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"Oh, fuck," Joanna groaned. "Isn't this just fucking perfect."
Rosalie rose to her feet, slowly, horror seeping into her piece by piece as she watched Juliana run from where she had been blocked off by two of the Lions during the play. With the game on hold, though, Juliana broke away and ran to the goal where one of the referees was talking to an Adams girl—#5. The number alone was enough to fill Rosalie with dread when it had to do with Jade now on the ground.
Coach was at Jade's side when Juliana arrived, crouching low to where Jade blinked, squinting up at the field lights. "Oh, fuck me," Jade groaned, trying to heave herself up off of the ground.
"Easy there, Dalby," Coach said, hand to Jade's shoulder. One of the referees was there, pulling a flashlight from his pocket. He crouched down beside Jade and told Jade to keep her eyes open. Coach held open Jade's eyelid through it before at last shutting the flashlight off and giving Jade one of her dismal, solemn expressions.
Jade put a hand to the swelteringly red spot on her temple.
"It's a concussion?" Juliana said. "Not again..."
"Are your parents here?" the ref asked. Jade muttered something along the lines of affirmation, dropping her hand over her eyes.
"Juliana, help Jade off the field. We need to get her checked out," Coach said. Juliana nodded, and with the ref's help, they got Jade to her feet. A sizable bump began to swell on her head.
Adams had two points on them, and as Rosalie stood with her toes on the sideline's white paint, Coach returned, eyes ablaze and honed in on Joanna sitting on the bench beside Lu. Lu squeaked in terror, clasping onto Brynn as Coach came up to them with the intent of dragging Joanna onto the field whether she liked it or not.
"I'm not going out there without Rosalie," Joanna said.
"Tough shit, Spencer. Gloves on."
Joanna stood, eyes never leaving Coach's. Rosalie stared at her, silently begging that she comply, but the silence that followed lasted long enough for the referee to show up and demand to know what the issue was. She listened to the sound of the audience talking amongst themselves and staring in their direction when Joanna bent down, picked up her gloves, and silently agreed to be in the game.
Before Joanna could get past the sidelines, though, Rosalie caught her by the sleeve and tugged her back. "Don't ruin this," Rosalie said. Joanna blinked, and for a split second, Rosalie was convinced that Joanna hadn't heard her. "We can still get to State, at least. Seattle doesn't matter right now."
"Yes it does," Joanna said.
Rosalie sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. "Don't do this," she wanted to say, but couldn't. Joanna pulled away and went to the field with the referee behind her. The ref said something to her as they approached the penalty box, and Rosalie hoped Alyssa had the good sense to listen in, if only to tell Rosalie later. The look on Joanna's face said it was not what she wanted to hear.
The instant the game was back in motion, Rosalie's anxiety skyrocketed. She stood beside Brynn, who couldn't be contained to her seat either, and together they watched Alyssa square off against a Lion near the penalty box. Rosalie looked from the ball to Joanna, who was just past the goalpost. She knew Joanna's tricks by now, and being out of the goal in the free space of the penalty box was not how she played, especially not when the ball was far off near the sideline. At close quarters, Joanna risked stepping out of the goal, but not like this.
Ray broke away from her offender, who used her elbow to box Ray in, blocking her from the ball. They skirted around one another until Ray spun around them and raced to intercept the ball as the Lion kicked it back, intending to circle it around to her left foot. Ray skidded between the ball's destination and where it left the girl's cleats for a split second.
She deflected it, kicking it with the outside of her shoe towards the sideline. The Lion that was on her was back by then, though, and both of their cleats tagged the ball and sent it popping into the air. Alyssa flung forward, foot out, and kicked it midair out of the sideline. It arced towards the field and rolled down the sideline, away from their goal and in front of the Lion's benches.
The squabble ended there, though, because #18 hooked it away from the sideline and sent the ball jetting across the field to the opposite side of the goal where their teammate curved it towards the penalty box.
For a split second, Rosalie was convinced that Joanna was going to do something when a Lion geared up for the kick. Joanna moved as if to block, gloves out, but she dove for the wrong side.
As if she ever dove for the wrong side.
"Bullshit!" Brynn seethed, throwing her fists down. From down the line, Rosalie saw Jordan slap a hand to her face, and Coach clasp a hand to her mouth.
Rosalie stepped around Brynn and started for Coach Maguire. Jordan looked up as she approached and jabbed a finger in the goal's direction.
"You know she did that on purpose," Rosalie seethed. "Put me in."
"You know I—"
"You shouldn't, but you can," she insisted. She clenched her eyes shut, let out a frustrated groan before opening them once again. Begging it was. "You know I wouldn't have missed practice unless something bad happened. I've only missed practice once in the past three years."
