Read Online Win or Lose by Alex Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

my seat, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Not only was he there, but he was staring right at me! I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, but Steven just smiled and waved. I did the same before turning around. Real smooth, Devin! I told myself.
    After class he was waiting for me in the hallway.
    â€œHey,” he said. “I heard Coach Valentine has taken over until Coach Flores gets back. How’s that going?” he asked with a sly grin.
    â€œUgh!” I groaned. “I feel like I’m in boot camp with adrill sergeant who also moonlights as a comedian.”
    Steven laughed. “Do you ever feel like you’re not sure if you should be saluting him or laughing at one of his jokes?”
    â€œOh my gosh, totally!” I said. We started walking down the hallway. “So how do you guys put up with him? Do you have any pointers?”
    â€œYeah, just always do what he says, and you’ll have no problem,” Steven said, and laughed. “But actually, he’s not all bad. He can be really nice, and once our team got into a rhythm with him, we started having a lot of fun at practices. Plus, my skills have improved a lot since I’ve had him as a coach.”
    â€œYour lap running skills?” I joked.
    â€œAnd my push-up skills.” Steven smiled back at me. We were both laughing as we walked into the classroom together.
    I saw Cody leaning over Jessi’s desk. They were both smiling as Jessi looked up at me. She saw me and winked. The bell rang, and Cody took his seat next to Steven. I slid into the chair next to Jessi’s and returned her smile.
    â€œSteven smile!” she whispered to me.
    â€œCody smile!” I whispered right back. We both laughed. It looked like Steven and Cody had both gotten over their disappointment at losing the play-off game. I was glad for them. Now if only the eighth graders could get over being mad at me!

CHAPTER NINE

    Thinking about what Steven had said helped make practice a little more bearable that afternoon. I wanted to improve my soccer skills too, and if Coach Valentine could help me do that, then the hard work was worth it. And if the boys could do it, so could I, right?
    Thinking about pizza helped me get through practice too. Even though only the seventh graders were going, I knew it would still be fun. (And also, I loved pizza!)
    We ran back into the locker room to change when practice was over. Lately the eighth graders were all changing by the back row of lockers, and the seventh graders were all clumped together by the front door. It almost felt like we were two different teams!
    â€œSo, I was thinking, do we have to go to Vinnie’s?” Jessi asked as we got changed.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with Vinnie’s?” I asked.
    â€œWell, they don’t makepineapple pizza, and I’m totally craving that,” she answered.
    â€œMmm, pineapple!” Anna agreed.
    I made a face. Back in Connecticut nobody put pineapple on pizza. But in California people put all kinds of strange stuff on it. I liked mine old-school—plain, pepperoni, or sometimes a veggie slice. But that was as crazy as I got.
    â€œWell, where do you want to go?” I asked.
    â€œHow about Pizza Kitchen?” Emma suggested.
    I shrugged. “That’s fine with me. Everybody else okay?”
    All of the girls nodded. “Okay, then,” I said. “Let’s all meet at Pizza Kitchen.”
    Jessi’s mom had agreed to drive me, Frida, Emma, and Zoe, so we all piled into her minivan once we got to the parking lot.
    â€œMom, we’re going to Pizza Kitchen instead,” Jessi informed her as she slid into the passenger seat.
    Mrs. Dukes smiled. “Oh, good. I need to do some shopping, and that’s right next to the market.”
    A few minutes later we arrived at Pizza Kitchen, a pretty normal-looking pizza parlor in the middle of a strip mall. Brianna, Sarah, Anna, and Olivia had gotten there first and were