Luz
"So," I started leaning back in the chair, "how'd I do?" I asked him curiously. I'd been used to these at this point. I come in every few weeks to visit my academic advisor. They were much like the first time except I was aware of the purpose of these visits. I'd read these short stories as I was timed and then I'd attempt to answer questions about the text.
"Your reading comprehension has been improving." He said while shifting through some papers and marking things down on them with his pen. "You read more words per minute and you struggle with the questions a lot less." He told me and though I hated to admit it this news made me happy. I always tried to act like I didn't care but in reality, I had wanted to do better each time. I wanted to improve upon the things I was weak at. And maybe that was Amity's voice echoing throughout my head or maybe it was the way I got my mother's face to light up when I showed her I had been doing better.
Either way, I was excited by this news and I tried to bite back my smile as I went to respond. "Maybe these dumb short stories aren't so bad after all," I commented earning a deep chuckle from him as I referenced the words I'd used to describe them the first time.
"I guess not." As I moved to get up his sudden voice called out to me stopping me at the door. "Hey Luz," he said and I turned to face him once more, "there's one more thing I wanted to speak with you about." He informed me and I groaned.
"What now?" I complained jokingly before dragging my feet toward his desk as he shook his head with a smile sent my direction.
"I know you're in a hurry to leave your super cool academic advisor," he paused before he went on, "but this is important." He finished before picking up a flyer and handing it to me. "The art club had mentioned all of your help painting things for the theater and I realized you don't have an art class on your schedule." I furrowed my brows before flipping it around and looking down at the paper in my hand.
"But they have been really impressed with your work for the theater. And I've been wondering, have you considered showcasing your art more?" I read from the paper seeing it was some weird art showcase that students could enter to win a prize though I completely skimmed over it and was still stuck on why they would give me this. So what if I drew a little? That didn't make me an artist worthy of sharing my work, did it?
I never really thought of my art that way though I did enjoy drawing and I was aware that I was okay at it. "If you were interested you could participate in it. And if you weren't interested in it you could always help the art class with the mural they are making in the hall next to the science class." He continued and I looked at him feeling something close to dread build within my stomach for some reason. I swallowed hard as he gave me a warm smile sensing my duress somehow.
"Just think about it okay? No pressure." He told me gently and I took a step back forcing a smile.
"Yeah, sure," I said before shoving the paper in my bag and heading for the library to finish off the rest of my study hall in a place I could take the time to think. I rushed out of the door only to crash right into someone. I stumbled back and looked down to see some things that had fallen to the ground. I moved to pick them up for the person who dropped them seeing a book about engineering.
"Sorry about that I wasn't watching where-" I paused as I stood and my eyes locked with Matt's. He seemed to grow stiff and take a step back.
"It's fine Noceda. I wasn't looking where I was going either." He shifted awkwardly while scratching the side of his head and taking his things from my hand. "Actually, have you seen Amity? I need to talk to her." He mumbled in hesitance. His question caught me off guard and given our not-so-good track record due to our history, I felt myself grow defensive. What would he need to talk to Amity about? He shouldn't be associating with her because of the way he acted in the past.
I felt my hands grip into tight fists. I tolerated him because Gus had asked me to. And it's moments like these where I wish I didn't have to keep such promises. "Why do you need to know? And why would you think I'd tell you? Besides," I looked off to the side in thought, "I haven't seen her all day." I mumbled the last part feeling off about the lack of her presence. It wasn't often that I didn't see Amity at school which made me feel slightly worried. My hand twitched at my side as I wondered if our being in a friendly state meant I could text and ask if she was okay. Though I shook that thought from my head as it felt too soon for that.
"Well, our parents..." He started to rant and I blocked him out. I didn't like him and I wasn't going to stand here and act like it. I'm not going to play nice with this guy. I promised Gus I wouldn't hurt him physically but that was it. My facial expression hardened as I glared at him and he seemed to notice this. He stopped talking for a moment and looked awkward, shy almost, but I wasn't buying it. "So, I need your help. I want to get along with her but I don't know much. You, I'm sure, know plenty. So what's Amity like?" He asked. I looked at him strangely before thinking over my response calculating what I was willing to say. I wasn't giving him anything.
