Read Online Playing With the Boys by Liz Tigelaar - Free Book Online
Authors: Liz Tigelaar
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Pickle.
“Stay on her, Luce,” Pickle shouted. As sweeper, Pickle was considered the coach of the defenders, constantly shouting out instructions, informing the backfield of what was happening. As Charlie played the ball down the line, Lucy cut across the angle toward the goal, trying to keep Charlie from having a clean shot.
“Switch,” Carla shouted to Charlie. Carla and Charlie were both on the opposing team, and the two communicated quickly and effortlessly. They knew each other so well they could practically speak in code. In a clean, swift motion, Charlie drilled the ball to the other side of the field. Pickle jumped up for a header but wasn’t quite tall enough. The ball sailed over her. Carla stopped the ball with her knee and easily trapped it at her feet as Charlie made a beeline for the goal.
“Step up, red,” Pickle shouted to her teammates, attempting to get Charlie offside, but Lucy barely heard. She was too distracted by her own frustration over the bad pass.
Carla passed the ball to Charlie, who banged it into the corner of the net. Their team was up, three to one.
“Lucy, you could have blocked that shot,” Martie scolded. “You gotta stay even with Pickle. That should have been offside.”
Lucy looked down at the grass and nodded. The goal was all her fault. She knew she should never be behind the sweeper. A dumb move like that could mean the difference between winning and losing a game. It could even mean the difference in making it onto this team. Lucy took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. Pickle ran up, giving her an encouraging slap on the back.
“Keep your head in it, Luce,” she said, trying to psych her up. “You got this.”
Lucy jogged to her position on the right side of Pickle and told herself the same thing. Come on, she thought to herself. You’ve got this.
As the whistle blew, Lucy became more determined than ever to shake off the bad play and show Martie what she was capable of. She just had to. After everything she’d been through, she couldn’t fall apart under pressure now. She told herself to keep her head in it, that it was the last practice before the cut. She ran hard on the next fifty-fifty and won the ball.
After tryouts and congratulatory hugs over simply surviving Hell Week, all the girls dispersed. Lucy was about to speed-dial her dad when Benji pulled up to the field. He smiled and waved from the driver’s seat.
“You got plans?” he called out.
Lucy shook her head no. Benji reached across and opened his passenger-side door.“Well, you do now. Get in.”
Within minutes, Benji and Lucy were winding up a canyon road.
“Where’re we going?” Lucy asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Benji said. “Wait—do you hate surprises?”
Lucy considered. “Well, it depends. I don’t like to be, like, caught off guard . . . but I like surprises. Does that make sense?”
“Not at all,” Benji said; then he laughed. “Or totally.” He turned up Green Day on the radio. Lucy relaxed against the headrest.
“So what’s your deal?” he asked. “Actually, wait—don’t tell me. I have a knack for reading people.”
“Reading people what?” she bantered. “Magazine articles? Newspapers?”
He frowned at her playfully. “Let’s see,” he considered thoughtfully. “You’re a straight-A student. You have an older brother and sister. And your first concert ever was Britney Spears.”
“You got one of those things right,” Lucy smiled. “I’m an only child. And I got a B last year . . .” She paused. “In sex ed.”
Benji cracked up. “I don’t know which is more appalling. The B in sex ed or the Britney Spears concert.” He turned down the radio a bit. “Okay, your turn. You try reading me.”
“Oh God.” Lucy blushed.“I don’t know. I
“Stay on her, Luce,” Pickle shouted. As sweeper, Pickle was considered the coach of the defenders, constantly shouting out instructions, informing the backfield of what was happening. As Charlie played the ball down the line, Lucy cut across the angle toward the goal, trying to keep Charlie from having a clean shot.
“Switch,” Carla shouted to Charlie. Carla and Charlie were both on the opposing team, and the two communicated quickly and effortlessly. They knew each other so well they could practically speak in code. In a clean, swift motion, Charlie drilled the ball to the other side of the field. Pickle jumped up for a header but wasn’t quite tall enough. The ball sailed over her. Carla stopped the ball with her knee and easily trapped it at her feet as Charlie made a beeline for the goal.
“Step up, red,” Pickle shouted to her teammates, attempting to get Charlie offside, but Lucy barely heard. She was too distracted by her own frustration over the bad pass.
Carla passed the ball to Charlie, who banged it into the corner of the net. Their team was up, three to one.
“Lucy, you could have blocked that shot,” Martie scolded. “You gotta stay even with Pickle. That should have been offside.”
Lucy looked down at the grass and nodded. The goal was all her fault. She knew she should never be behind the sweeper. A dumb move like that could mean the difference between winning and losing a game. It could even mean the difference in making it onto this team. Lucy took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. Pickle ran up, giving her an encouraging slap on the back.
“Keep your head in it, Luce,” she said, trying to psych her up. “You got this.”
Lucy jogged to her position on the right side of Pickle and told herself the same thing. Come on, she thought to herself. You’ve got this.
As the whistle blew, Lucy became more determined than ever to shake off the bad play and show Martie what she was capable of. She just had to. After everything she’d been through, she couldn’t fall apart under pressure now. She told herself to keep her head in it, that it was the last practice before the cut. She ran hard on the next fifty-fifty and won the ball.
After tryouts and congratulatory hugs over simply surviving Hell Week, all the girls dispersed. Lucy was about to speed-dial her dad when Benji pulled up to the field. He smiled and waved from the driver’s seat.
“You got plans?” he called out.
Lucy shook her head no. Benji reached across and opened his passenger-side door.“Well, you do now. Get in.”
Within minutes, Benji and Lucy were winding up a canyon road.
“Where’re we going?” Lucy asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Benji said. “Wait—do you hate surprises?”
Lucy considered. “Well, it depends. I don’t like to be, like, caught off guard . . . but I like surprises. Does that make sense?”
“Not at all,” Benji said; then he laughed. “Or totally.” He turned up Green Day on the radio. Lucy relaxed against the headrest.
“So what’s your deal?” he asked. “Actually, wait—don’t tell me. I have a knack for reading people.”
“Reading people what?” she bantered. “Magazine articles? Newspapers?”
He frowned at her playfully. “Let’s see,” he considered thoughtfully. “You’re a straight-A student. You have an older brother and sister. And your first concert ever was Britney Spears.”
“You got one of those things right,” Lucy smiled. “I’m an only child. And I got a B last year . . .” She paused. “In sex ed.”
Benji cracked up. “I don’t know which is more appalling. The B in sex ed or the Britney Spears concert.” He turned down the radio a bit. “Okay, your turn. You try reading me.”
“Oh God.” Lucy blushed.“I don’t know. I
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