Then out of nowhere her bedroom door opened with a crash as Billy charged in, making Lily jump like a monkey.
“Check this out!” he yelled, waving something in his hands.
“Get out of here!” Lily screamed at her brother.
“Vee, check this out!” He recognized an ally.
“What is that?” Vee asked, jumping off the bed.
“It’s so cool, you will not believe it. It’s so cool my hands are frozen.” Billy danced around the room waving his arms, and Lily laughed in spite of herself. Vee cheerfully took the bait.
“Let’s see it.” She held out her hand to Billy. He handed her a battered old book.
“Wow, Bill,” Vee teased. “That is some cool stuff. I think I see some actual ice in here.”
“I know!” Billy answered, oblivious. “Dina found it in the trunk of her car and gave it to me!”
“What is it?” Lily asked.
“Stuff she gave me and not you.”
Lily grabbed the book. “Let me see that.” She flipped it over in her hands and read the title. “Inspirational Sayings for a Fulfilling Life. Oh yeah, quite a score,” she said sarcastically, tossing the tattered paperback on the bed.
“Want to hear one?” Billy asked, jumping up next to Vee.
“No!” Lily said.
“Yeah!” Vee yelled at the same time.
“It’s alphabetical,” Billy announced, making sure to sound out every syllable: al-pha-be-ti-cal.
Vee scrambled next to Billy. “Let’s try υ for victory!”
“Here’s one,” he said. Vee and Billy read together. Lily watched as they put their two heads close, the blue-black of her friend’s hair bringing out Billy’s Irish red. Lily was annoyed. Why did her brother have to come barging into her room like that? The one place in the house she could call her own. And why was Vee reading his dumb book? Who cared about a bunch of silly sayings?
“Isn’t this one from one of those commercials with the lizard?” Vee asked, pointing to a page. Lily sighed.
“You guys are too deep for me,” she said, leaving Vee and Billy and heading downstairs. Dina was reading in the living room. Lily’s mom was still on her butterfly hunt in California.
“Hey, Dina.”
“Hey, squirt. Your mom called,” her aunt said, carefully folding up the map she’d been looking at.
“Why didn’t you get me?” Lily asked.
“Sorry. She couldn’t talk for long. Said she’s hot on the case of the smuggler but will be on the red-eye Sunday.”
“Red-eye?”
“The overnight flight home,” Dina explained. “You get so exhausted trying to sleep like a sardine in a tin can your eyes are red when you land.”
Lily flopped down on the couch with the subtlety of a wrecking ball.
“Rainy day blues?” Dina asked.
“I’m just anxious for tomorrow’s game. The select coach is coming just to see me.”
Dina raised her eyebrows. “Just to see you? That’s a pretty big deal.”
“I can’t wait until kickoff,” Lily told her.
“Who are you playing?” Dina asked.
Dina waited for a response, but Lily didn’t answer. She was lost in thought, picturing herself scoring goal after goal.
chapter 8
“It’s not fair!” Lily complained to her coach. “Why today?”
Beth was stuck at a family reunion and wouldn’t make the game until halftime. Lily would start in goal against Castle Creek. She felt set up. Chris must have known: that’s why he had been having her practice in goal.
“LJ, like I’ve said before, you’re the best athlete we have. I need someone who can keep us in this game until Beth shows up. But the team needs you. Teamwork, remember?”
Lily slouched on the bench as Chris handed her the red jersey with the long sleeves and padded elbows. Her eyes scanned the crowd for the select coach. Legend had it he wore only white. She jumped when she felt Chris put a hand on her shoulder. “Cut down the angle and get your body behind the ball. Just like defending. Only this time you can use your hands. You’ll be great, LJ. I know it.”
Lily took a deep breath and tiptoed onto the field, trying her best to avoid the white lines. The rain had finally stopped, but the field was muddy and slick. Her feet felt heavy, and all her normal pre-game anticipation morphed into a serious pout. She put on the gloves and took her place in front of the goal. Vee waved to her from half field, and she halfheartedly raised her hand to respond. The referee took that as the sign she was ready and blew the whistle.
