you.â
Charlie pushed hard, her lungs and thighs burning. Her legs were shaky, a sure sign that she wasnât in top shape, but she kept the ball in control as she rounded the end cones.
âWay to dig in, Charlie!â Coach called out.
Charlie didnât let on the pride she felt, but it gave her a boost of confidence, temporarily at least.
Soon Coach whistled to announce a scrimmage between the two groups. She assigned positions, putting Charlie in the left forward spot. Still breathing heavily from the workout, Charlie took her place, and her nerves kicked in again. Compulsories were one thingâCharlie didnât have to count on anybody else to proveshe was good at that. But an actual scrimmage was different. She jumped up and down a few times to keep her muscles warm, but she felt jittery. âCalm down,â she muttered. She was doing fine so far. Plus, Coach already knew her nameâthat was a good sign, wasnât it?
When Coach put the ball in play, Charlie kept her eye on it and advanced with it, staying in her invisible lane. She stumbled once over her new shoes but thankfully didnât fall. The play went along for several minutes with no action for Charlie, but her team was dominating. When Bree, who was playing center forward on Charlieâs team, popped the ball up in the air for a goal shot, Kelly, as a fullback for the red team, headed it. It hit off somebodyâs knee and flew sideways toward Charlie.
Charlie dug in, but after pushing so hard earlier, her muscles were still weak. She felt slow getting to the ball, like her alertness was lagging a second behind where it should be. And her nerves kicked in, making every movement seem slightly out of control. She dribbled awkwardly, almost losing the ballâit wasnât going where she wanted it to go. Try as she might, Charlie couldnât get in the groove. Soon the red team swarmed in and stole the ball out from under her, racing in the other direction and leaving her breathless and empty-handed. She stared and shook her head, angry at herself, then started back toward the centerline, hoping she didnât just give the other team a chance to score.
Coach soon subbed out half of each team, including Charlie,to let other girls play. Disappointed, Charlie headed for the bleachers, knowing she hadnât had an opportunity to show Coach what she could really do. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a drink of water, then sat down to try to get her head in the right place. She couldnât fail tryouts! How awful and embarrassing would that be? Not only would she have to face Kelly, but sheâd have to tell Amari that she didnât make it. No matter how hard Charlie tried to push the thoughts aside, they began to consume her.
After a while Coach called Charlie back in. She jumped up and raced to her position, knowing this might be her last chance to make the team. She had to hustle.
The whistle blew, and the girls exploded. Charlie had to make her own magic happen if she was going to leave a good impression. When at last the ball soared toward her, Charlie didnât waste a moment. She sprinted for it, trapped it, and started for the goal, trying to turn her anxiety into action. Immediately a girl from the red team was on her tail, and then another. Charlie felt her heart racingâshe couldnât lose the ball now. This was her chance! But the other team was closing in.
Charlie lunged forward with a burst of adrenaline and pulled away from her competitors faster than sheâd ever done before. A thrill rushed through her. She dodged around another girl who was coming toward her, chipped the ball over her outstretched leg, and sped after it. She blew past a halfback and looked aroundwildly for a teammate, but everyone was too far behind herâshe was going to have to take it to the goal alone.
She ran over the field, keeping the opposing teamâs fullbacks and goalie in sight as their
Charlie pushed hard, her lungs and thighs burning. Her legs were shaky, a sure sign that she wasnât in top shape, but she kept the ball in control as she rounded the end cones.
âWay to dig in, Charlie!â Coach called out.
Charlie didnât let on the pride she felt, but it gave her a boost of confidence, temporarily at least.
Soon Coach whistled to announce a scrimmage between the two groups. She assigned positions, putting Charlie in the left forward spot. Still breathing heavily from the workout, Charlie took her place, and her nerves kicked in again. Compulsories were one thingâCharlie didnât have to count on anybody else to proveshe was good at that. But an actual scrimmage was different. She jumped up and down a few times to keep her muscles warm, but she felt jittery. âCalm down,â she muttered. She was doing fine so far. Plus, Coach already knew her nameâthat was a good sign, wasnât it?
When Coach put the ball in play, Charlie kept her eye on it and advanced with it, staying in her invisible lane. She stumbled once over her new shoes but thankfully didnât fall. The play went along for several minutes with no action for Charlie, but her team was dominating. When Bree, who was playing center forward on Charlieâs team, popped the ball up in the air for a goal shot, Kelly, as a fullback for the red team, headed it. It hit off somebodyâs knee and flew sideways toward Charlie.
Charlie dug in, but after pushing so hard earlier, her muscles were still weak. She felt slow getting to the ball, like her alertness was lagging a second behind where it should be. And her nerves kicked in, making every movement seem slightly out of control. She dribbled awkwardly, almost losing the ballâit wasnât going where she wanted it to go. Try as she might, Charlie couldnât get in the groove. Soon the red team swarmed in and stole the ball out from under her, racing in the other direction and leaving her breathless and empty-handed. She stared and shook her head, angry at herself, then started back toward the centerline, hoping she didnât just give the other team a chance to score.
Coach soon subbed out half of each team, including Charlie,to let other girls play. Disappointed, Charlie headed for the bleachers, knowing she hadnât had an opportunity to show Coach what she could really do. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a drink of water, then sat down to try to get her head in the right place. She couldnât fail tryouts! How awful and embarrassing would that be? Not only would she have to face Kelly, but sheâd have to tell Amari that she didnât make it. No matter how hard Charlie tried to push the thoughts aside, they began to consume her.
After a while Coach called Charlie back in. She jumped up and raced to her position, knowing this might be her last chance to make the team. She had to hustle.
The whistle blew, and the girls exploded. Charlie had to make her own magic happen if she was going to leave a good impression. When at last the ball soared toward her, Charlie didnât waste a moment. She sprinted for it, trapped it, and started for the goal, trying to turn her anxiety into action. Immediately a girl from the red team was on her tail, and then another. Charlie felt her heart racingâshe couldnât lose the ball now. This was her chance! But the other team was closing in.
Charlie lunged forward with a burst of adrenaline and pulled away from her competitors faster than sheâd ever done before. A thrill rushed through her. She dodged around another girl who was coming toward her, chipped the ball over her outstretched leg, and sped after it. She blew past a halfback and looked aroundwildly for a teammate, but everyone was too far behind herâshe was going to have to take it to the goal alone.
She ran over the field, keeping the opposing teamâs fullbacks and goalie in sight as their
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