Coach stared at her, shocked, and Rosalie only then thought to wonder if she ever would have talked to Coach like this if it weren't for the fact that Joanna was being a bratty shithead.
Jordan looked between them as Rosalie maintained eye contact and went so far as to clasp her hands in front of her. All she needed was to get down on her knees and ask for God's forgiveness, and an ounce of empathy in Coach.
"We're two points behind on Adams. It's gonna take the whole game even now to catch up," Rosalie insisted.
Coach narrowed her eyes. She looked out at the field, to where Joanna was the center of the team's collective stink-eye. Alyssa looked like she was about to have an aneurism, and she gestured in Coach's direction to do something with Joanna. At last, Coach sighed and waved the ref over before the next kickoff.
Rosalie dropped her hands, her jaw going with it. She let out a relieved sigh, but it just sent her entire body quaking with the thrill of going out there again. The worry, the anxiety of being under even more pressure now.
Coach pointed to Juliana, who all but hopped and skipped away from centerfield to meet with the ref and Rosalie on the sideline. Juliana beamed at Rosalie, bouncing on her feet as they readied for the swap. Rosalie smiled weakly, her nerves leading to a wary look in Joanna's direction. She wished she could tell whether or not Joanna was going to follow through with their original deal.
I never accepted her new one, she reminded herself, hoping that was enough to keep Joanna from playing like a regular goalie. She wanted Joanna to do her best, even if it cost her Seattle.
As she jogged to centerfield, she scanned the audience, grinning when she heard Sami's voice among the shouts accompanying her arrival to the field. She distinctly heard Dylan Cox screaming, "KICK THEIR ASSES, MASON!" from where he stood down the bench from Sami and Isaiah. Ashton elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.
Rosalie high-fived Ray on her way, who muttered, "Thank God. I was about to kick Joanna's ass."
"I could tell," Rosalie laughed.
Rosalie squared up just outside of the ring, facing the Lions' center forward. After losing time with the switch, the game picked up again without further delay. Rosalie didn't have time to process any pregame anxiety before the ball was in motion.
In an instant Rosalie was checking the center forward Lion, their shoulders butting as Rosalie backed into them, blocking them from running to the goal. They danced around one another, cleats scraping against one another, each step within an inch of the other. Rosalie put her arms out to block as she watched the ball be picked up by Erin's Lion, who was being countered by both Alyssa and Erin.
They lost the ball to Alyssa, who dodged the Lion and sent it off to Erin, who ran with it over centerfield with the roar of the crowd behind her. Rosalie ducked away from the center forward and sprinted for it, leaping over the center line as the Lion's cleats threatened to trip her. They were neck-in-neck—there was no way Erin would pass her the ball with this girl on her tail.
She skirted forward, twisting around the Lion and doubling back. She curved around and was met with the Lion defender, intent on keeping the fight between Erin and the other defender just halfway from centerfield to the penalty box.
"Nice try," the girl said in mock pity. Rosalie sneered at her and the number 18 on her chest.
With Ray only dealing with one Lion, Erin sent the ball soaring across the field. It skidded in the grass, twisting down the field where Ray ran to meet it. She kicked it back, arms out to block her opponent, and went in for the kill. By this time, the defender on Rosalie abandoned her in favor of helping block the shot, so Rosalie sprinted to the open corner of the penalty box, closing in to the sideline for a narrow shot when Ray passed to her and she automatically ricochetted it into the goal.
The speed of the sequence was enough to baffle the goalie from initially waiting on Ray, and then realizing too late that the ball had completely missed the goal. At that point, the goalie had already dove for Ray's kick to Rosalie, so she had left the goal open for the taking.
Rosalie leapt in the air, fists up. Erin was on her in a second, clapping her on the back as they headed for center field.
As they walked, Rosalie gained a clear view of Joanna in the opposite goal, arms crossed.
Thankfully, though, Joanna was paying attention now more than before. However, she was left on edge for the majority of the play after Rosalie's kickoff, which spurred a volley from one end of the court to the other. Alyssa and a Lion collided near the sideline, and due to the long scuffle before then and the fact that they were away from the Lions' goal, one of the Lions kicked the ball out of bounds for a corner kick that Ray took.
Ray reeled back and tossed it to centerfield. Rosalie judged the height as she prepared for the pass, shoulder-to-shoulder with the Lions' center forward. They both leapt for it and it smacked into Rosalie's chest and bounced to her feet. She glided it backwards, kicking it away from the Lion's cleats. She turned and was tripped by their other teammate.
