately?” Vee finally blurted out.
Vee hadn’t seen Tabitha jog over. “Who’s being weird about what?”
Olivia didn’t answer. Instead she just turned away and in a saccharine voice said, “Oh, nothing. Come on Tabitha, let’s pass.”
Tabitha shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her ball. Vee scrunched up her face and furrowed her brow. She was certain something was up now, and she was determined to find out what.
Chapter 5.
“Ready?” Lily asked.
“Actually, yes I am. Believe it or not. I already checked my laces, did all my stretches, and checked my headband. Twice.”
“Very impressive!” LJ replied.
The two girls took to the field and started short one-touch passes, getting their bodies and minds ready to play. Vee tried to shake off Olivia’s behavior. She had to focus on the game.
“I’ve never heard of this team, ‘El Fuego’,” Lily said after a stray pass went off to the side. “Have you?”
“Nope.” Vee answered, backing up a few paces and sending Lily a high, loopy pass. Lily moved forward to take the ball out of the air, deftly bringing it down on her right foot. Vee checked out the opposition. They were in bright, neon orange uniforms with cool green and white striped socks.
“I like their uniforms,” Vee commented.
“Yeah, pretty cool,” Lily agreed, sending a long ball back Vee’s way.
Looking closer, Vee thought she recognized one of the El Fuego players. She had middle length black hair, similar in color to Vee’s.
“I think that girl might go to my school?” Vee said in a puzzled voice. “Or she used to.”
“I think her name is Gabriela, or something like that,” Vee tried to remember.
“Well, they look pretty good,” Lily said, trapping a sharp pass from Vee.
Vee watched Gabriela and her teammates laugh as they played keep away on their side of the field. A blue and white ball passed in front of her. It was Olivia’s ball. By now, it was obvious Olivia was bothered, but she had no idea by what. Vee passed the ball back and turned her attention from her opponents to her teammate. She watched Olivia make a strong pass back to Tabitha and then laugh when Tabitha made an awkward trap. Well, Vee thought, she looks pretty happy now. She just seems mad at me. I better talk to her. This is silly. We’re Soccer Sisters after all. We’re friends. Plus, we live by the code. Code #3 is very clear: Play with each other and don’t take the fun out of it.
Vee hadn’t thought of the code for a while. The team had written their ten sacred rules one day last year when practice was rained out by a freak thunderstorm. They all crammed together into Mrs. Dwyer’s Suburban and came up with ten rules they all swore to live by.
“Uh, hello?” Vee heard Lily call from across the field. Vee hadn’t even noticed she was frozen on the spot, observing Olivia and forgetting she had the ball at her feet.
“Oh, sorry,” Vee said, sending a pass back to LJ. “I was just thinking.”
“About?” LJ asked coming closer.
Vee knew that she should tell Lily about Olivia’s odd behavior. It might not be an official Code, but Soccer Sisters don’t keep secrets, Vee thought. The referee blew the whistle indicating it was time for the girls to take the field.
“I’ll tell you after the game,” Vee said. “It’s no biggie.”
“Okay, don’t forget. I have to leave right afterwards for Billy’s game,” Lily said with a roll of her eyes. Billy was Lily’s little brother, who as it turns out, was becoming quite a little soccer star himself.
“It’s nothing,” Vee lied.
Lily shrugged her shoulders. The girls took their spots on the field. Vee promised herself that she would find a way to talk to Olivia no matter what.
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Vee could tell El Fuego was an excellent team. El Fuego started with the ball, passed it back, keeping control for what must have been a record for U13 girls soccer. The ball went from the striker, a slight girl with amazing ball skills, to the midfield, to the defense, and back up again. Player to player, pass by pass, El Fuego moved the ball without the Bombers even getting a foot on it.
Vee and Lily were stunned, and all the Bombers a little frustrated. It was sort of embarrassing not to be able to even touch the ball! Luckily, El Fuego seemed happy to play keep away and didn’t do much attacking. After what felt like a long time, Avery was finally able to intercept a pass and get the Bombers in the game.
“Down the line!” Vee heard Tabitha yell and saw her long blonde hair flapping behind her as she darted downfield. Lily had the ball at midfield and was looking for a pass. She gave the ball to Vee, who immediately had two defenders on her. She tried to get the ball to Tabitha, but it went out of bounds.
“Hola,” a girl said to Vee as the two teams waited for Tabitha to retrieve the ball.
“Uh, hi,” Vee answered. It was the girl she recognized from school.
