Lost

Chapter 29

I seriously have to try out for soccer, I hate my life. At our school there is a girls team and a boys team, but they practice at the same time. So I get to practice with Zach, but I also have to practice with Sofia. She's on the team but only so she can spend more time with Zach. She's so desperate.

I change into shorts and a t-shirt, and I put my hair in a ponytail. I exit the locker room once I've put on my cleats.

I see Zach and a couple of his friends warming up on the field.

"Maddie?" He asks looking surprised
"The principal made me" I answer
Zach nods, "I didn't really see you as a soccer girl"
"Yeah" I laugh
"Have you ever played before?"
"Yeah when I was younger. I played on a competitive team until I was 9, but it was boring"
"A competitive team!"
I shrug,"my dad likes soccer and he put a lot of pressure on me to play."

Our quick conversation ends when Coach Max calls us over.

"Today we are going to do a quick tryout for Maddie"

No one told me I had to try out.

"Okay this is very simple, take 10 shots at the goal. Shane will play goalie"

Simple enough, I hope I still have my 9 year old skills, I doubt it.

I end up making 7 out of the 10 shots,
"Wow, have you ever played before?" Coach asks me
"Uh yeah when I was younger" I answer

He pats me on the back, "welcome to the team"

I give him a small smile before joining the rest of the team in warmups. We finish stretching and begin to run around the field.

I'm exhausted by the time I'm finished,

"Passing drills" coach announces and walks over to help me.

Once he explains the drill I get paired with Brooke, oh joy. I would have taken anyone else but Sofia as a partner. The world hates me today.

We spend half an hour
on passes, half an hour on shooting, and we finish of the practice with a scrimmage.

It's boys verses girls so I end up playing right midfielder.

Throughout most of the game I don't get much action, until the ball comes flying across the field to me. I sprint up the sideline, dribbling the ball as fast as I can.

One of Zach's  friends comes up and tries to take the ball away from me, I pass it through his legs and get it again on the other side of him. He stands there with his mouth open, I smirk.

I'm almost at the goal now, I move easily past the defense and take a shot. I aim at the top left corner, my shot goes in.

The goalie, Shane, is shocked. Everyone is, I feel all their eyes on me as I walk off the field.

Coach Max comes and sits next to me in the bench, "those were some nice moves out there"

I shrug, "it wasn't anything special"

"You're good Maddie, keep it up and you'll have a starting position"

"Thanks" I nod and grab my stuff. I walk over to my dad who's waiting for me by the bleachers.

"You looked good out there"
"Thanks dad"
"We'll have to start practicing together again"
I smile, "yeah"

My dad's actually starting to pay attention to me again, I could get used to this.