There were only six teams in the mini tournament, so the Devils played two games, one after the other, to decide who’d compete in the final after lunch. Rocky and Sam wanted to play all of both games but Ben said no. ‘We’ll run it like we always do,’ he said, ‘rotating off the bench. If you do your best, you’ll have just as good a chance as anyone.’

Charlie jiggled her legs nervously. ‘We should do a Callinan roar,’ she suggested. ‘It might make me feel tougher. How did you get to be so tough?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Ellyse. Charlie had accused her once before of being too tough. ‘I just keep trying, I guess. Hey, have you heard from Jazz?’

Charlie shook her head. ‘I feel so bad –’

‘Let’s think about footy for now,’ Ellyse said quickly, ‘and show them what we can do. Remember, no singing or dancing needed.’

Charlie laughed. ‘I can still play like a Rum Tum Tugger, though.’

It was great to start their first game with a laugh. It buoyed Ellyse and carried her through, even when she was sitting on the bench, cheering on her team. The Devils lost 4–5, but Charlie and Rocky both scored touchdowns. In their second game, Ellyse played at centre for the whole first half. Her feet felt like they had little wings on them. She jinked and dummied, ran hard, passed, touched, defended left and right. Ten minutes in, she ran through a gap and scored a touchdown. And just before half-time, she dummied a pass, ran straight and scored another one.

‘That was terrific, kiddo,’ Ben said during the break. ‘I probably won’t play you much in the second half. I’ll give Charlie a longer run, okay?’

‘Sure,’ Ellyse said. Come on, Charlie, show them how you can shine!

Charlie played so well that she also scored two touchdowns, and the Devils won 6–2. On total points, they were in the final!

After lunch, they gathered around Ben. ‘You’re all playing like stars,’ he said, ‘so we’ll stick with our usual rotations. Everyone gets a go. Keep it up, Devils!’

The other finals team was one they hadn’t played before – the Bears – and they were fast. They passed and rolled and passed and dodged, and within the first five minutes they’d scored a touchdown.

Rocky was disgusted. ‘Come on, Devils! You guys are making us look bad.’

‘Which guys?’ Charlie said. ‘You’re part of this team too. We’re in this together, remember?’

Rocky’s face reddened. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he mumbled.

‘Right, let’s play harder then,’ Charlie said. ‘We can do it.’

Wow, Ellyse thought. Charlie doesn’t need me to show her how to be tough.

Charlie took the tap and passed to Emma 2, and the game was on again, but this time the Devils were faster and played harder. It was as if Charlie had inspired everyone, and by half-time they were leading 2–1. The Bears came back in the second half and scored again, but the game ended 3–2 when Ellyse and Rocky passed back and forth six times and Ellyse scored the winning touchdown.

It was the Devils’ first big win and they got to take home a trophy and a medal each. Ben was so excited that Ellyse thought he might start throwing their trophy in the air. ‘I am so proud of you all,’ he said. ‘Each one of you was a team player today.’

It wasn’t until they were nearly home that Ellyse remembered the selectors. Nobody had said anything about the regional team. Maybe none of us were chosen, she thought. Oh well … The disappointment stung, but there was nothing to be done now.

‘By the way,’ Dad said, ‘if any of you are picked for the regionals, they said they’ll be calling you on Tuesday.’

Ellyse’s disappointment faded in a flash. There’s still hope for both of us, then!

That night, Ellyse and her parents sat down to look at the Aztecs form and talk about it.

‘What does it all mean, really?’ Mum asked. ‘When, where – what will the commitment be? Ellyse, you already have so much going on. If you got into this academy, you really would have to give something up.’

‘I know.’ Ellyse stared down at the form. At the top was a brightly coloured photo of a boy and girl playing soccer, the girl tackling the boy. An Academy youth team. If I have to choose, I choose that. ‘If I get in – if – I promise I will give something else up.’ Even though I don’t want to.

But she knew she would have to, and the idea was twisting her into knots.

‘I’ll put the form in, then,’ said Dad. ‘I think this is the right decision. You’re always going to have to make these kinds of choices, little one. It’s hard but true.’

Ellyse jumped up from her chair. ‘Dad, come and measure me again. Please?’

As she stood against the doorframe, Dad got up and measured a mark, then whistled. ‘That’s amazing. Another whole centimetre. I definitely think I’d better stop calling you “little one”.’

Ellyse beamed happily. She didn’t need to be super-tall but it was definitely a bonus that she was still growing.

At touch training on Tuesday night, nobody in the team had received a selector’s call yet. Rocky threw up his hands. ‘Hey, Charlie, if you don’t get in then nobody will. You played like a demon.’

‘You mean a devil,’ Charlie said. ‘Maybe they’ll call tomorrow?’

Training was quiet, and even Ben telling them to be patient and just focus on the present didn’t help much. Ellyse and Charlie waved goodbye and set off home. On the way, Charlie’s phone rang. It was her mum.

‘What? You’re kidding. Really?’ she squealed. She hung up and grinned at Ellyse. ‘Mum said they just called. I’ve been picked for the regional team.’

‘That’s brilliant!’ Ellyse said. Charlie was so thrilled that it was impossible not to be happy for her. ‘You won’t have to wear a mouldy shirt either.’

Then Ellyse’s phone jingled. It was Mum. Ellyse’s heart thumped in her chest like a bouncing kangaroo. ‘Hello?’ I hope Mum is calling with good news. She was – Ellyse was in the team too!

Charlie screamed so loudly that Dad had to put his fingers in his ears. ‘Sorry, Mr Perry,’ she said. ‘Goulburn, here we come.’

All the way home, they talked nonstop about what it would be like and did Rocky and Sam get in too, and where would they stay and who else would go.

Dad shook his head. ‘You girls could talk parrots out of trees.’ But he meant it as a joke, of course.

To celebrate, they bought pizza on the way, which was a big treat, and Ellyse picked her favourite, with salami and mushrooms. She had calmed down from all the excitement by the time she went to bed, and in the quiet dark, she just had one thought: I wish we could share this with Jazz.

She’d texted Jazz twice now to say sorry but there’d been no reply. Jazz had been at rehearsals at lunchtime this week, Charlie said, and the rest of the time she seemed to be avoiding both of them.

Maybe at school tomorrow, I can find a way to make up with Jazz and get our friendship back again.