Chapter 1 (Revised 3/28/2019)

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Cameron tossed me the ball, and I bounded past his friend Karl in a few swift strides. He tried to tackle me and wrestle it away, but I easily ducked out of his outstretched arms. He fell flat to the ground in the spot where I had been. I laughed at him and shook my head as I ran toward the goal at top speed, seeing my opportunity to finally score. I passed the goal and threw my arms up in victory as I let the ball fall to the ground at my feet.

"Touchdown!" I squeaked happily as I turned to face the field and the people scattered across it.

Cameron ran over to me and held his hand up. "Good job, Maya, you're unstoppable today."

I returned the high-five and stood there smiling as Zack and Karl—Cameron's two good friends—padded over to us.

Zack panted as he stood beside me. He wiped the sweat off his pink forehead and lifted a shivering finger to point at me. "You have got to be on steroids. There's no other way you're that good. I mean you're a chick, and I can't even get the ball away from you! I thought I was one of the best on the team but against you...forget it."

I looked back at him, raising my eyebrows to exaggerate the stare. "Get to know me, and you'll realize that I'm just that amazing," I boasted. "Then maybe I can give you some tips to help you out a little."

"Yeah, she's the bomb," Cameron added, proud.

I looked up at him and smiled, glad that he had my back over his teammates. So much for the bro code. The thought caused me to pause. It was very possible that at this point, I was also one of his bros. He was my closest friend though I had only met him about a year ago at a school pep rally. He was your typical all-American boy on the basketball team and the football team. Girls followed him down the hall with stars in their eyes, and he was such an upbeat person that it was understandable.

Even though he was the complete opposite of me in nearly every aspect, we became quick friends. Sometimes, people thought we were more. And it wasn't as if I had never thought about it. Even now, with his short blond hair messy from playing, he was a catch.

"Should we play another game so me and my awesome teammate can whoop you guys again?" Cameron asked looking between Zack and Karl proudly.

Karl—who had been panting and wiping the dirt off of his clothes from his frantic tackle—stood up, and swiped the black hair out of his face before he replied, "No way, man. I'm not doing that again. At least not today. This game is impossible with Wonder Woman on your team. I know when I'm beat."

"You should've guessed that before we started," Cameron laughed. "You would've saved some energy that way."

Someone's phone went off and we looked at Zack as we traced the source of the noise to him. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and listened for a few minutes to the person on the other line. Then he put it back into his pocket and looked up at us with a blank look on his face.

"I got to go; my girlfriend's bugging me to hang with her. I'll see you guys later," he said before he turned and dashed across the clearing.

"Hey, wait up! You can't leave without me, you're my ride home!" Karl called, running after him.

He stopped when he was halfway between where Zack was and where Cameron and I stood, and he waved. "I'll see you dudes later. Next time, I'll win this game," he vowed before he scooped up the ball off the grass beside him and turned to run toward Zack who was already a distant shape on the horizon.

Cameron snorted at him, laughter on his face as he watched them go, before he turned to look at me. "So, what's the plan?"

I pursed my lips, slowly lifting my finger to exaggerate the look. "I don't know. The game didn't last nearly as long as I hoped."

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