The clock was counting down to the end of the match. As Leah legged it down the side of the pitch, she knew they didn’t have long. If Crickle End High were going to do something to win against St Anne’s, they were going to have to do it quickly.

She bounced around on her toes, watching as the ball skittered between the feet of the St Anne’s players.

‘Go around them!’ Miss Kaur bellowed from the sidelines. But the other players were too fast, and it was difficult for the Crickle End defenders to intercept them. Leah watched in frustration as one of their players effortlessly manoeuvred closer to the goal. For a moment, it looked like he might score, but he hadn’t banked on Mimi.

Leah’s best friend darted in from nowhere, her small figure slipping nimbly between the opposing players. Leah gave a shout of triumph as she stole the ball with a neat tackle. Mimi turned and sprinted towards the other end of the pitch.

Leah charged forward, ready for Mimi to pass to her, but William got there before she did. He called Mimi’s name and she slipped the ball towards him. He caught it confidently on the side of his foot, drawing his foot back to belt it into the goal. But the St Anne’s defender was too fast. She stuck to William like glue, mirroring his every movement.

‘William!’ Leah cried, dodging around her own defender and surging forward. She waved a hand above her head. ‘I’m open!’

William’s eyes met hers and, for a split second, he hesitated, his foot hovering in the air. Leah’s heart sank.

But then, William spun his body towards her, sending the ball through the legs of the St Anne’s defender. Leah laughed in relief and caught the ball on her foot. She dribbled it towards the goal. There was no one around her and, biting her lip in determination, she swung her foot back and sent the ball soaring towards the net.

It sailed past the goalkeeper and smacked into the upper left corner. Behind her, the team roared, rushing forward and crowding around her in celebration. On the sidelines, George’s camera clicked madly as he whooped. Leah grinned wildly. She met William’s eyes over the heads of their teammates and he smiled back at her.

When the referee’s whistle blew moments later to signal the end of the match, Leah punched her fists in the air. The final score was 1–0. They’d won!

‘You did it!’ Mimi cried, running up to Leah and thumping her on the back. George had rushed onto the pitch, too, and he snapped their picture.

‘Yeah, nice work, Loser!’ William said, jogging over. His voice was teasing, and Leah laughed.

‘I didn’t do it,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘We did it. That was a nice pass, William!’

William only shrugged. ‘Someone told me once that it’s all about working as part of a team. I’m starting to see that she was right. If you work together, everyone wins.’

‘Well, it took you long enough!’ Mimi said, punching him playfully on the arm and they all laughed.

As they headed towards the changing room, Leah looked at her friends. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst with joy. Maybe the watch would send them all on another adventure, and maybe it wouldn’t. But whatever happened, she knew William was right. As long as she had them on her team, she would always come out as the winner.

The End