Saving the Team

by Alex Morgan

  When lunchtime finally came around, Jessi, Emma, and Zoe walked with me to the gym.

  “Even though I’m not officially back on the Kicks yet, Coach Flores came around to my homeroom in person this morning to ask me to come too,” Jessi said. She was so excited, she was bouncing on her toes as she walked. “She said she okayed it with my mom and everything!”

  “I wonder what’s going on,” Emma said, her eyes shining. “I love surprises!”

  When we got inside the gym with the other Kicks, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The entire boys’ soccer team was standing in the center of the room, along with Coach Valentine and Coach Flores. The smell of yummy, hot pizza wafted through the air. It was coming from a pile of unopened pizza boxes.

  Cody and Trey Bishop came forward to greet us. Cody nudged Trey to start talking.

  “So, I, um,” Trey began. He looked over at Coach Valentine, who nodded encouragingly. “I wanted to apologize to you for how mean I was to you guys at the dance. I’m sorry I called you losers. You’re not. You proved that yesterday. We were really impressed.”

  “Also,” Cody jumped in, “we know you have a big rematch coming up against Pinewood.”

  “Yeah,” said Trey. “So after practice yesterday, the guys and I decided that you deserved a pizza party, to help get you amped up for the big game,” he said. “The Pinewood boys’ team is our biggest rival too. Coach V. was right. We need to stick together as Kangaroos!” He sounded sincere.

  “We also have a present for you,” Cody said.

  On cue Steven and another of the seventh-grade players came out of the boys’ locker room holding a big banner. It had “Kentville Kicks” written across it in big letters.

  “We were thinking we could help you decorate a banner for your pep rally tomorrow,” Cody said. “Let’s show those Panthers they can’t kick around the Kangaroos!”

  Wait, did Cody just say “your pep rally”? The Kicks all exchanged excited glances.

  “No way,” Emma said, and then cheered, clapping her hands together.

  “We’ll make sure the stands are packed for your game against the Pinewood Panthers too!” Steven added.

  “Wow!” I couldn’t believe it. I hugged Coach Flores. I knew she was behind all of this. It turns out, telling her what had happened at the dance was a good thing. A very good thing! I was so happy, I hugged Jessi, too. Even Coach Valentine. And all the Kicks. It was a huge hug fest as everyone joined in. I was so excited, I even grabbed Steven and gave him a big hug, but then I turned bright red. So did he!

  Everyone began munching pizza and chattering happily as we decorated the banner together.

  For the first time both the girls’ and boys’ Kangaroos felt like one big team. And I liked it.

  The Kicks were all smiles as we gathered together in the hall behind the gymnasium the next day. We peeked through the doors as the auditorium filled up with our classmates.

  “Can you believe they’re all here for us?” Emma asked.

  Grace smiled and shook her head. “This feels so good!”

  “It’s time! I’m going to go out there and introduce my girls,” Coach Flores said proudly. “One of our captains should say a few words. Devin? Grace?”

  Grace gave me a hug. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for Devin. Go for it!”

  “Okay,” I said, hugging her back. My stomach fluttered a little at the thought of talking in front of so many people. The butterflies had been on vacation, but looks like they were back! I glanced over at Zoe, who had her eyes tightly shut and was taking deep breaths. “You all right?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I was starting to get nervous, so I’m using the techniques Frida taught me.”

  “She’s doing great!” Frida beamed. “I think she should try out for the school play with me.”

  Zoe turned pale. “Soccer is one thing, but acting? I’ll leave that to you!”

  Coach Flores headed for the microphone set up at the front of the gym. “Students and staff of Kentville Middle School,” she began. “Thank you for joining us today, on the day before our big rematch against the Pinewood Panthers girls’ soccer team.”

  The audience booed. I guess we weren’t the only ones who saw them as rivals.

  “Now please, put all your boos aside, and instead let’s give a big round of applause for the Kentville Kangaroos girls’ soccer team, or, as some of you know them, the Kicks!”