She staggered forward, arms out, but the ball was already gone. They were heading for Joanna now.
Joanna had her arms folded up to the very moment when the Lion realized that she wasn't dealing with the same goalie as before. The instant she went for the kick just before the penalty box, she gave Joanna more than enough time to gauge the direction of the kick, the force, and dove for it. It went to the top corner, but Joanna vaulted from the grass, cleats lifting several feet from the ground. Her gloves reached it, and as she pulled it to her chest, she collided with the net and bounced back in time to hear the crowd screaming.
Rosalie looked over at where Sami and Isaiah were, only to snort and laugh at the sight of a neon pink sign being held up by Dylan with Joanna's name on it.
Joanna's comeback stole them a few extra seconds upon her toss. She went for Erin, who gained several yards closer to the center line where Rosalie opened up for a pass. From there, she tore down the turf with the ball spinning in front of her, whistling through the grass. She juggled and weaved it around the Lions' defenders before swiping the outside of her cleat into the stitches of the ball, kicking it back to Erin, who immediately bounced to to Ray across the field.
Speed was of the essence, and with it, they scored another point on the Lions.
The circumstances warranted some level of suspicion from the Lions, though, so from that point onwards, all defenses were on lockdown. Scoring was impossible, and given Alyssa's built-up rage from dealing with Joanna before, she took it out on the Lions and wound up almost getting flagged on top of dealing bruises left and right. Rosalie didn't blame her, but it wasn't long before she was out of breath from running, and the sharp, cold autumn air felt like needles in her throat.
At halftime, they replenished themselves with water at the benches. Rosalie popped the cap on her bottle and squeezed water into her mouth as all of the girls gathered around. They were all circled up by the time Joanna made her way off of the field and to the bench.
Coach had her eyes on Joanna through all of it, and when Joanna got around to joining the group, her mouth to her water bottle, everyone was staring at her.
Joanna swallowed her water before saying, "What? Stop staring at me."
"You're such a little shit," Coach said, and the girls all giggled and covered their mouths. Rosalie rolled her eyes. Coach rubbed a hand down the side of her face. "Dalby's out for the rest of the game. Minor concussion, but we don't want to take any chances so her parents are taking her to get it checked out."
"Yikes, not again," Ray whispered to Rosalie, who grimaced. She couldn't imagine one concussion, let alone several.
"And might I remind you, Spencer," Coach went on. Just about everyone in the circle tensed up at the sound of Coach's harsher, scolding tone. "You're on this team to avoid suspension. It's one thing to go around punching people, but your place on this team is still up to me."
"We're at the end of the conference. Kicking me now isn't really a choice," Joanna said. Rosalie bristled, eyeing her sharply to keep her mouth shut, but the message didn't translate.
Coach narrowed her eyes at Joanna, who pursed her lips and looked out at the field. "Keep up the good work and we'll see if we can win this," Coach said.
* * *
Rosalie remembered the last concussion Jade Dalby had. It was a minor concussion, but it still sucked just as much as a full-blown one. The following day Rosalie and Sami went to visit and found her vomiting bile in her bathroom.
"Imma turn the light on," Sami said, slapping his hand against the switch.
The second the lights flashed on, Jade groaned, eyes squeezed shut, "No, no, turn them off. The light hurts."
"Sounds like a hangover to me," Sami muttered to Rosalie, who shoved him further into the bathroom and turned the lights off for her. "How're you feeling?"
Jade slumped against the wall beside the toilet paper holder and held the back of her hand to her mouth. "Like crap," she said, sniffing. She was pale as could be—not that either of them could tell since the lights were off and all they could really see was illuminated by the half-closed curtains in her bedroom.
"Sorry guys. Could you, um, could you hand me the mints on the counter?" she asked, pointing to the sink.
"Sure," Sami said, and while he picked them up, Rosalie passed Jade a towel and crouched in front of her.
Jade rubbed her mouth clean with a shaky sigh and thanked her. "Kinda feels like my head is clogged with sewage," Jade told her.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, I'd feel okay if we wound up winning anyways," she said. Rosalie offered a weak smile, but her battle scars from the Adam's game stung too much. If they had won, it would all be numb. But they didn't. Yet again.
"We'll get 'em back. We've got some time still," Rosalie said, looking down at her hands. She relayed what their captain asked Rosalie to say to Jade. Rosalie was co-captain until the seniors graduated.
As the captain and a senior, Rosalie managed to beat Adams once, and she swore to do it again. Only, Jade was out of the running for this go. They'd just have to win so that Jade could fight future battles. This wouldn't be the end of their soccer career together.
