OwenAlex did a double take when she passed by the kitchen Saturday morning and saw Ava standing there in her basketball uniform.
“Ava! You’re not supposed to be playing yet. It hasn’t been three weeks,” she said.
“Yes, Dr. Alex, I know,” Ava said. “But the game is against Lewisville this morning, and I’m going to stay on the sidelines. I’m still a member of the team, you know.”
“I know,” said Alex, moving to the refrigerator and pulling out a carton of milk. “But won’t it be kind of hard for you, sitting there?”
“Yes, but at least I’ll be at the game,” Ava replied.
“That’s the spirit,” Coach said, entering the room. “You ready?”
Ava nodded. “Let’s go!”
Ava wasn’t prepared for the response as she walked into the gym at Lewisville Middle School.
“Ava!”
Callie and Madison ran toward her, and each of them high-fived her. The other players gathered around, asking questions all at the same time.
“Does it hurt?”
“Can you play today?”
“I can’t play for, like, another week,” Ava informed them. “Believe me, I’m itching to get back on the court!”
Coach Rader blew his whistle, and the other girls ran off to do warm-ups. Ava took her place on the bench with a little sigh.
No moping! she reminded herself. Kylie isn’t even back in school yet!
All thoughts of moping left her mind as soon as the game started. She watched every move her teammates made, and she was surprised to realize how much she could learn just by watching. Like how Tessa was a cautious passer, and how Tamara seemed to be getting better and better—and was being sort of a ball hog.
Ava cheered when her team scored, and was literally on the edge of her seat when Madison scored the winning basket in the last thirty seconds of the game. The Cubs got together in a huddle, and Callie pulled in Ava to join them.
“You guys did great,” Ava said.
“And we’ll do even better when you’re playing with us again,” Callie responded. Ava beamed.
After the game, Coach brought Ava out to the ranch for a visit with Kylie.
“See? I didn’t even need the wheelchair. I can get around just fine on these,” Kylie bragged, as she crossed her living room quickly using her crutches.
“You are a speed demon,” Ava agreed. “Now, please sit down so I can finally sign your cast!” She waved the marker she held at Kylie.
Kylie propped her leg up on the coffee table. Her parents had already signed it, and Ava saw that Owen had written:
Andromeda United! Owen
“Ooh, heart Owen,” Ava said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“I know, isn’t he sweet?” Kylie asked, blushing. “I keep wanting to draw all over this cast, like a cool alien landscape or something, but Mom says I have to leave some space because everyone’s going to want to sign it.”
“Like me,” Ava said, and the marker hovered over the cast as she thought about what to write. Something nice? Something inspirational? Something funny?
Funny won out.
Help! I’m trapped inside this cast! 
Ava
Kylie laughed. “Oh my gosh, it really does feel like hundreds of tiny little creatures are trapped in there,” she said. “It’s already itching like crazy!”
“That stinks,” said Ava. “We should do something to take your mind off it. How about a board game?”
Kylie brightened. “Citizens of Elvador?” she asked.
Ava stifled a groan. She had been thinking of something easy, like where you have to draw pictures to guess words. Citizens of Elvador was one of those complicated board games where you created societies and went on quests and searched for gold. Kylie loved to play it with Owen. Ava had never been interested in playing it, but she couldn’t say no to Kylie now.
Kylie got back on her crutches. “Going to the game closet! Be right back!”
Two hours later, Ava was absorbed in the game, much to her own surprise.
“Okay, my elves are exploring this mountain cave,” she said, moving her piece along the board.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Kylie asked.
Ava knew Kylie was trying to give her a warning, but she didn’t care. She wanted to see what happened. Kylie turned over a card in front of the cave.
“Dragon!” Kylie cried. “Your elves are not strong enough to withstand the attack.”
She moved a playing piece over to Ava’s citadel. “Now that you are unguarded, I claim your citadel. I win!”
Ava sat back on her chair. “Wow, that was intense.”
Then Kylie’s phone chimed, and she picked it up. “It’s Keshawn, texting to ask if I’m okay,” she said. “He’s so nice. I think I’ve been in every class with him since kindergarten.”
Then she looked up at Ava. “Hey, I meant to ask. How is the line dancing going?”
