Now we had a name. We started hanging out all the time after that. Even when we weren’t playing netball, we sat and talked as a team.

Angie and Claire stopped playing basketball at lunchtime. Amazing! Of course, most of the time we played netball anyway. It was fun. When the lunch bell rang, we would gulp down our food, eager to be first down at the courts.

The rest of the team were getting better and better, learning not to step or bounce the ball. They were shooting better, too.

Angie spent heaps of time with me. She was my sporty superhero.

Sometimes we just played catch. Slow at first, then faster and faster until I was throwing with force. Soon I learnt to catch a fast ball, like catching a giant bullet.

‘Aim at the bib,’ Angie would say. ‘Not the person’s face.’ And sometimes I did just that.

Becky and I made a poster on my dad’s computer. Before each netball game, we would tie it to the fence.

Then we would stand in a circle and pile our hands in the middle, one on top of the other until we couldn’t tell whose hand was whose. Together, we would throw up our hands and call out, ‘Go, Dream Team!’ It was brilliant. Doing that made my whole body buzz, ready to play the game.

We lost our next game. The other team had four girls who played on a real team after school. Those girls were really competitive and played like bull terriers – angry and unstoppable.

We only lost by three goals, so we didn’t feel too bad. It’s not all about winning, after all.

Then, for our third game, I had my first taste of victory. Suddenly, I understood why the others tried so hard to win.

Whoops!

Someone dropped the ball. But it wasn’t me. It was Tony, the boy who was last to be picked. We were playing against his team.

Quickly I reached down, fumbling for the rolling ball. Tony didn’t even try to stop me. Then I had it. Solid in my hands.

‘Here, Alex!’ called Becky.

With good aim for once, I passed the ball to her.

‘Sorry,’ mumbled Tony. But his team didn’t say ‘never mind’. They didn’t say anything. I was glad that I didn’t get stuck on that team!

Over, across, and up went the ball, as it was passed and shot through our goal. Another goal for us! And we were already winning.

With each point and each pass of the ball, our team moved closer to something exciting, just around the corner. It was like finally making it to Christmas Eve.

Near the end of the game, I saw a little smile on Angie’s face. Even Callum stopped frowning. Then, at last, the final whistle blew.

Like pins attracted to a magnet, we rushed together, jumping up and down, hugging and doing high fives.

It was brilliant. I was light and happy and proud, high on the taste of a win. It was such an amazing feeling, being part of the winning team. I wanted to feel that way again.