"She's..." so beautiful, kind, smart, "stubborn and she keeps herself hidden," I told him bluntly, not willing to speak to him of all people about Amity. He'd done nothing to earn that right. He didn't deserve it.
"Amity is always quick to defend you, I have experienced that for myself, yet you don't really return the favor do you?" He crossed his arms looking unimpressed and that got a rise out of me. I gave him a hard look.
"Your not-so-favorable personality is showing again," I stated bluntly to him and he rolled his eyes while uncrossing his arms and holding his hands up in mock surrender.
"Calm down Noceda. I'm just pulling your leg. Besides, I only have good intentions for learning about your girlfriend." He spoke lightly.
"She's not my-" I cut myself off in anger before clenching my hands into tight fists to hold back from doing something I'd regret. Something I promised my mother I wouldn't do again, something that would cause Gus to be upset, and something I'm sure Amity would talk my ear off about.
"I'm not that guy anymore so I owe you guys for knocking some sense into me, literally. Not entirely sure how I can fix things with Amity so I thought learning more about her would help with that." He trailed off as he looked over my shoulder to address someone. "Hey Dad," he said gruffly while looking down seemingly on edge.
"Did you want to explain to me why I had to make a substantial donation to the school's fundraiser a few weeks back and now I am coming to school for a meeting about it, son?" A familiar deep, authoritative tone stated and my blood ran cold. I flipped around instantly seeing Mr. Tholomule standing there in a suit that felt extremely overdressed for being at the school. He looked down at his expensive watch as he waited for Matt to respond. His words finally settled in and my eyes grew wide. Everything fell into place as I realized Matt was his son.
"It was for something really important Dad." He explained looking put on edge. "I wanted the school to break down what they used to money for so you can see how responsible my decision was. They used it all for the students I promise." He finished before flinching back, raising his shoulders, and closing his eyes as if awaiting to be reprimanded. Though the screaming never came and he peaked his eyes open to see his father's lips twitch the slightest bit upward. That is the closest I'd seen him to wearing a smile since I was a kid and it surprised me.
"Well, I'm glad your finally taking things into your own hands." He said before his eyes finally fell on me and he tilted his head. "Well if it isn't the little firefly. How have you been kid? I see you've finally met my son." He directed his attention and question at me and I felt myself grow uncomfortable. I'd never seen him outside of the Gala setting before from my memory though I knew he was friends with my father. It's how I managed to get close to him for Amity's sake.
"I'm good. And yes," I paused before chancing a glance at Matt to see he was confused, "Matt and I are well acquainted." I finished before he looked back down at his watch.
"Well I'm sorry to cut this short but my son and I have a meeting we must attend." He said, his serious front making itself present once more. Before Matt could say anything his father placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him forward down the hall. Matt snuck a glance back at me before shifting his head to look ahead again and I let out a long sigh not realizing how I had been holding my breath.
... ... ... ...
I stood there awkwardly backstage, with a script gripped tightly in my hand, as Viney worked on the lighting connected to the stage. They were doing a run-through of the play and, being a knight down, someone had to cover for him until they filled the spot. This is how I managed to find myself being asked to fill that spot and I was too nice to say no. Sweat formed above my brows as nerves settled within my stomach. Sure I wasn't actually in the play, but the fact that everyone was going to watch me act as if I had been made me feel terrified.
It didn't help that Gus was also in the audience as he agreed to come to support me by sitting along with the other theater kids to watch as the scenes played out. For some reason, Amity wasn't here still which made me feel a little better about it. At least she'd miss the trainwreck this was bound to become. I felt like I was going to embarrass myself and end up looking like a stuttering fool in front of everyone. I know this wasn't real and I was going to be the only one holding a script out of the whole cast during practice. There was no way I could mess up when the words were right in front of me right? Wrong. I tried to run the lines with Viney and my fear and nervousness were anything but subtle.