“It’s great—really fun,” Ava lied, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Keshawn had sent her the steps days ago, but she hadn’t practiced at all. She looked at her phone.
“My dad’s picking me up soon. Let me help you clean up,” she offered.
The two girls put away the game and were sitting on the porch talking when Coach pulled up. He opened the window and waved.
“How you feeling, Kylie?” he asked.
“Great, Coach!” Kylie replied.
“I’ll see you again soon,” Ava promised.
Kylie grinned. “Monday. I’m allowed to go back to school!”
Ava climbed into the car and Coach started chatting, something about getting Chinese food because her mom was going to be working late in her pottery studio and he didn’t feel like cooking—or eating Uncle Scott’s cooking. But Ava wasn’t paying much attention. She was trying to figure out the best way to practice that line dance.
I bet I can find videos on the computer, she thought. Yes, that would work. Alex did that all the time. She could look online and practice all weekend. She wasn’t going to let Kylie down!
When her dad pulled into the driveway, Ava rushed out of the car.
“You’re welcome!” Coach called after her.
She ran upstairs and shut the bedroom door behind her. Somewhere in her backpack she had printed out the dance steps that Keshawn had e-mailed her. She rummaged around and found the paper crumpled up underneath her notebook.
She smoothed it out and started to read.
Walk Forward
Grapevine Right
Grapevine Left
Step, Tap
Step, Tap
It might as well be written in Elvadoran, Ava thought. She flipped open her laptop and started typing, Video of basic line dancing steps.
“Yes!” Ava cried, as a list of videos popped up on the screen. There was one—four minutes long—“Basic Grapevine for Beginners.”
“Perfect,” Ava murmured, and she hit play. A man and a woman wearing cowboy hats were facing the camera.
“To grapevine right, you need to start with your right foot,” the woman began.
“Right foot,” Ava repeated, and she started mirroring the steps on the screen. She stepped with her right foot, then put her left foot behind her right foot, and then . . . what were they doing?
“How did their feet end up there?” Ava asked out loud, and she started the video from the beginning.
She heard a whining, and Moxy pushed through her door, attracted by Ava’s voice and the music. When she saw Ava dancing, she started to bark.
“Moxy, I am not some sheep you can order around!” Ava scolded. “Come on, I’m trying to dance!”
She walked back to the laptop and started the video again. Then she took a deep breath.
“Okay, start with a step to the right,” she muttered as she tried to follow along.
“Woof! Woof!” Moxy barked.
Then Tommy stuck his head into the room. “Hey, Ave, Coach wants to know what you want to order—what are you doing? You look ridiculous.”
Ava paused the video. “I am trying not to make a fool of myself!” she cried, flopping down on the bed.
“Uh-oh. Sounds like a crisis,” Tommy said. “What’s up?”
Ava launched into the story about how she had volunteered to take Kylie’s place in the line dancing act.
“And I’ve realized I’m in way over my head. I can’t do it!” she wailed.
“Come on, Ave, you know you can do anything you set your mind to,” Tommy said, sitting on the bed next to her.
“Usually I can. But not this,” Ava said. “It’s like it’s some weird Texas thing. I think you have to be Texan to do it.”
“But you are Texan,” Tommy said.
“Not really. We just moved here,” Ava argued.
“I don’t mean that. I mean Dad. He was born in Texas. So that makes us, like, authentic half Texans,” Tommy pointed out. “In fact, you should probably ask Coach for help. He’s a good dancer, and since he grew up here, I bet he knows how to line dance.”
“Maybe,” Ava said. She sat up and looked at the dancers paused on her computer screen. “Right now, I don’t think anybody could help turn me into a line dancer. Not even the Grand Wizard of Elvador.”
Tommy looked at her. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”
Ava sighed. “I’m fine. Just spent two hours playing a board game with Kylie.”
Tommy stood up. “So, anyway, I’m supposed to ask you what you want from the Hungry Panda.”
“Beef lo mein, please!” Ava replied, and then she flopped back down on the bed as Tommy left.
Moxy nudged Ava’s feet with her nose.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Forget it, Moxy,” Ava said. “I am done with dancing today!”