  The auditorium cheered as our team, led by Emma, came ripping through the banner. My heart skipped a beat for a moment as Emma almost tripped and fell flat on her face. But she caught herself at the last minute and mimed a tip of the hat to the audience. The crowd loved it.

  “And now a word from the Kangaroos’ seventh-grade captain, Devin Burke!” Smiling, Coach Flores gave me a hug and handed me the microphone. “Good luck, kiddo,” she whispered encouragingly.

  The gym bleachers were filled with students, cheering and smiling at us. Some of them held signs that said GO, KANGAROOS. It seemed unreal. I couldn’t believe I had come so far since that first scary day of school. And I couldn’t believe how far the Kangaroos had come either! Suddenly I knew exactly what to say.

  I took a deep breath. “I know we haven’t been the greatest team in the school so far this season, but we’ve been working really hard for this rematch against Pinewood. We hope you’ll all come out to see how far we’ve come. The last time we played Pinewood, we lost. But this time we want to show them that we’re not pushovers. I just found out that back in the nineties, the Kicks were state champs two years in a row. With your support, who knows where this season will take us. Come out on Saturday and cheer us on our way to a win!”

  The boys’ soccer team, sitting proudly in the front row, jumped to their feet, cheering. It was great to feel so supported, by them and by the entire school. It was almost like we were a completely different team from what we’d been just weeks ago. And it felt good. Now all we needed was for Jessi to do well on her test this afternoon. Once she rejoined the team, the Kicks would be complete!

  “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

  We were at practice later that day, running drills, when a shriek pierced the air.

  Everyone stopped and turned to look. “I got an A!” Jessi cried, racing onto the practice field with her test paper in hand. “On my math test! Can you believe it? An A! My mom almost fainted!”

  She skidded to a halt, panting.

  “Oh my gosh, Jessi!” I cried. “You did it!”

  The whole team gathered around her, excited to have her back.

  “How’d you do it?” Frida asked.

  “I couldn’t have done it without Devin,” she said, and she threw her arms around me.

  We all squealed and jumped up and down together, excited that Jessi was back in time to join us for the big game. Now that we’d been working so hard to improve our skills, having Jessi back meant we would have a real chance against Pinewood.

  “I know what life is like without soccer now.” She shuddered. “Terrible!”

  “We’re so glad to have you back.” Coach Flores beamed at her. “Isn’t that right, girls?”

  We all cheered in agreement.

  Coach Flores blew her whistle. “Now let’s get down to business and get ready to beat Pinewood!”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  When we got to the field for the big game Saturday afternoon, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The stands were a sea of Kentville blue and white, packed with fans ready to cheer us on!

  There were some Pinewood supporters there too, but the purple blotches were totally overwhelmed by Kentville blue. We actually had fans for a change. It felt awesome!

  “Sock swap!” Grace called.

  Our pregame ritual had become a team-wide tradition. Once Mirabelle had left, all the eighth graders had joined in on it too. We gathered in a circle, swapped socks with the person on our left, and put on the socks with our special toe wiggles, laughing and joking the entire time.

>   Before we headed onto the field for warm-ups, I said a few words to my team.

  “Before she left, Mirabelle called us losers,” I said. A bunch of the girls frowned, remembering how awful that had been. “Even though she was one of our best players, our team has grown stronger without her. In fact, it’s a different team, a better team. So not only should we go out there today and prove that we’re not losers, but let’s show everyone we deserve to be called Kicks!” I cried.

  Some of the girls started cheering and hooting.

  Totally pumped, we raced onto the field for warm-ups. I touched my pink headband for luck before looking for my family in the stands. I spotted Dad, Mom, and Maisie. But there was a familiar face standing next to them, wearing a pink headband the same as mine.

  “Kara!” I shrieked, racing over to hug her. I couldn’t believe it! “What are you doing here?” She had on a very familiar shirt, my blue away jersey.

  “My parents let me fly out to see you,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “It was so hard not to say anything when we talked on the phone!”

  “Wow!” I began to tear up. I looked at my Mom and Dad. “How long have you been planning this?”

