Coach Naranjo started practice with stretching and jogging. A fall chill hung over the field. But by the time the coach blew three sharp whistles, Melina was sweating.
“Ladies,” the coach said when the team had gathered around her.
“And girls,” added one of the high schoolers. “We don’t want the kids from Delano to feel left out.” That got a few laughs from the other ninth and tenth grade players.
Coach Naranjo didn’t say anything. She just put up a hand, and the laughter died down. Ms. Perez stood silently next to the coach.
“I wish Ms. Perez would stand up for us,” Prissy whispered to Melina.
Melina nodded, but the captain — her name was Rose Torrence, Melina had learned during their warm-up laps — turned around and glared at them. “Zip it, or I’ll have you two running extra laps,” she snapped. “Got it?”
Melina looked at the ground. Even Prissy shifted uncomfortably under Rose’s fierce gaze.
“That’s what I thought,” the captain muttered.
“First up, Ms. Perez will lead a ball control drill at the far end of the pitch,” Coach Naranjo went on. “I’ll be calling you over in pairs to the other end for some quick one-on-ones to assign positions.”
Melina caught her breath. Today she’d find out if the coaches would make her a forward. It was the position she’d played every year, even when she had been second string in sixth grade.
“Let’s go, girls,” Coach Naranjo said. “Torrence and Menendez, stay down here for the first one-on-one.”
The two tenth grade girls grinned at each other and high-fived. Melina jogged with the rest of the team to the other end of the field. Ms. Perez was already there setting up cones and a practice goal on one of the sidelines.
“Melina, Nora,” Ms. Perez said as the group reached her. “Help me out. Take that stack of green cones and set them up for the Double Weave drill.”
“Um . . . ” Melina said, looking blankly at the cones. She felt the stares of the high school girls on her, and it made her nervous. Everything she knew about soccer drills seemed to fly from her brain.
Nora grabbed the stack of green cones and gave Melina a little elbow in the side. “Come on,” she whispered. “Just like last year. You awake?” She passed half the stack to Melina and jogged toward the opposite sideline.
As soon as Nora dropped the first cone, Melina saw what she was doing. It was a drill they had run last year. Melina had done it a hundred times.
I’m letting my nerves get to me, Melina thought as she set up the cones. I just need to calm down and focus.
It only took a few moments. When they had finished, Nora smiled brightly. “See?” she said. “We got this.”
Melina forced a smile. But while Ms. Perez was explaining the drill, Melina couldn’t help feeling the eyes of every ninth and tenth grader on her. It made her more anxious.
The girls lined up on opposite sidelines. One group stood in front of the orange cones and one in front of the green cones. Ms. Perez tapped a ball to the first girl, and she dribbled in between the green cones. When she was done, she passed the ball to the girl at the front of the other line.
Now the second girl took the ball and weaved through the orange cones. But instead of passing when she got to the end of the cones, she shot into the practice goal. After taking their turn, the players jogged to the back of the other line.
Melina was fifth in line to shoot on the practice goal. The line was moving pretty quickly, but Melina let her eyes wander to the other end of the field — over to Coach Naranjo and the captain’s one-on-one match.
Rose was a strong ball handler, but so was the other girl. They were obviously great friends, though. They were showing off and laughing together even as they competed for goals and for Coach Naranjo’s attention.
Melina couldn’t help envying how confident they looked and how the coach laughed along with them.
“Nice shot, Torrence! Great moves, Menendez!” called Coach Naranjo.
“Wake up, Stern!” Ms. Perez shouted.
Melina pulled her eyes away from the game and realized it was her turn to run the drill. Nora was standing behind her. She had stopped the soccer ball under one foot.
“Good thing I was awake,” Nora said, tapping the ball to Melina. “Or the pass would have rolled right off the field.”
“Sorry,” Melina said quietly. Then she added louder for everyone to hear, “Sorry.”
Melina started dribbling forward, darting through the cones. You can do this, she thought. She kept her eye on the ball, the cones, and the goal up ahead. As she drove through the last orange cone, she drew her right leg back and slammed her laces into the ball.
It was a bad shot. The ball hit the post and bounced off toward the other sideline. The girl coming off that line had to run to retrieve it.
“Focus, Stern!” Ms. Perez called. “Hustle to the other line, and stay awake, please.”
“I will,” Melina mumbled as she jogged across the field.
She got into the back of the other line just as Nora took a pass and started the weave. Nora’s footwork was looking good as she lightly tapped the ball through. She had obviously been staying in shape during the off-season.
Nora came out of the cones in perfect control of the ball. She shot, and it sailed beautifully into the top left corner of the goal.
“Good shot, Kahn!” Ms. Perez said.
Melina watched as a high schooler close to the front of the line nudged her friend. “Well,” the girl said, “at least one of the middle schoolers can actually shoot.”
Melina pulled in her bottom lip and bit it. It was all she could do not to cry.