Game on.
On instinct, her legs woke up as soon as the girls started moving. She was tempted to follow the ball but had to settle for watching from afar. Lily had to admit the view was different from the end of the field. She could take in the whole scene: she noticed the bevy of too-tan Brookville moms dotting the sidelines, video cameras armed and ready. Skinny, manicured and electronically loaded seemed to be the theme of the town ladies. Lily mentally lumped the dads at the game in two categories: Berries and Nuts. The Berries were the ones with BlackBerries in holsters attached to their hips who whipped them out like gunslingers in the Old West. Tabitha’s dad was a Berry. He watched the game in two-second intervals, bobbing his head up and down as he furiously typed out an e-mail. She noticed that the Berries like Mr. Gordon tended to remain standing to better camouflage their feigned interest in anything other than Wall Street woes and wages.
The Nuts were the dads who took the game way too seriously. They wore dark tracksuits and squatted along the sidelines so that their heads stuck out like the center of a chocolate doughnut. They screamed like lunatics. Even Lily could peg these dads as the ones who never got to play much as kids. They took it all way too seriously. But at least they were there. Of course, Lily’s parents were nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she spotted her own motley cheering crew of Dina, Pop Pop and Billy. Lily released a heavy sigh as she saw Billy sneaking off behind the bleachers.
Lily tried to concentrate on the field. She could see the layout of all the positions, who was running and who was goofing off. She could also see that Castle Creek had some great players—in particular a halfback with short brown hair who seemed to be in the middle of every play. Lily remembered that was Molly Barrelton and admired the way she worked to get open.
Next to the team benches, she finally found the man in white. He had pale skin and thick dark hair with a pencil behind his ear. He stood alone with his clipboard and after every big play would carefully take the pencil from behind his ear, mark something down and put the pencil back. State Select Team coach. No doubt.
She noticed her own coach was more agitated than normal, pacing the sides and yelling in his panic voice. It took her a minute to notice that he was bellowing at her.
“Wake up, LJ!”
In her reverie, Lily had become so engrossed by analyzing the sideline scene she had inched farther and farther from the goal. She’d stopped watching the game at the precise moment Molly Barrelton got loose on a breakaway: she had the ball at half field and was heading straight for goal. Lily peeked over her shoulder and realized she was completely out of position. Backpedaling as quickly as she could, she tripped, landing with a thud on her backside. She heard a collective gasp from the sideline.
One voice, however, was loud and clear.
“LJ, get up!” Chris screamed.
Lily scrambled back to her feet as Barrelton closed in. She was thirty yards out now—nearly close enough to shoot. It was all up to Lily. There was no way Sue or the other defenders could catch up with Molly. Lily clapped, hearing the poof as her gloves made contact. She stayed on her toes and moved forward to cut off the angle.
The Moms, Nuts and Berries were all revved up like some kind of giant spectator smoothie. Lily tried to remember Chris’s speech from earlier in the week but couldn’t think clearly with all the screaming. Something about face lotion?
Molly Barrelton was only about ten yards awa
y now. Lily had to stop this girl. She crouched low, like a cat prepared to pounce in any direction.
Then she remembered what Chris had preached. Keep calm. Keep it together. Maintain equilibrium. Barrelton touched the ball again, and Lily knew this was her chance. If the girl got past her on the next touch, she would score. Lily took a deep breath and blocked out the chaos erupting on the sidelines. The world seemed to slow, and the roars of the crowd dulled to a quiet hum.
The ball floated into the space between the two players and Lily moved forward. Instead of grabbing with her hands, she lunged with her feet. The mud helped Lily slide forward with ease, and Barrelton was taken off guard. Both girls struck at exactly the same instant. There was an awful crunch as they fell to the ground. The wet ball popped free, landing behind Lily and right in front of the goal. There was nothing between the ball and the net but twelve yards of green.