  Dad gave me a wink. “Not too long,” he said. “This all came together in the last couple of weeks.”

  I couldn’t believe my luck. “Are you staying the whole weekend?” I asked.

  “Of course!” she said. “It’s our fall break, so I have a long weekend. I don’t have to go back until Monday. You can give me the real California experience!”

  I squealed and hugged her again. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “You’d better get out there and finish warming up,” Kara said. “I hope you and your Kicks kick some butt out there!” she said.

  “We will!” I said. “Just for you!”

  I turned to race back to my team.

  “Wait!” my mom cried. She handed me a bottle of water. “Hydrate!”

  I laughed. No matter how much things changed, some things would always stay the same.

  With the game about to start, I had to turn my attention back to Pinewood. Across the field from us the Panthers were just breaking out of their pregame huddle. I spotted Mirabelle among the group. She looked over at me and sneered before holding her thumb and index finger up in the shape of an L and placing it on her forehead. Then she laughed.

  I felt my cheeks turn bright red with anger. She was still calling us losers! A few of the other girls saw it and began muttering under their breath.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll show her!” I said confidently. Mirabelle was going down!

  Coach called us over. “Okay. You guys told me you didn’t want to be pushed around by Pinewood again. Here’s your chance to show them what the new and improved Kangaroos are made of. Got it?”

  “Yeah!” we all cheered. I had never been more ready to play, and before I knew it, the game was under way.

  We had a shaky start. Pinewood was faster than we remembered, and they blitzed through our defense immediately. Each time, though, our new goalie, Emma, was right there, tipping the ball away from the goal.

  “Our ball is black, our ball is white. Look out, Panthers, because we can fight!” she chanted.

  I noticed a flaw on the field. “Defense, move up a bit! Don’t let them push you out of the way,” I tried to warn them, but the Panthers players were bigger and stronger. Number three’s curved pass from the right corner was perfect, and one of the other Panthers slammed it home with her head. Even Emma couldn’t stop that one. Score: 1–0, Panthers.

  “Girls, we can’t just rely on Emma in goal,” Coach Flores yelled. “We have to be a team. Everyone needs to step it up.” She was right.

  On their next few attacks we managed to stuff the Panthers, with Frida charging around on defense. This game she was a vampire soccer player battling a team of werewolves. I know it sounds kooky, but we wanted her to be as aggressive as possible for our rematch against Pinewood. And it was working! She was playing just as assertively as the Pinewood forwards. I just hoped she didn’t get so into character that she tried to bite anyone!

  “Watch out, you bunch of furballs!” she yelled.

  The Panthers eyed her nervously and kept their distance. She sounded crazy!

  Our defenders couldn’t seem to control Mirabelle. She consistently broke free and dribbled her way through our defense, sneering and laughing at us as she did. With her putting on that kind of pressure, it was only a matter of time before she put the ball in the net. Emma lunged at Mirabelle’s next shot but missed. Now we were down two goals.

  “Losers!” Mirabelle yelled after her goal.

  Jessi’s eyes narrowed, and I thought she was going to land a flying tackle on Mirabelle.

  “Shake it off,” I told her. “She wants to get under our skin. Don’t let her do it!

  Jessi exhaled loudly. “You’re right,” she said, and her face brightened. “Maybe I’ll get under her skin instead!”

  But Mirabelle and the rest of the Panthers were getting to the rest of the Kicks. I began to get worried. It seemed like we were trying our best, almost more than our best, but it wasn’t working. We were still at 2–0, Panthers. It wasn’t even halftime yet and our team was playing so hard that we were becoming exhausted.

  Coach Flores then changed everything by calling in an adjustment.

  “Jessi, cover Mirabelle!” she said.

  Jessi got an evil smile on her face. “My pleasure,” she said. Good thing Jessi wasn’t the one pretending to be a vampire!

  Coach’s move was brilliant! Even though Jessi wasn’t normally a defender, she was just as athletic as Mirabelle. She shadowed Mirabelle all around the field, getting in the way of any pass headed her way.

