Lucy’s “Perfect” Summer by Nancy Rue

freckles to stand alone.
    “I was just trying to help her,” she said.
    “I know. That’s why you’re out of there and on the Girls Select Team.”
    She knew she was looking stupid, but she could only blink.
    “That’s the team I’ve formed from the best I see here at camp,” Hawke said. “There’s one for boys too. That one’s full, which is unfortunate, because I see some others on the Dreams I’d like to include.” He pressed his lips out of their smile. “This space opened up when we had to send that player out of camp yesterday.”
    “Oh,” Lucy said.
    “Just ‘oh?’ ” Hawke tilted his head at her. “This is a huge opportunity for you, Lucy. This is the team the Olympic Development Program scout will look at. You know about that, right?”
    Lucy bobbed her head. “They train players for the Olympics. Only you have to be invited to even try out.” She didn’t add that she’d already been asked to try out in Texas — only she didn’t live there — even though Aunt Karen tried to use that to get Lucy to move there with her. Even in her thoughts she took a deep breath.
    “A scout will be here for the play-offs,” Hawke said, “and the Select Team will undoubtedly be in the final games.”
    That did call for more than “ oh, ” but Lucy didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She wanted to run straight back to the Dreams and tell J.J. —
    She froze. This meant she had to be away from the Dreams, away from her team.
    “I like this reaction, actually,” Hawke said. “You show a lot of humility — that’s a good quality in a player.”
    He let his foot go to the ground and straightened up. He was taller than any man Lucy could ever remember standing next to, which she did now, knees wobbling.
    “I’ll introduce you to your new team,” he said, “and you’ll join them right after lunch.”
    He nodded for her to walk beside him, and she took two steps for each of his, away from the fumbling Dreams, toward a circle of girls who were currently standing around a blonde coach. She was the one Veronica said was “crushing” on Seth. Right now, she appeared to be chewing out her players.
    “You were picked for this team because you’re superior athletes,” she said in a voice that sounded like she was about to have laryngitis. “I haven’t seen that so far — ”
    “Coach Neely,” Hawke said.
    A smile sprang to her face before she even looked at him. Lucy was sure she had never seen teeth that white. She guessed you didn’t show up before Hawke with anything less than perfection.
    “I have your new player.” Hawke looked down at Lucy. “She just about completes your team. This is Lucy Rooney.”
    Somebody laughed, although Lucy had never thought there was anything funny about her name. Theirs, when Coach Neely told them all to introduce themselves, went into a puddle in Lucy’s head. Bella — Kayla — Patricia — Sarah — Taylor — Waverly.
    She hoped there wasn’t going to be a test, especially since they were all alike as far as she could tell. Some were Hispanic like Dusty and Veronica, and one seemed to have Native American blood like Januarie, and a few were even white-skinned bolillos like Carla Rosa and her. But something about their faces ran together before her like melting ice cream. She was glad when Coach Neely said, “Time for lunch, girls. I’ll meet you back here at one o’clock.”
    “I have to go get mine,” Lucy said, though no one seemed to pay any attention. She ran for the Dreams as if she were going for a goal. If she didn’t get back to people whose names she knew, she might forget her own.
    She found the team at the picnic table they’d claimed the day before. Nobody had even opened their brown bags yet.
    “Did you get busted?” Gabe said — almost as if he certainly hoped so because that would liven things up.
    “Of course she didn’t.” Dusty grabbed Lucy’s arm. “You didn’t, did you?”
    “Guess what?” Carla Rosa said.