The line was right in front of me and I couldn't get through a word of it without stumbling over myself. And that was with just Viney. I took a deep breath, my palms sweating and my hands shaking, as I awaited my cue from Viney to go on stage. I wasn't in costume like everyone else, simply wearing a name tag that said Knight, and that would only manage to make me stick out more. Especially while being next to the other guy in knight gear standing next to me. I turned to spare him a glance and he turned to do the same while sending me a smile.
"Hey," he leaned towards me and whispered, "I know you're nervous. But you should know that you're not alone. We're both knights in this together. We're scene partners because of that." He lifted an armored fist and I felt my nerves settle slightly as I gave him a fist bump. A small smile grew on my face as I was reminded that he was right and I wasn't alone. I had Viney cheering me on and I had him by my side. I never caught his name because when on rehearsal days students went by their script names to help them stay in character. I just assumed it was a theater thing and went along with it.
I stared at him for a quiet moment feeling better about the position I was in as he returned my smile with his own reassuring one. That was until a cast member spoke up and we both returned our attention to the stage. "You request an audience with the king only to accuse him of treasonous acts? How foolish could you be?" Someone next to the makeshift throne and the king called out.
The student playing the king slammed his hand hard against the arm of the throne and began to proclaim in a booming voice, "I will have none of this in my kingdom! Knights!" He called out.
"That's our cue." The guy next to me whispered and shifted, the metal of his armor clanging noisily. "You know what to do." He said before lowering his helmet to cover his face before we both made our way out onto the stage.
"Your majesty! What is it that you require?" My scene partner exclaimed in worry.
"Get this man out of my sight!" The king ordered with authority and the knight moved to grab the student on the floor as he fought against the sudden grip.
"No! You have to believe me!" He exclaimed as he was dragged away and the force and conviction behind his word was disorienting for me. I almost forgot that none of this was real. Though I shook that all from my head and focused back in on the play that I was currently in. My grip on the script grew tighter but I didn't have the time to look at my line before the king turned to address me drawing my eyes to his.
"Knight," he started and I felt something get caught in my throat and my mouth grew dry. My stomach dropped and, out of fear, so did my script as my grip grew loose. I felt the script land by my feet and my eyes went wide as he continued to stare at me, his eyes completely disregarding the fallen script and acting professionally as if nothing happened. My eyes shifted from his to the backstage behind him. I knew Viney was behind me so I couldn't look to her for help and I was beginning to panic.
"Knight." The king repeated once more yet my eyes caught onto a figure in my line of sight. It had been Willow and she mouthed "go" before motioning her hands in the king's direction and something clicked in my mind. Suddenly I turned back to the king and moved forward before kneeling before him.
"Yes, my King." I addressed him keeping my head lowered as I went through the scene in my head I had practiced so many times with Viney before going on stage moments ago. I knew this scene by heart at this point. I didn't need that script. I only believed I did.
"I wish for you to take this message to our allied kingdom in the south." He started and I moved to stand before taking the prop letter from his outstretched hand. "Do not open it and do not make any stops on your journey there. Request an audience with the king and take it straight to him. Tell him it is from me. Is that understood?" He asked me, his eye piercing and gaze hard.
"Yes," I started quietly before clearing my throat and raising my voice so everyone else could hear me clearly. "Understood," I told him before bowing and turning around. I made my way off stage stepping over my script and not letting my serious face fall until I had made it to the safety of Viney's awaiting figure.
"You did amazing Luz!" She shouted excitedly before placing her hands on my shoulders and shaking me enthusiastically.
"Yeah, not bad." The other knight said before punching my shoulder and I felt something bubble up from within me. A wide smile grew on my face and I felt accomplished.
