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not scared of you.’
    â€˜Then there shouldn’t be a problem.’
    â€˜Faltrain,’ Martin calls as I’m walking to class. ‘Wait up.’
    â€˜Get lost, Martin.’
    â€˜We need to talk.’
    â€˜About what? How you told Annabelle I’m scared my dad’ll leave again?’
    â€˜Is that why you’re still mad at me?’
    â€˜I’m mad because you’re an idiot. Annabelle is the reason I can’t try out for the Firsts and you’re talking to her like she hasn’t done anything wrong.’
    â€˜Faltrain, I’m sorry. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But I thought if Annabelle knew about your family, she’d understand why soccer’s so important to you. I thought maybe she’d call her friends off. But she’s only one of the reasons Yoosta won’t let you play. It’s in the rules that the competition is strictly boys only.’
    â€˜You don’t think of me as a girl when I’m on the team.’
    He laughs and scratches at his arm. ‘I pretty much think of you as a girl all the time, now, Faltrain. Those guys are fierce. I don’t want you to get hammered every match you play.’
    â€˜I won’t, Martin. When I’m out on that field I don’t feel like a boy or a girl. I don’t think about that at all. I think about winning and taking the shot. I think about soccer.’
    He keeps scratching at his arm. ‘I know. Flemming knows too. He feels bad that he let you down. The whole team does. We all saw what you did for Corelli. So, we decided: either you try out, or none of us do.’
    In my whole life I’ve only heard three things that have made me so happy I could cry. Dad telling me he’s coming home. Martin telling me I’m the one. And this.
    â€˜What?’ Coach roars at practice after school. The whole team has turned out to support me and it feels great. We’re all standing in front of him except for Corelli, who’s standing with his testosterone, ready to run, near the door. ‘What are you telling me, Knight?’
    â€˜That if Faltrain doesn’t try out, then neither do we.’
    â€˜I don’t have a team without you.’ Coach is moving from angry to desperate. Any minute he’s going to cry.
    â€˜Exactly,’ Martin answers.
    â€˜I’ve tried already,’ he says, sitting down and sighing. ‘Faltrain, I’ve been in there at least three times, and every time he tells me the same thing. The Inter-school Sports Board has to waive the rule. And they won’t.’
    â€˜Then we don’t enter a team,’ Flemming says. ‘Simple.’
    Everyone leaves one by one after that, feet dragging across the ground. Martin and Flemming and I stay. I have that same feeling I get when I lose a game. Except this time it’s worse. I’ve lost the entire season in one day.
    â€˜So I should let the Board know we’re out?’ Coach says, his eyes drifting upwards, like a kid who has lost his balloon. Martin and Flemming look at me. I find myself looking for that balloon, right along with Coach. There’s only one right answer. I want so bad to give the wrong one, but I start to shake my head.
    â€˜Wait . . .’ And then there’s a tiny knock on the door. ‘Alyce?’
    â€˜Hi,’ she says shyly, so soft the wind outside almost steals it. She doesn’t look at me directly, just passes two pieces of paper over. As soon as I read them I want to hug her so hard she squeaks. But I can’t get close enough. My angry words from this morning are still sitting between us.
    â€˜So that’s what you’ve been up to.’
    â€˜I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure it would help.’
    â€˜What is it?’ Martin asks. ‘Hand it over, Faltrain.’ He takes the paper from me and starts to laugh. ‘Has Yoosta seen these?’
    â€˜I gave copies to him this