Instinct took over and both girls scrambled to their feet. It was all about wanting it now. Whoever wanted it more would win this battle. They jockeyed shoulder to shoulder. All Barrelton had to do was get a foot on it. The goal’s hungry mouth was open wide.
It was do or die. With a grunt, Lily launched her body through the air—swinging her leg in front of Barrelton and poking the ball to the side. She slid past without any illegal contact, jumped to her feet and then pounced onto the ball.
She stood up and time resumed its frantic pace. She could hear the roar of the crowd. Aunt Dina was making a strange guttural bark, but everyone else was clapping and nodding. Lily noticed with satisfaction as the man in white reach behind his ear and took down his pencil. Now there’s some equilibrium, Lily thought smugly.
chapter 9
Beth arrived during halftime, and Lily happily handed over the red jersey. The teams were still at a scoreless tie. She readjusted her ponytail as the Bombers took their positions on the field, picking a few pieces of grass out of her hair as she assumed her place next to Vee.
“Uh-oh,” Vee said, pointing to a group under a large oak on the far side of the field. “You see that?”
Lily turned and her heart sank. A group of football players were trickling in and starting their warm-up. Griffin Prescott IV’s cocky presence was unmistakable as he tossed a football to Mark Gordon.
“Oh, great,” she said.
“Don’t think about them,” Vee said.
“Easier said than done.”
“Let’s just get a goal and finish this. We can beat these guys.”
Both sides took turns attacking without scoring until the Bombers got their chance at the eighty-five-minute mark. Avery and Sue made some magic up the left side and delivered the ball to Vee at the top of the eighteen-yard box. Vee pulled the ball back with her right foot and made some moves Lily had never seen from her before. She dribbled circles around two defenders and connected with a screamer that seemed certain to go in.
The Castle Creek goalie got her fingers on the ball at the last second, though, and tipped it over the bar. Lily saw the select coach take down his pencil and nod approvingly at Vee. Lily knew time was running out. She needed the ball. Now.
Since the goalie had tipped the ball out of bounds and over the goal line, the Bombers were awarded a corner kick. Lily knew the free kick from the corner flag was a great scoring opportunity for her, but only if she put the perfect spin on a banana kick. Yet it was also a perfect chance to use the corner kick as a pass and redirect the ball into the net off a head or foot. She ran over to take the corner kick. Chris waved her off from the far side of the field. “LJ, stay central!”
Lily didn’t listen. She trotted over to her teammate Olivia and said, “I got this one.”
Olivia looked surprised as Lily snatched the ball from her hands. “But I thought Chris wanted me ... ?” she questioned.
Chris was yelling from the sidelines now. Again Lily ignored him.
“No worries,” she said to her teammate. “I’m going to banana this baby in.”
Lily put the ball down in the small corner box and raised her arm to signal she was ready to kick. Her teammates looked unsure but responded by getting into position and lifting an arm to signal they were ready. Lily had dreamed a kick like this a million times. She was going to bend in the shot and win the game.
Lily lifted her own arm to show she was about to kick. She struck the ball. It soared toward the goal and started to drift to the left just as she’d hoped. Lily held her breath. The crowd on the sidelines grew silent. The ball started its long, loopy curve. It was going in!
Lily had raised both arms in victory and let out a cheer when out of nowhere the Castle Creek goalie charged off her line and punched the ball clear.
Suddenly Lily and the rest of the Bombers were caught flat-footed when the ball landed at the edge of the box. The entire Bomber squad had moved into offense. Sitting alone now at midfield was Molly Barrelton. A smile flashed across her face as a Castle Creek defender sent a long leading pass down the line. Molly took off like a lioness on the hunt. A sense of sports inevitability filled the air and twisted Lily’s gut. Molly would not be denied this time. She dribbled neatly and quickly to the top of the box as Sue and Amelia gave chase.
Beth moved forward from the net, cutting down the angle, watching the attacker’s feet. But Molly was quicker. She pulled up and faked a shot that sent Beth leaping to her right. Then, with the ease of an English professor reciting the alphabet, the Castle Creek star practically walked the ball into the net.
Just like that, the Bombers were losing the most important game of the season.