"Yeah, I mean, I messed up a bit but I did exactly what you said, Viney!" I turned to address her. "I just kept going and it worked! I did it!" I yelled before rushing forward and bringing her into a tight hug that she gladly returned with equal force. When I pulled back my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
"Not bad Luz." I heard a sudden voice and turned to see Willow and found myself meeting her eyes, seeing her calming smile and the last remaining bits of fear and doubt slipped away. Viney started to head off to the side with the guy wearing the knight costume as they talked about his performances thus far. And my mind came back to the present where Willow was gazing at me softly and it brought my smile that had dropped in thought back instantly. Willow and Gus had always been there for me so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they once again showed up to do so. No matter what I went through I always had them. Always.
"Thanks, though it helped that you were there. I saw you and I guess it just clicked." I admitted and she seemed surprised though a moment later she shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.
"It was nothing..." She started to mumble but I cut her off as I moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No, it was everything," I told her and a warm smile seemed to grow on her face because of it. "So thank you." I finished giving her an appreciative look and she shook her head once before pushing my hand from her shoulder and rolling her eyes playfully.
"You were always there for me when it came to band. I want to be there for you too." She told me softly. "Even if it is only to stand in for practice." She finished and the thought of it lingered. I was only a stand in but this had been a very fun experience so far. It reminded me of the times I'd reenact scenes from the Azura books with my Mom and Dad.
"Porter if you tell me one more pun about shapes I will lose my mind!" Viney's sudden angry voice cut through and I looked over Willow's shoulder to see her throwing her hands in the air as Gus faced her with a knowing grin.
"You wish you could be octa-gone from this conversation don't you?" Gus's comment led me to roll my eyes and Viney's obvious anger made sense in my mind after hearing it. They seemed to be bickering again and Willow turned before we made our way toward them.
"Porter! That wasn't even that good! That was really lame even!" Viney screamed but before she could say anything more Willow cut in.
"Hey guys," she paused to give Gus a once over before tilting her head. "Gus, what are you wearing?" Willow asked and it drew my eyes to his clothes.
"Right, I forgot how weird I look right now." He said and I couldn't help but think he'd fallen into a pile of clothes and came out like that.
"Well then look in a mirror and remind yourself," Viney commented and he shot her a glare.
"I look like this because I offered to help the theater with fitting the cast outfits! And for the record, I think I look great!" He shouted at her defensively.
"Guys, are you incapable of not arguing for two seconds?" Willow asked with a sigh as she shook her head at them disappointingly.
"He started it!" Viney exclaimed pointing at Gus though Willow raised her brow in disapproval and her hand fell back to her side.
"Hey, Luz! You did great on stage. How has your day been?" Gus asked before shooting a look at Viney. "Hopefully better than mine." He mumbled, his tone implying his annoyance toward her.
"Thanks, Gus!" I exclaimed. "My day is much better now that you guys are here," I said looking at all of them and elbowing Willow.
"Are you trying to steal our hearts there, Captain?" Viney spoke up while raising a brow at me.
"There's only one heart I intend to go after," I said as my mind grew distant moving to thoughts of a particular girl with green hair. "Only I won't be stealing it. I'll be earning it." I continued without knowing feeling butterflies swarm in my stomach because of it.
"And she says she doesn't have a crush," Viney said looking surprised only to slowly fall into a smirk of a knowing, teasing nature.
"Luz, you have a crush? On who?" Willow asked in surprise before her eyes searched around my face looking for answers.
"No one! I have a crush on no one!" I shouted loudly with a warmth spreading onto my face.
"Luz has a new crush finally? She's only ever had one and that was on-" I rushed forward and covered Gus's mouth with my hands as my eyes grew wide.
"We don't talk about that!" I exclaimed feeling my face grow warmer once I realized how loud I had been and how his almost slip-up made me feel. "Well, I think it's about time to leave, are you guys ready to go hang out at my house? Awesome, let's go!" I yelled not even giving them the chance to respond I grabbed Gus and Willow's wrists before dragging them with me.
