seemed to be able to hold her gaze — there was a lot of looking at toes and studying fingernails and examining hair — except Lucy, who couldn’t take her eyes off the newcomer. Maybe it was the way she already seemed to be in charge before she’d even said a word.
“This is Rianna Wallace,” Hawke said. “She’s — ”
“I was on a Select Team in Albuquerque,” Rianna said, “but I just moved to Alamogordo.” She pulled a ponytail holder out of the pocket of her short-sleeved hoodie and scooped her wavy hair into it as she went on. “They don’t have one. They don’t have anything.”
“This team has everything,” Hawke said with a broad smile.
“You’re going to fit right in.”
From the way Rianna planted her hands on her hips, it looked like they’d better fit in with her. Lucy longed to hear a “Guess what?” from Carla Rosa — or even a “Lucy Goosey” from Gabe.
“Let’s put the shoelace pass on hold for now,” Coach Neely said as Hawke folded himself back into the golf cart and drove off. “Now that we have everybody, we can start gelling as a team. Circle up — we’ll play ‘Hot Potato.’ ”
“That’s the one where you keep passing the ball around,” Rianna said, “and whoever has it when the whistle blows — ”
“Is out.” Coach Neely gave her a long look before she picked up the ball. Lucy made a note to self: Don’t show off for the coach. She might have to make a list in her Book tonight to keep track of the rules nobody said out loud.
“That’s not the way we played it in Albuquerque,” Rianna said. Everybody gaped at her. “The way we did it was every time you get caught with the ball, you get a letter in the word POTATO. The first one who spells the whole word is out. It lasts longer that way.”
She held out her arms and wiggled her fingers at Coach Neely. “I’ll start.”
Taylor gave a nervous-sounding snort. “So which way are we playing it?”
“My way,” Coach Neely said, and passed the ball to a tiny girl with a boy-short haircut. “You start, Kayla. Girls, spread out your circle and use as many different passes as you can. The point is to learn to vary your passes. And don’t forget to talk to each other.”
“What’s your name?” Rianna said, blue eyes drilling into Kayla.
“Kay — ”
“To me, Kay.”
To Lucy’s surprise, little Kayla’s pass was crisp and sure, though she made it right to Rianna as instructed. Rianna made a push pass so hard at Sarah that she practically fell backward trapping it. Before she could even plant her foot, Rianna was saying, “Back to me!”
Sarah-of-the-Long-Ponytail looked at Coach Neely, but she was taking a swig out of her water bottle.
“To me !” Rianna yelled.
Sarah gave the ball a shove, but her foot hit it on the bottom instead of in the center, and the ball popped up and landed several feet short of Rianna. She made a hissing sound as she ran up on it, already looking around. Her eyes stopped on Lucy.
“To you!” she said, and lofted a pass Lucy had to trap with her chest. She heard Rianna shout, “Now back to me!” But the hair on the back of Lucy’s neck was standing up. Who resigned and made her coach? Lucy let the ball drop and glanced at the girl next to her — the one with the wild hair — was her name Patricia?
“To you,” Lucy said, and used the outside of her foot to give the ball a nice nudge.
“What was that?” Rianna said.
“That was a good move!” Coach Neely said. “Pass it, Patricia!”
Patricia took her time — which got the veins in Rianna’s forehead bulging — and made a controlled pass across the circle to a girl Lucy hadn’t seen smile yet.
“To you, Waverly,” Patricia said, after she kicked the ball.
“Aw, man!” Rianna said.
Waverly missed the pass, but she managed to retrieve the ball, and Lucy was impressed that she didn’t take the time to turn around but made a heel pass instead.
“Nice!” Coach Neely said.
The ball
“This is Rianna Wallace,” Hawke said. “She’s — ”
“I was on a Select Team in Albuquerque,” Rianna said, “but I just moved to Alamogordo.” She pulled a ponytail holder out of the pocket of her short-sleeved hoodie and scooped her wavy hair into it as she went on. “They don’t have one. They don’t have anything.”
“This team has everything,” Hawke said with a broad smile.
“You’re going to fit right in.”
From the way Rianna planted her hands on her hips, it looked like they’d better fit in with her. Lucy longed to hear a “Guess what?” from Carla Rosa — or even a “Lucy Goosey” from Gabe.
“Let’s put the shoelace pass on hold for now,” Coach Neely said as Hawke folded himself back into the golf cart and drove off. “Now that we have everybody, we can start gelling as a team. Circle up — we’ll play ‘Hot Potato.’ ”
“That’s the one where you keep passing the ball around,” Rianna said, “and whoever has it when the whistle blows — ”
“Is out.” Coach Neely gave her a long look before she picked up the ball. Lucy made a note to self: Don’t show off for the coach. She might have to make a list in her Book tonight to keep track of the rules nobody said out loud.
“That’s not the way we played it in Albuquerque,” Rianna said. Everybody gaped at her. “The way we did it was every time you get caught with the ball, you get a letter in the word POTATO. The first one who spells the whole word is out. It lasts longer that way.”
She held out her arms and wiggled her fingers at Coach Neely. “I’ll start.”
Taylor gave a nervous-sounding snort. “So which way are we playing it?”
“My way,” Coach Neely said, and passed the ball to a tiny girl with a boy-short haircut. “You start, Kayla. Girls, spread out your circle and use as many different passes as you can. The point is to learn to vary your passes. And don’t forget to talk to each other.”
“What’s your name?” Rianna said, blue eyes drilling into Kayla.
“Kay — ”
“To me, Kay.”
To Lucy’s surprise, little Kayla’s pass was crisp and sure, though she made it right to Rianna as instructed. Rianna made a push pass so hard at Sarah that she practically fell backward trapping it. Before she could even plant her foot, Rianna was saying, “Back to me!”
Sarah-of-the-Long-Ponytail looked at Coach Neely, but she was taking a swig out of her water bottle.
“To me !” Rianna yelled.
Sarah gave the ball a shove, but her foot hit it on the bottom instead of in the center, and the ball popped up and landed several feet short of Rianna. She made a hissing sound as she ran up on it, already looking around. Her eyes stopped on Lucy.
“To you!” she said, and lofted a pass Lucy had to trap with her chest. She heard Rianna shout, “Now back to me!” But the hair on the back of Lucy’s neck was standing up. Who resigned and made her coach? Lucy let the ball drop and glanced at the girl next to her — the one with the wild hair — was her name Patricia?
“To you,” Lucy said, and used the outside of her foot to give the ball a nice nudge.
“What was that?” Rianna said.
“That was a good move!” Coach Neely said. “Pass it, Patricia!”
Patricia took her time — which got the veins in Rianna’s forehead bulging — and made a controlled pass across the circle to a girl Lucy hadn’t seen smile yet.
“To you, Waverly,” Patricia said, after she kicked the ball.
“Aw, man!” Rianna said.
Waverly missed the pass, but she managed to retrieve the ball, and Lucy was impressed that she didn’t take the time to turn around but made a heel pass instead.
“Nice!” Coach Neely said.
The ball
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