Coach wants me to.â
Jessi raised an eyebrow. âWhat do you mean?â
âIf Darby wants me to be more aggressive, Iâll be more aggressive,â I said.
âYou mean, like pushing and shoving on the field?â Jessi asked.
âNo. But I can be more aggressive about going after the ball. I can show Coach I really want to play and score,â I said. I was not going to sit on the bench again next game. No way.
As we got in line to warm up, I saw a group of girls walking onto the field in yellow scrimmage jerseys.
âWeâre scrimmaging with the Giraffes today,â Coach Darby announced. âCoach Perez and I are old friends, and we decided this would be a good chance to give you girls some extra practice.â
Coach Perez was a tall, thin guy with a black crew cut and a friendly smile.
âHe looks too nice to be Coach Darbyâs friend,â Jessi whispered to me. I started to laugh, but then covered it up when Coach Darby marched toward us.
âDevin, Jessi, midfield center,â she called out, to my surprise.
I jogged out into the midfield, grateful to get a chance to play. I knew it was only a scrimmage and didnât count toward our standings, but it felt like a real game. I knew if I had any chance of playing in our next real game, Iâd have to impress Coach Darby. So at kickoff, when one of the Giraffes came dribbling down the field toward our goal, I charged toward her like a mad bull.
Normally I might have waited until she kicked the ball out in front of her, but she was keeping the ball pretty close to her as she dribbled. I could see the sweat on her forehead as I ran up to her, blocking her path to the goal. She banked to the right, and I moved with her, kicking the ball right out from under her feet. Then we both scrambled for it, but I got to it first.
Jamie was open about ten feet away from me, so I swiftly kicked it to her, and she charged toward the goal with it. My heart was pounding. I had made a successful pass! This was exactly what I loved about the gameâthat rush you feel when you get the ball and things work out like theyâre supposed to.
Coach Darby kept me in midfield for the second quarter. I tried to steal the ball from the Giraffes every time I could.
âNice job, Devin!â Coach Darby called out, and I thought maybe she was talking to some other Devin on the field. But of course, there was only me.
Toward the end of the second quarter, one of the Giraffes dribbled the ball toward me. One of her teammates was right next to her. To get the ball Iâd have to get between them.
Normally I would have gone around them, but this time I sort of squeezed my way between them, and I felt my elbow accidentally make contact with the side of one of the Giraffes. Then I heard Coach Perezâs whistle blow. Play stopped, and he held up a yellow card. Then he pointed at me.
âMe?â I asked, and he nodded.
I jogged across the field to him, embarrassed. I felt like everybody was staring at me. I had never received a yellow card before.
âThis is for elbowing your opponent,â he told me. âOne more, and youâre out. Got it?â
I felt my face heat up. Of course I hadnât meant to elbow her. But it didnât matterÂâI had anyway. âI got it!â I promised sheepishly. And then I jogged back onto the field.
Coach Darby came toward me, and for a second I wondered if she was angry. But instead she said, âDonât let it get you down, Devin. Itâs okay to get a yellow card once in a while. Itâs a sign that youâre playing to win.â
A sign that youâre playing to win. I wasnât sure if I agreed with that, but in that moment she honestly made me feel better. And she kept me in for the whole game!
The game ended in a tie, 2â2, and since it was just a scrimmage, we didnât do any overtime. I was standing next to Kelly when the game ended, and I went
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