Hat Trick by Alex Morgan Page A

to give her a high five, but she just rolled her eyes.
    â€œIt was a tie. Why are we celebrating?” she asked.
    I couldn’t believe it. How about high-fiving for a good game? Then Mirabelle walked up to me with her right palm raised.
    â€œUp here,” she said with a smile, and I slapped her palm.
    â€œThanks,” I said. “It’s hard to find anyone with team spirit around here.”
    Jessi ran up to us. “Tell me about it. It’s really getting me down.”
    Mirabelle nodded. “It’s kind of like how I felt when I left the Kicks to go to Pinewood,” she said. “It’s a really competitive atmosphere over there. I felt like a little fish in a big pond.”
    â€œExactly,” I said. “It’s really hard to fit in on the Griffons.”
    â€œYou did a pretty good job today,” Jessi said. “Yellow card? Should we call you Bruiser now?”
    â€œThat was an accident,” I protested, but as the words left my mouth, I wondered if they were true. I’d wanted to get to that ball, no matter what it took. I’d known I would have to smash my way between those two players to get it. That sounded like rough play to me.
    â€œWell, I ended up finding my place on Pinewood,” Mirabelle said. “Maybe we just all need more time to gel, you know?”
    Then she glanced toward the parking lot. “See you later.”
    As Mirabelle left, Jessi and I looked at each other.
    â€œI really like the new Mirabelle,” I said.
    â€œWell, people change,” Jessi said, and then she looked me directly in the eyes, like she was talking about me too.
    â€œI’m not changing!” I insisted. “I’m just trying to be a better player.”
    â€œWhatever you say, Bruiser,” Jessi said, and then she laughed, and I knew she was teasing, and I laughed too. It felt like a relief.
    Then my dad pulled up in the Marshmallow.
    â€œHow did it go?” he asked, and then he noticed the Giraffes. “Did you guys have a scrimmage?”
    â€œYeah,” I replied. “We tied. I didn’t score any goals, but I made some good passes.”
    â€œGreat, Devin,” Dad said. “It sounds like things are working out.”
    â€œI guess,” I replied.
    I might have been playing the way Coach wanted me to on the field, but our team hadn’t won a game yet. And we never would, as long as everybody was acting like it was every player for herself.
    I was determined to fix the problem. The only question was—how?

My problem-solving skills got a great workout the next day in school. I aced my algebra test and totally owned a surprise quiz in science. So figuring out how to fit in on the Griffons should have been a breeze, right?
    My mood was pretty good when I left science class after the pop quiz. It got even better when Steven came up to me in the hall afterward. He walked over with that awesome smile of his. I know it sounds dorky, but I got this warm and fuzzy feeling whenever he smiled at me. I returned the smile, happy that my day was going so great. Usually I felt so in control on the soccer field, like I was in the flow. But I hadn’t been feeling that lately, so a day of kicking butt at school helped me regain some confidence.
    Then it was time for lunch, and my good mood took a hit. Emma sat with the Tree Huggers, and Zoe with her fellow Gators again. The bright side was that Jessi and I had a lot of laughs as she showed off her new Coach Darby impersonation. Not only did Jessi nail that barking voice, but she narrowed her eyes in a perfect imitation of Coach’s hawk-like stare. I laughed so hard, I almost spit coconut water (thanks, Mom!) out of my nose.
    I saw Steven again seventh period, when we had World Civ together—and another quiz. When that class ended, we walked to English class. “How’d you do on the quiz?” he asked me.
    â€œAced it,” I announced proudly.
    Steven