Dancing Around // peter parker

43

Coach Gawson was still the one giving us instructions. He would blow his damn whistle and point to the place he would want us to run to. He would use his whole hand, flat as it could be too, instead of just a single finger. With only a week until our next game, I wasn't surprised to see him on the field. I sighed heavily through the whole thing, a little upset that I was going to have to deal with him for the remainder of the season. Not as upset as Cindy, however.

"I'm going to shove that whistle down his throat," she whispered to me as we passed by each other.

"Everyone, huddle up!" Coach yelled. I made a face towards Cindy, before joining the rest of the girls. Cindy and I stood on the outskirts of the man-made circle, only kind of paying attention to Coach's words. He was nice background noise, easy to ignore as Cindy started to complain about a loose thread from her shorts.

I wrapped the small thread around my fingers, ready to pull it out just as I heard someone yell, "What?" I looked towards Coach, wondering what had happened. "This is unfair. You can't do this!" Adelaide was the one yelling.

Coach crossed his arms. "What's unfair about it? I'm the Coach."

I let go of the thread hanging from Cindy's shorts. I leaned my head a bit into the circle. "What's happening?" I asked out loud.

One of the girls answered me, her eyes glued to Adelaide as she started spitting her words out. "Adelaide got replaced as the goalie by someone else."

My eyes widen, but I couldn't help but feel a little laugh creeping up my throat. "Who's going to be the new goalie then?"

"Marina." I looked at the girl. She turned her head towards me, a little surprised to see my face.

"Me?" I asked.

"I guess so."

"But...but I don't want to be a goalie. I'm perfectly okay being left-back."

The girl shrugged her shoulder, before looking forward. She walked away from me, finding a new place to stand, and leaving a hole in the circle. A hole that Cindy filled. She stood next to me, leaning her head to the side. "What's happening?"

"I'm goalie now," I said.

She laughed. "No, seriously."

"I'm serious."

"But that's Adelaide's spot."

"Alright, alright! Fine," Coach yelled. His eyes searched for mine. I looked to the ground, hoping he wouldn't find me, but there were only a few of us and I knew my plan wasn't solid proof. "Marina, go."

I looked up. "Go? Go where?"

"To the goal."

"What goal?"

"The goal!"

"Why?"

"Just go!"

I went. I stood right outside the goal, moving back and forth on my toes as the best kicker on our team stood a few feet away from me. Was I trying out for a position I didn't even ask for? Why? For what purpose? Adelaide was a fine goalie. I ran fast, I could take the ball away from people, I should be placed in the field. Should I just let the ball pass me? Show that I'm not fit to be a goalie? And with the next game coming soon, wouldn't it be a death sentence changing positions now? What was Coach Gawson up to? Why make us change?

Was it...was it because of what happened in the principal's office? Was putting me on goalie his way of favoring me? Did the principal tell him to do this? Or to be nicer to us? To change his way? And instead of changing his attitude, he thought putting me as goalie would make me less annoyed by his whistle? If so, that was another reason why I should let the ball pass me.

I stood square, my full intention of moving the opposite way the ball was heading. She kicked it and it was coming left. I was going to go right, but then my instance kicked in and before I knew it, I had stopped the ball. Then she did it again and again, and each time I stopped it. Coach Gawson blew his whistle. "That right there is a goalie! I'm a genius! Congratulations, Marina. Now, everyone go. Get off the field. You'll be late for class and I'm not signing any notes."

I met Adelaide's eyes. Crap.