“I’m Gabriela,” she offered. “We used to have Algebra together.”
“Oh right,” Vee said, feeling a little uncomfortable chatting in the middle of a game. A defender from Gabriela’s team took the throw-in, and again El Fuego passed the ball around like they were practicing some kind of cone drill. And the Bombers were the cones. This time, however, they wasted no time attacking. Gabriela and her teammates moved the ball so beautifully, they got a shot off and past Beth before most of the Bombers could even react.
“Let’s go girls!” Chris coached from the sideline. “Wake up out there! Vee, less chatting, please!!”
Vee was mortified. Chris had seen her talking to the other team. What had she been thinking? Vee moved into position, ready to even the score. Lily started with the ball and this time, it was the Bomber’s turn to wow the crowd. Lily and Vee moved forward in tandem, Vee darting forward after every pass, and Lily finding her feet every time. Tabitha flanked them out wide and Avery made a run to the far post.
“Drop!” Vee heard Olivia call, which meant she wanted Vee to pass the ball behind her. Vee turned and got the ball to Olivia.
Olivia crossed it to Tabitha who first-timed it into the box. Vee and Lily both pounced. Vee got there first, but again, defenders immediately surrounded her. Vee flicked the ball with the outside of her left foot to Lily who was in position to shoot. It was a perfect pass! Lily drilled it with her right foot and, just like that, The Bombers and El Fuego were tied 1-1.
Vee and Lily hugged and the rest of the Bombers ran over to give LJ a hi-five.
“Hey, great cross,” Vee said to Olivia, offering her hand, but Olivia brushed past her and ran over to give Lily a hug.
“Dude, seriously,” Vee muttered to herself. Olivia’s behavior was really bothering her now, but she had a game to play.
“Hey, great pass,” Gabriela said to Vee, as they got ready to restart.
Vee wasn’t used to her opponents handing out compliments.
“Oh, thanks,” Vee said, thinking that El Fuego was a pretty nice team.
Gabriela smiled, but then both girls put on their game faces and got back to work. Vee really had to struggle to make anything happen during the rest of the game. It seemed like every time she got the ball, there were two defenders on top of her.
“Dude, they are all over me,” Vee said to LJ.
“They are actually,” Lily agreed. “They must have scouted our team before the game or something.”
Sure enough, the next time Vee got the ball, she heard several of the El Fuego players yell something and realized they were talking about her in Spanish. A jolt of excitement and pride shot through her.
Again, two defenders surrounded Vee and sent the ball wide.
“What do you guys call me?” Vee finally asked Gabriela.
“La abeja, of course,” Gabriela answered with a smile.
“The bee?” Vee laughed.
“Si, you are fast, buzz around, and have a nasty sting,” Gabriela answered with a smile. “With the ball of course.”
/> Vee had to admit that she was flattered. El Fuego thought enough about her as a player to give her a nickname and make sure there were defenders on her at all times. She didn’t mention to Gabriela that Vee the Bee was exactly what LJ liked to call her also.
Vee decided it was time to live up to her name. She knew that if two girls were assigned to cover her, then someone on her team was always open. The key was to figure out who that was. Vee decided that she would get the ball and hold onto it, drawing as many defenders to her until she could find the open Bomber.
Vee had to give it to El Fuego; they knew how to pass the ball. While the Bombers were also great passers, she saw it was definitely something her team needed to work on. After a rare bad pass, Vee stripped the ball from Gabriela at about midfield and broke free toward their goal. She could feel the defenders closing in on her as they had all game. Vee held the ball close and protected it with her body, while trying to look up and find the open player. Now she had three defenders on her. She moved quickly left and right, not really trying to get to the goal, but just holding the ball long enough so that her team could get into scoring position.
“Now! Now! Now! Vee!” she heard LJ call as she made a diagonal run in front of Vee. Naturally, Lily James was her open player. Vee fed her the ball and watched as she took off toward the goal. She raced after her, keeping an eye on the last defender while being careful to stay onside. In soccer, the attacking players have to stay even with the last defender until the ball is kicked, or else they are offside.
It’s a tough rule to learn and even experienced players get called for a foul. For Vee, getting caught offside is the worst mistake. It means she hasn’t been paying attention or observing what’s going on around her. When the linesman sees a player offside, he or she raises their flag, the whistle blows, and your team loses both the ball and its chance to score. It’s downright embarrassing.
Getting caught offside was something Vee tried to avoid at all costs.
“Send it long, LJ!” Vee called.
Vee Caught Offside Page 4