The Bulloch High JV Bulls’ first game was Saturday. Practice hadn’t changed much throughout the week. The high school girls still treated the younger players like second-class teammates. Only now, Melina and Nora were working together better than ever.
“All right, ladies,” Rose Torrence said, leaning into the pre-game huddle. “It’s our first game, and we’ve had some rough practices.”
Nora caught Melina’s eye across the huddle with an excited grin. For the past week, Melina had seen Nora’s smiles in a whole new way. It was almost hard to believe they were really friends. She had known Nora as nothing but a rival for so many years.
“But we’ve never lost an opening game to the Northend Dragons. We’re not going to start now,” Rose went on. Her eyes moved around the circle. She even offered a determined — if terrifying — smile to the three middle school girls.
“So on three, let’s hear ‘Go Bulls,’ like you really mean it,” Rose said. She put her hand in the middle of the circle. The rest of the team did the same. “One. Two. Three . . .”
“Go Bulls!” the girls shouted. They threw their hands up with the cheer to break up the huddle.
“This ought to be fun,” Prissy said as she, Melina, and Nora walked to the bench.
At their second practice, Melina and Nora had been assigned to second-string forward positions, and Prissy was on second-string defense. It came as no surprise to any of them that the starting lineup was all ninth and tenth graders.
“Hey, we’re still part of team,” Melina reminded Prissy. “Even from the sidelines, we can support our teammates and keep it positive, right?”
Prissy gave a determined nod. “Right,” she said.
The Northend Dragons, in green-and-yellow uniforms, jogged into position. The Bulls already stood on the field, ready to go.
The center referee called Rose and the other team captain for the coin toss. The Dragons captain called heads and won the flip. She high-fived the girls behind her as the ref placed the ball at center mark.
FWEET! The ref raised her arm and blew her whistle. The Dragons took the kick-off.
Melina leaned forward on the bench. Even if she wasn’t on the field, she was still excited for the team’s first game.
A Dragons striker knocked the ball forward into their captain’s possession. She led her team on an attack up the right side.
The Bulls midfield played tight defense, but the Dragons center slipped through. When she passed to her right wing, though, the Bulls central defender — a tenth grader named Ivy — jumped forward.
Ivy pulled off a perfect steal and kicked the ball up the field to the Bulls’ waiting strikers. Right away, Melina had to hand it to Rose Torrence. She was a skilled player.
Rose sprinted across the midfield, her right arm high to call out the play. She fired a perfect pass to Jana Brownstein.
Melina held her breath as Jana trapped the ball and got in place to shoot. The Dragons defenders were starting to rush her. Jana whipped back her leg and kicked.
But the Dragons goalkeeper dived just in time. She knocked it wide with both gloved hands.
Melina blew out a disappointed sigh. The other girls on the bench groaned at the miss.
“Good shot, Brownstein!” Rose called, applauding for her teammate. “Next time.”
Melina looked at Nora and Prissy. Together, they jumped to their feet and started cheering.
“Way to go, Jana and Rose! Awesome effort!” Melina shouted from the sidelines.
It might not have been a goal, but it had still been a great play and a great shot. Soon the rest of the Bulls bench joined in, cheering for the starters.
As the bench quieted down, Melina nudged Prissy. “Who would’ve thought,” she whispered, “that Rose Torrence would remind us to be positive?”