  “Jessi, get away from me!” Mirabelle hissed. But Jessi wasn’t doing anything wrong, just covering Mirabelle perfectly. After a few tries the other Panthers stopped trying to feed Mirabelle the ball.

  Mirabelle got so angry, she whirled toward Jessi and shoved her hard. Jessi hit the ground, and the ref whistled Mirabelle for a yellow card.

  “One more like that, and you’re out of here,” he said.

  “Come on, Mirabelle. Push me again,” Jessi taunted.

  Still furious, Mirabelle actually grew flustered and ran haphazardly around the field, trying to do anything to get Jessi off her. I’d never seen Mirabelle so uncomfortable before.

  “What’s the matter, Mirabelle, you can’t shake this loser?” Jessi was totally enjoying herself.

  “I can’t believe I was ever friends with someone like you.” Mirabelle practically spit the words out, she was so mad.

  Jessi just grinned at her. “That makes two of us,” she said.

  When halftime came, the Kentville Kangaroos were still down 2–0. After the Panthers’ initial blitz we’d basically played them to a standstill. We still had a chance!

  “Remember, if we lose this game, we’re all still winners,” Coach said. “You guys are already doing so great out there.”

  “We want to be actual winners this time, Coach Flores,” I insisted. It was great that we were playing better than we ever had before, but we wanted this win. “We’ve come this far, and we’ve proven that we can hang with them. I know our defensive strategy got us here, but we need to be able to score, too. What do you think, Coach, can we push and try to get a few goals?”

  “If we do that, we risk losing control of the game,” Coach said. But then she got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “But if you’re willing to risk it, so am I.”

  She worked on a new game plan, one that was riskier but with more reward if we could pull it off.

  I knew we had a chance. Pinewood wasn’t used to teams standing up to them. Not only was Mirabelle frustrated, their entire team was. They wouldn’t know how to react if we turned the tables on them.

  We needed an X factor, though—or in this case a Z factor. Zoe!

  I knew that Zoe needed to be the star of the second half for us to w
in. With Jessi blanketing Mirabelle, Zoe was the only person who could lead us to victory.

  Before we got back on the field, I pulled her aside.

  “Zoe, this is it. You have to be the star right now. Jessi’s stuck on Mirabelle, and the rest of us are holding off the Panthers offense, but we need to score. You can do it.”

  Zoe nodded, taking in what I had to say. She took a deep breath. “Got it.” She smiled. Thanks to Frida, Zoe was now a confident kick-butt player!

  “I’m going to get you the ball, and we’re gonna bring the game to them, okay?” I said.

  When the second half started, Pinewood turned up their aggressiveness another notch too. I hadn’t counted on that. With our defense still smothering them, the Panthers started to panic, and they pushed and shoved on every possession. The referees were not helping us out.

  Coach hollered from the sidelines, “Pay attention, ref! Look at what they’re doing!”

  “You mangy mutts!” Frida hollered, baring her teeth. Despite their rough tactics, Zoe managed to find a seam in Pinewood’s defense and zipped through for a breakaway goal. The crowd went wild. We were now 2–1!

  Zoe was able to squeeze through the Pinewood defense again, and on the next trip down the field, she had another clear path to the goal, until a Pinewood defender slid in and tripped her.

  Zoe lay flat on the ground. Shockingly, there was no whistle from the referee. The crowd began to boo.

  We ran over to pick Zoe up, but she bounced right up off the grass, ready to go once again. Once Zoe was unleashed, she was unstoppable. Using her quickness, she raced from sideline to sideline, completely disrupting the Pinewood defense.

  Her offense helped our defense, since all the attention Pinewood paid her took away from their own game. The Panthers coach even subbed in another defender, because Zoe couldn’t be stopped. When Zoe scored again despite the extra attention, we had a 2–2 tie. Our fans roared their approval.

  On the sideline Coach Flores screamed encouragements at us, even as she yelled at the referees to pay attention to the rough play from the Panthers’ side. Finally the referee gave the entire Panthers team a warning.