"I'll see you later with the team though!" Viney shouted to me.
"You got it!" I called out to her over my shoulder before continuing to drag Willow and Gus out of the theater and towards the parking lot.
... ... ... ...
"Is this your card?" Gus asked Willow before bringing his hand from behind her ear and revealing a card to her.
"How did you do that?" Willow stated in question, gasping.
"Magic." He said while wiggling his fingers with a wide smile that fell a moment later. "If only I could make Viney magically disappear." He mumbled before crossing his arms and I chuckled because of it. "I tried it. It doesn't work. She just stared at me and laughed in my face. So rude." He rolled his eyes only for his act to falter a moment later.
He and Willow fell into a quiet conversation about their days as she convinced him to let her paint his nails for fun. He gave in very easily and it made me feel warm to see them like this together. They have always been so close and it warmed my heart every time to see how they treated each other. I felt thankful for them allowing me to become their friend. Their company always gave me joy. Absentmindedly I pulled out my notebook and began to draw them, wanting to recreate the image of it so I could remember the feeling that came with it afterward.
"What are you doing over there, Luz?" Willow asked me gently as Gus shook out his hands to air-dry the nail polish. He also turned his attention toward me at her mentioning of my name.
"Nothing!" I yelled, slamming my hand down on my notebook and covering the drawing on the page.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," Willow said sharing a look with Gus before they both looked at me their curiosity peaked.
"I just...wanted to capture the moment is all," I mumbled before turning my notebook hesitantly and pushing it towards them.
"Wait, you did another drawing of us?" Gus asked reaching for it before Willow smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch it! You're hands aren't dry and you'll ruin it!" She told him disapprovingly before taking the notebook in her hands gently, knowing how important it was to me and choosing to be careful with it. "This is amazing Luz. I love it." She said softly with a warm smile on her face that caused all my nerves to leave me.
"Well at least let me see it!" Gus spoke up and the interaction between them felt familiar to me. Then he shifted closer to Willow, their shoulders brushing as he leaned forward to get a good look at it. His smile, that dazzling smile of his made its way onto his face as his eyes lit up.
"Wow Luz," he looked up from the drawing and his eyes met mine. "You should go to school for this. You're so good at it." He told me and his words stopped my thoughts in their tracks. I actually never thought of the kind of degree I'd go to college for. I never thought that far ahead as I was too focused on getting a scholarship for soccer. I never believed I'd get money academically so I only paid attention to being set up athletically. I just loved soccer so much and I wanted a further education.
My life after high school isn't something I thought of in great detail. But Gus had a point and I don't know why it took him saying it for me to think about it. I loved to draw and today I had been reminded of that fact twice. "Oh, have you listened to my commentary of your away game yet?" Gus asked, bringing me back to the present as I took in his words.
"Oh, no, not yet," I admitted while rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly with one hand while taking my notebook back from Willow in the other. "I had a lot on my mind," I mumbled and he shrugged his shoulders in an easygoing manner.
"That's okay. There's no rush with it." He told me with a smile and I felt reassured by it. Suddenly I heard the front door open and the sound of keys.
"Luz? I'm home." I heard my mom's voice echo down the hall before she poked her head into the living room. "I see Willow and Gus are here. How was your day?" She asked before walking into the room and moving to sit next to me.
"Oh, it was good. I got to fill in for the play and that was a lot of fun! Also," I turned to face her crossing my legs in the process. "I have soccer practice soon with the team. How was work?" I answered before asking her the same question in return.
"My day was great. We had a small birthday party but dropped the cake and had to order pizza instead." She laughed softly and I joined in as what she'd said was quite entertaining. "Before you go, how about we watch something together?" She asked before looking at all of us and we all gave her affirmative nods.
... ... ... ...