Chris fumed on the sidelines as Lily got back to midfield. Vee shot her a strange look, but there was no time to talk.
“One minute left, girls,” the referee told them, placing the ball down for the restart.
“Pass it to me,” Lily said to Vee.
Vee looked to the sidelines, where Chris was trying to rein in his anger and encourage his team.
“I can do it,” Lily said.
The whistle blew. It’s not too late, Lily thought. Vee delivered the pass and Lily started dribbling. She stepped over the ball to her right and moved left, beating two midfielders.
“I’m open, LJ!” she heard Vee call.
Not today, Lily thought. This one is mine.
Lily moved forward alone, fighting off defenders, practically crashing her way downfield. She did a spin, a pullback, a crossover. She was on fire and getting closer to the goal. The clock was ticking. Only seconds left. She knew all eyes were on her. There was only one more defender to beat now.
“LJ! Pass the ball!” Vee screamed. “I’m wide open!”
She looked up. Vee had tracked Lily downfield and was ten yards off to her left. She was unmarked in the box. Lily’s legs itched to pass, but she held back, remembering the select coach had already seen Vee’s moves.
Lily put her head back down and forged ahead, going straight at the sweeper—the last defender between her and the goalkeeper. All she had to do was beat her and take the shot. Moving quickly, she kept the ball close to her feet and then changed her pace, trying to draw the girl forward. Lily blocked everything out—the scene became like a photo, and the image of her scoring loomed large. She would tie the game right now and the select coach would pick her first.
She stepped over the ball with her right foot, pulling the sweeper to her left, then moved the ball forward with her left and closed in to take the shot. She would save the day. The sweeper was beaten. Or so Lily thought. She moved to get past, but the girl pushed back. Lily’s legs slipped in the mud and she started to lose control.
She looked for Vee, but she was covered by two defenders now. There was nowhere to pass.
The ball rolled out of touch.
Lily fought for position but was too late: the sweeper stepped in front and gently tapped the ball back to her goalie, who kicked it wide.
Lily bent to catch her breath and heard two short beeps of the whistle and then one long one. The game was over. The Bombers ha
d lost. Lily looked to Vee, who shook her head and walked off the field. Chris kept his back to the field as he cleaned up the cones and balls by the bench. Her aunt Dina was strangely silent, but Lily noticed old Pop Pop eyeing her over his shoulder. She saw the football players turn back to their warm-up with a collective shrug.
Lily searched for one last person. It was easy to spot the man in white standing off on his own. The coach stood unmoving for a moment as if deep in thought. She wondered what he was thinking. Perhaps he saw how great all her moves were? Lily stopped. The coach stared at her for a long moment and then slowly and unmistakably steadied his clipboard, flipped his pencil and started to erase.
chapter 10
Lily counted the cracks in the ceiling and wondered how long she could stay buried under the blanket. It was Monday morning, and she was sure she couldn’t face school or, worse, soccer practice later that afternoon.
Her coach hadn’t spoken much after Saturday’s game, but his long skinny face had flashed opinions like a Times Square billboard, every gesture broadcasting his disappointment. The only one who even talked to her was Tabitha Gordon, who really dug some of Lily’s moves that last minute of play. To say she missed the point was the understatement of the season.
Lily still had a hard time reliving the weekend. It all felt a little surreal—like she was an avatar in some other twelve-year-old’s imaginary life. First she blew the game and handed the Bombers their first loss of the season. Then she had to watch as the select team coach asked to speak only with Vee Merino and Molly Barrelton after the game. Finally, the coup de grace of the weekend de crap came during Sunday dinner in the form of a bombshell from Aunt Dina.
“Everyone, I’ve got some exciting news,” she’d said casually. Lily was poised to dig into her dad’s latest effort—pesto lasagna with sausage—but held her fork and looked around the table. When her dad took an unusually large gulp of wine and Pop Pop didn’t flinch, Lily got the distinct impression that this “exciting news” was only “news” to Lily and her brother. Their mom was still in Los Angeles.
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