* * *
Controlling the field meant controlling the direction Adams took towards their goal, if they came that far. Considering the drills Joanna brought from Kaiserslautern, it gave the team extra footing in understanding the way Adams worked, and the way Joanna's success rate continued under the basics of scoring distance. Of course, her secrets were kept under wraps until late in the season when Kaiserslautern practices were implemented in preparation for dealing with Adams again. Their first run with Adams didn't exactly supply a reasonable timeline.
Rosalie recalled the thrill of beating Joanna at her game before she even understood the premise of Joanna's success. Her and the other forwards used speed when speed wasn't even the winning point with Joanna. It was never about speed, but it worked if the timing was right.
"It's just luck," Joanna told Ray from around her mouthguard. She popped it out the second Ray rose her eyebrows and opened her mouth to argue.
"Then tell us why we've scored on you twice now," Alyssa called out from centerfield.
Joanna swiped up the ball from where it was caught in the loose netting on the grass and turned to slam it into Ray's chest. Ray snickered. "Looks like someone's bitter about losing."
"Stop bothering her so we can get back to work," Rosalie said, gesturing sharply towards centerfield where Alyssa threw her arms up, looking every bit as argumentative as she wanted to be. She just looked pleased with being on the side of the field that scored on Joanna.
"Tell that to the two points we have on you," Joanna spat in Ray's direction. She shoved Ray back by the soccer ball again. "And you're breaking the form again. I thought we were supposed to be following my plan."
"That's right," Coach shouted from the sidelines. She clapped her hands at them all and said, "Everyone, places! We've only got time for two more."
Rosalie watched Ray turn on her heels and march off for the center. She tossed the ball at Erin, who was playing center for the opposing scrimmage team. Rosalie turned to Joanna, halfway to the penalty line. "Did you lie to Coach when you said you've been looking into the Adam's goalie?"
"Maybe," Joanna said. She clapped her gloved hands together and grinned, wide enough for her septum piercing to rest on her upper lip. She gave a nonchalant shrug. "Doesn't matter. You all need to practice close-quarters anyways."
"We all need to?" Rosalie said, smiling at Joanna's cheeky grin. Rosalie laughed. "Whatever. I doubt that's your kryptonite."
"You'd be surprised," Joanna said.
She was right, though. The speed became predictable then, and their own scrimmage defenders were on the ball the third time around and intercepted the quick, volleyed passes from one side of the goal to the other. They couldn't rely on speed, not with Adams. Their players would pick up on it within the first two attempts.
Getting up close and personal, though, that was a tactic that might get them somewhere. Joanna often confined herself to the goal, and when her defenders failed, it brought the opposing team into the penalty box as close to the goal post threshold as Joanna's own cleats. She kept to that tactic, even when Erin was on top of her. Joanna didn't bother picking up the ball, and instead slammed her foot into Erin's shin so that she tripped and sent the ball skidding away from the goal.
Of course, Coach blew the whistle and threw her arms out. "Spencer! No tripping!"
"Oh, sorry, this is my first time playing," Joanna said and offered an apology bow.
Joanna's habit of tripping and bruising shins made them nervous to engage her close-up, but that was what the plan warranted. They were forced to face her shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee, until every forward had, at least once, fought with Joanna at the goal threshold.
* * *
Rosalie hadn't realized how aggressive that made them all until the ref pulled a flag on Erin McAlister, of all players. The Adams goalie, unlike Joanna, bent for the ball and wound up with a knee to the face due to how close she had been to Erin's legs. It wasn't the end of the world, but the warning was enough to have Erin pale in the face as they all assembled back to their spots.
She leaned in to Rosalie as she passed and whispered, "I swear I didn't mean to knee her in the face—"
"She'll survive," Rosalie said, clapping her on the arm. "Good job."
The goalie checked out fine, and so the game commenced once more and Adams was permitted a penalty kick that Joanna blocked, much to the annoyance of the increasingly angry Adams players and fans. Dylan, however, was back at it with the neon pink sign screaming Joanna's name and number. Joanna bowed dramatically to the crowd before tossing the ball back into the game.
The time was ticking to a near finish. They weren't left with many options considering how avidly the Adams tailed their offense, and how each of their passes near the penalty box were intercepted by the Adams' defense. They forfeited the ball once again, and the race back over centerfield led to another almost-score on Joanna, who pulled through with another block, and another punt that soared well over the middle of the field. Rosalie was there, sprinting towards where the ball ricochetted from the grass and against the chest of an Adams defense player. Rosalie swiped her knee up, skimming the ball just enough to tip it away from the player's original target. She spun to the side, putting her back to the defensive player and kicking the ball up with her laces. She swung her opposite foot up and slammed the inside of her cleat against the ball, drilling it across the field to where Erin was sprinting at full-speed towards the goal.