I headed towards the team as my cleats dug into the dirt of the field kicking up blades of wet grass. I'd got lost in spending time with everyone that I was now running late to practice. It was not a good look for me especially as my coach had mentioned wanting to speak with me about something. Walking up I could see the team already done with warm-ups and practicing.
"Alright guys, listen up! Your word is Hexide! Find the letters and spell them out!" Our coach called out and I looked to see everyone had letters taped to their jerseys. "Those who are wearing red, it is your job to stop them from making the word! Now go!" And at that, everyone started to look around.
"I got H!" Viney yelled and someone passed her the soccer ball.
"I got E right here! Pass it!" Another teammate called out. I could see a few flashes of red pass by taking chase of them attempting to take the ball from them. Once they had made it to X things started to get difficult. The ones who wore red were shouting to distract them from finding the next letter.
"Come on guys! I want to hear better communication!" Coach called out as I moved to stand next to her.
"Hey coach, sorry I'm late," I stated drawing her eyes to me. "You wanted to talk?" I asked her and she gave me a nod before looking back to the team on the field.
"Alright guys, let's wrap it up. We have a practice scrimmage in a few minutes." She ordered and everyone started to disperse to gather things up. "Yes, I did want to speak with you." She said before letting out a sigh and turning to face me with her arms crossed. "I need you to learn to be a backup for a different position." She commented and I paused to stare at her.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Our goalie's ankle has been acting up lately and I need you to be prepared to fill in if it gets too bad." She informed me and I looked off to our goalie. She had been putting most of her weight on her good ankle.
"But coach, I play offense. I'm not a goalie." I stated calmly with concern before looking back at her.
"And you are also this team's captain. I need you to consider the team's best interest when I ask this of you. You've played as a goalie before." She explained to me.
"That was at camp. You can't be serious about me taking that position. How are the scouts going to see me play if I'm stuck in the goal?" I asked her not exactly feeling confident in her decision.
"Luz, you have the rest of the season to prove yourself and this is only a precaution. You only need to be a standby. You can still play your position." She reassured me and I felt myself relax slightly.
"Why me?" I questioned curiously.
"Because I can't go risking it with other players on this team. You've played the position for fun at camp but I saw some potential within you. I know you're somewhat capable." She said openly before she went on further. "I just need you to be aware because I can't be sure she is up for the strain and challenge this injury may become for her in the future." She said and I shifted as I let her words sink in.
"This isn't just what I need but what your team needs as well. You're a leader and you set an example for them on and off the field." She lifted her hand to place it on my shoulder gently surprising me from the contact. "In the end, this will make you a more well-rounded player as you'll be able to play more than one position. You'll look better this way to scouts if you think about it because they will see you as an asset." She said before taking her hand back and heading toward the field I stayed back for a moment and watched on.
After the scrimmage Viney came up to me with a small, knowing smile. "Hey Captain," she said before stopping in front of me, "I heard about the whole situation. Did you want to stay a little longer and practice with me? We could see where you're at." She offered.
"Actually Viney," I started to smile slowly, "I'll take you up on that offer." I had already been feeling better about it knowing Viney was here. I knew I didn't have to go through this alone because I had her. It's what made everything so much easier as I had her on the soccer team alongside me. She was always so encouraging and it made me feel far more capable because of it. Though as I stood in the goal as she kicked the soccer ball around I kept missing and she kept scoring. I was too far gone, lost in my head which had been swarming with nerves and doubt.
"Look Luz, you have good reflexes. You're not as tall as most goalies but you are tall. Use your disadvantage to your advantage. Find a way to get an edge over your opponents. Get into their head and learn to read them. Analyze how they play and predict what they will do, then use your reflex to take care of the rest." Viney attempted to help me think it through. But in the state, I'm in, sweaty and tired, the words took a second to get through to me.
"I believe in you, Luz. It's time you believe in yourself. No one else can make you believe it so get out of your head and stop the ball." Her tone raised as she too was sweaty and growing tired of my stubbornness. She placed the soccer ball down after that before backing up a few steps.
