someone flipped a switch.”
Tina frowned. “Why, do you think?”
“Because I’m your friend,” said Meg. “They were probably talking about you.”
“Who’s Cindy?” Dave asked. “It doesn’t sound like she’s a buddy of yours.”
Meg laughed. “Hardly. She wants to be the superstar of our team, and she hates it that someone else, like Tina, might be as
valuable to the Wildcats as she thinks she is.”
Dave frowned. “Is she making trouble?”
Tina described what Cindy had done.
“What did your coach do?” Dave asked.
Tina said, “Nothing, but she must have had a reason. She’s a great coach, and I can’t believe she didn’t notice what was going
on, or that she didn’t care.”
Dave leaned forward and looked hard at Tina. “If the coach doesn’t do something, you have to. If you let her get away with
that stuff, she’ll keep pushingyou until you push back. You have to show you won’t take it.”
“I won’t fight!” Tina didn’t like Dave’s suggestion. “I hope she’ll lighten up, but I’m not going to make things worse than
they are!”
“I’m not talking about fighting. The thing is,” Dave said, “sometimes you just tell someone to back off. A guy at my old school
gave me problems like yours. He came on like he was the Big Boss. One day he got in my face with a lot of loud talk, and I
came right back at him. Well, he backed down and left me alone.”
Tina said, “What if he hadn’t? I’ll do something, if Cindy keeps it up.”
“What’ll you do?” asked Meg.
Tina shook her head. “I don’t know. But I will. When the right time comes.”
“Well, I’ll be there to help,” Meg said. “And if you want me to talk to Cindy —”
Tina shook her head. “No. I have to do it, whatever it is. I don’t want to start some kind of war on the team where everyone
takes sides. I’d better go home and get ready for dinner.”
They walked back to Tina’s, where Dave waved and ran up the steps and in his front door. As Meg unlocked her bike, she said,
“So you like Dave after all, huh?”
“Sure,” said Tina. “He’s a nice guy. Plus, he gave me some soccer tips.”
Meg nodded. “Yes, but I mean, you
like
him.
You
know what I mean.”
Tina said, “I think he’s a friend, like you, except he’s a boy. Okay?”
Meg gave up and left. Tina, who knew what Meg meant, was happy to drop the subject.
As Mr. Esparza served Tina some grilled beef— he was a good cook and often made the family dinner— he asked, “So what’s happening
with your team? Are you still a goalkeeper?”
Tina took her plate. “Thanks, Daddy, it looks delicious! So far, that’s still the plan. I’m doing keeper drills with another
girl and the assistant coach, and it’s going all right.”
A thought struck her. “Dad, you were playing soccer when you were my age, right?”
“Sure!” said her father as he served Sammy. “We played everywhere — in the park, in empty lots, in the street.”
“Did you ever have a problem with a pushy kid who thought he was a star, hogged the ball, and gave you trouble all the time?”
Mr. Esparza gave his daughter a long look. “Yeah, we had a few like that. There are always a few like that.”
Tina asked, “How did you handle it?”
“It depended. There was this boy who thought he was better than the rest of us and said so. The thing is, he
was
better, and we knew it, so we left him alone. He wasn’t around long. Soon he went to a junior pro team, and in a few years,
he was a real star.
“But most of these types aren’t as good as they think they are. We didn’t do much about them, either. It soon became clear
that they weren’t so good. They’d see it themselves and quiet down. Or they’d see they weren’t making friends with all their
talk, and they’d stop or go away and find other people to bother.”
Tina wasn’t sure this helped her or not. Cindy
was
pretty good. “So, you wouldn’t stand up to
Tina frowned. “Why, do you think?”
“Because I’m your friend,” said Meg. “They were probably talking about you.”
“Who’s Cindy?” Dave asked. “It doesn’t sound like she’s a buddy of yours.”
Meg laughed. “Hardly. She wants to be the superstar of our team, and she hates it that someone else, like Tina, might be as
valuable to the Wildcats as she thinks she is.”
Dave frowned. “Is she making trouble?”
Tina described what Cindy had done.
“What did your coach do?” Dave asked.
Tina said, “Nothing, but she must have had a reason. She’s a great coach, and I can’t believe she didn’t notice what was going
on, or that she didn’t care.”
Dave leaned forward and looked hard at Tina. “If the coach doesn’t do something, you have to. If you let her get away with
that stuff, she’ll keep pushingyou until you push back. You have to show you won’t take it.”
“I won’t fight!” Tina didn’t like Dave’s suggestion. “I hope she’ll lighten up, but I’m not going to make things worse than
they are!”
“I’m not talking about fighting. The thing is,” Dave said, “sometimes you just tell someone to back off. A guy at my old school
gave me problems like yours. He came on like he was the Big Boss. One day he got in my face with a lot of loud talk, and I
came right back at him. Well, he backed down and left me alone.”
Tina said, “What if he hadn’t? I’ll do something, if Cindy keeps it up.”
“What’ll you do?” asked Meg.
Tina shook her head. “I don’t know. But I will. When the right time comes.”
“Well, I’ll be there to help,” Meg said. “And if you want me to talk to Cindy —”
Tina shook her head. “No. I have to do it, whatever it is. I don’t want to start some kind of war on the team where everyone
takes sides. I’d better go home and get ready for dinner.”
They walked back to Tina’s, where Dave waved and ran up the steps and in his front door. As Meg unlocked her bike, she said,
“So you like Dave after all, huh?”
“Sure,” said Tina. “He’s a nice guy. Plus, he gave me some soccer tips.”
Meg nodded. “Yes, but I mean, you
like
him.
You
know what I mean.”
Tina said, “I think he’s a friend, like you, except he’s a boy. Okay?”
Meg gave up and left. Tina, who knew what Meg meant, was happy to drop the subject.
As Mr. Esparza served Tina some grilled beef— he was a good cook and often made the family dinner— he asked, “So what’s happening
with your team? Are you still a goalkeeper?”
Tina took her plate. “Thanks, Daddy, it looks delicious! So far, that’s still the plan. I’m doing keeper drills with another
girl and the assistant coach, and it’s going all right.”
A thought struck her. “Dad, you were playing soccer when you were my age, right?”
“Sure!” said her father as he served Sammy. “We played everywhere — in the park, in empty lots, in the street.”
“Did you ever have a problem with a pushy kid who thought he was a star, hogged the ball, and gave you trouble all the time?”
Mr. Esparza gave his daughter a long look. “Yeah, we had a few like that. There are always a few like that.”
Tina asked, “How did you handle it?”
“It depended. There was this boy who thought he was better than the rest of us and said so. The thing is, he
was
better, and we knew it, so we left him alone. He wasn’t around long. Soon he went to a junior pro team, and in a few years,
he was a real star.
“But most of these types aren’t as good as they think they are. We didn’t do much about them, either. It soon became clear
that they weren’t so good. They’d see it themselves and quiet down. Or they’d see they weren’t making friends with all their
talk, and they’d stop or go away and find other people to bother.”
Tina wasn’t sure this helped her or not. Cindy
was
pretty good. “So, you wouldn’t stand up to
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