'What if I can't see that for myself? What if I can't see what everyone else sees? What then?' I heard a distant voice from memory. Amity's voice.
'That's something only you can do Blight. No one else can make you see what they see. You have to learn to see it for yourself.' I recall my response.
Viney was right about me as much as I was right about Amity back then. I had to get out of my head and start taking my own advice. If I had to play soccer in this position for the team's sake then this is what I had to do. I had to figure this out in case my team needed me to step up. I wasn't going to let them down. As I focused back in I saw Viney running up to kick the ball.
Reading her body language I dove to the right out of pure instinct feeling my hands stop the ball from going into the net. Everything felt as if it were moving at a slower pace. Taking the ball into my hand I stood up to see Viney's mouth drop open. Suddenly she threw her hands up, "I knew you could do it! That's what I'm talking about Captain!" She ran up to me, picked me up, and spun me around in a victorious celebration.
I had started to celebrate with her dropping the ball and throwing my fist into the air while shouting. Putting me down she punched my shoulder with a big smile before sending me a wink. "I know you can do this Luz. I believe in you and if the moment comes you'll do great." She remarked and it made me feel confident in myself.
"Yes, let's go again!" I said, encouraged by her words.
"Sure," she stated with a grin, "if you can get the ball from me." With that, she took the soccer ball with her feet and ran off with it.
"Oh, you're on!" I shouted before taking chase after her.
... ... ... ...
It was the next day, a weekend game, and I had been sitting on the sideline bench watching the game unfold. I'd got subbed in though the coach had not put me back in the game just yet. I wasn't exactly sure why though I assumed I needed to conserve my energy. The game was tied and had been that way for a while now. I watch as an offensive player from the opposing team broke through our defense and our goalie had to shift her stance to prepare for it.
She gave the player a piercing gaze as they took their shot and she dove to the side to block it. She caught the ball and went to stand only to fall back to the ground a moment later holding her ankle. The assistant coach ran out onto the field and spoke with her wearing a face of worry. "Noceda!" Coach called my attention and I snapped my head in her direction. "You're up! Get your gloves on and get in that goal!" She demanded and I was quick to respond to the given order. I fumbled around with my gloves after grabbing them from my bag growing nervous.
I made my way to the goal as my hands shook. Soon after the game resumed and I felt a weight as my heart plummeted, falling into my stomach. We were tied. As long as I made sure they didn't score we'd be good. Right? I swallowed hard as an offensive player from the opposing team came sprinting toward me and I froze up for a moment. Before I had the time to react she'd already kicked the ball hard.
I forced myself to the side but I wasn't fast enough and I heard the ball impact the net behind me. "Come on Noceda! Get your head in the game!" I heard one of my teammates shout. I got up from the ground, brushed myself off, and picked up the soccer ball. I tossed it forward and watched as everyone on the field reset. I ran my hands through my hair, the gloves causing it to be a disheveled mess.
Sighing, I turned to face the front so my eyes were back on the field ahead of me. My eyes fell towards the right where Viney was looking at me with a concerned upward quirk on her lips. 'Like we practiced' I saw her mouth towards me. This made me smile back and I focused back in on the game. We were running out of time in this last half and I cannot let them score again.
'Analyze how they play and predict what they will do, then use your reflex to take care of the rest.' Viney's voice came into my head from yesterday. And for a few minutes after that, I stood my ground only needing to stop them from scoring once as our defense stepped up their game. With the game clock running down and the score now tied once more I had to make this last stop and get the ball to our offense. The ball had been heading in my direction yet I was ready for it this time. Once I'd caught it I knew instantly that this was our chance. So I immediately threw the ball with force down the field to one of my teammates.
However, unluckily enough they had not managed to score and the game had ended in a tie. Something that felt disappointing at first until the team crowded around me congratulating me on my attempt at filling in. It made me smile and I couldn't help but feel lucky. So maybe change wasn't so bad after all.