Erin immediately passed it to Ray, who danced around her Adams check and sent it to Rosalie, who didn't waste a second taking it across the penalty line.
She skimmed the ball around the goalie, cleats clashing against their shoes. Rosalie was used to Joanna kicking at her shins by now, and with the close-call and a knee to the face, the goalie wasn't keen on another hit, but her defense players were.
One slammed into Rosalie's back, and in the process, their feet tangled and Rosalie skidded off balance. She kicked the ball from between the defensive players' feet as she fell, and it was just enough momentum to put the ball in the net.
The scoreboard blared and the whistle blew.
Rosalie rolled to her stomach and pushed herself up, eyes going to the time on the board. She gasped, panting for air to calm her speeding heart.
Fifteen seconds.
It was just uncomfortable enough to raise the question of whether or not either team could score in that time.
Rosalie pushed herself to her feet and spared a look at the Lions' goalie, who was fetching the ball. The goalie shot Rosalie a furious look. The scoreboard illuminated the fact that the scores were offset by one, and it put the Knights on top. Rosalie walked from the Lions' goal smiling, though losing focus now meant overtime. The last thing they needed was to go overtime against the Lions. They could keep the Lions busy for another fifteen seconds.
Rosalie stretched her arms over her head as she passed the Lions' captain, grinning like a Cheshire cat and knowing it. Despite the sweat, the bruises, and her gnarled mess of curly hair, she felt invincible.
Their captain kicked the ball towards her, and she steadied it in the circle with a foot on the seams. She rolled it back and rocked it forward as the ref lifted the whistle to his lips. The Lions' captain glowered at her, her brow flattened over a set of narrowed, brown eyes. She scrubbed the side of her face against the sleeve of her jersey, and Rosalie tightened her ponytail.
The whistle blew.
Rosalie passed the ball to Erin, who flew forward with the ball dribbling between her cleats. The Adams girl slammed her cleat into Erin's shin, scraping it down as Erin tripped forward with a shout. Joanna never broke skin in their practices, but at this point, pain against Adams was expected. Erin's recovery, though, was cut short by the whistle blowing.
Rosalie threw her arms down and looked back at Ray, who was farther ahead in preparation for the speed passes. Ray shrugged. Rosalie could have tore her curls out. So it seemed Adams was willing to take their anger out on the Knights. If the Lions couldn't go to State, then the least they could do was injure the Knights' best players.
The Adams' girl was kicked from the field, and whether or not Erin was bleeding was disguised behind her royal blue socks. She insisted she was fine, and so the ref let her stay. Rosalie looked back at the clock where it lingered at eleven seconds. She drew her eyes to the Lion who checked her—the Lions' captain—and wondered what her chances were of losing blood in the next eleven seconds.
Let it be blood and not a deeper injury, she thought as the new wing came in to supplement the Lion the ref pulled.
When the ball was put back into play, it was immediately sent off field. At this point, the Knights fans were chanting something about tantrums and Rosalie didn't blame them. Her sour expression followed her down the sideline where she awaited Ray's toss. It went to Erin, though, who staggered under an "accidental" shove on the back of her calf. The Lion took the ball and ran with it, gathering speed into a sprint with every Lion and Knight after her.
The instant Alyssa crossed in front of the Lion, the girl sent the ball soaring past her and towards Joanna. The time ticked down to two, and at one, Joanna caught the ball for a punt cross-court.
The ball left her laces at the final buzzer. The fact that she even went for a punt was unnecessary, and certainly for show since it reached its peak at centerfield before circling into a fast and furious descent. The field lights dropped a dozen circular shadows across the field, passing in faint stripes from one goal to the other.
Rosalie slowed to a stop, freezing at the fact that the Adams' goalie was now readying to block the ball. Since it was midair, it was still in game, and Rosalie thought to herself, There's no way Joanna has that aim—
The ball pitched past the corner goal post, close enough to ricochet off of it and dodge the goalie's glove. It went down in a narrow, shallow arc in the opposite corner.
Rosalie had never seen a goalkeeper score before, especially not on an Adam's goalie.
Her gasp was drowned out by the stands being pitched into a riot of screaming and whistling. Rosalie threw her arms up over her head to keep it from floating up into oblivion along with her heart rising to her throat. She turned to the scoreboard, eyes stinging with tears. She covered her eyes behind her elbows the second the laugh turned into a tight, painful sob of absolute relief.
She would have dropped to her knees and cried, but someone slammed into her back. Ray's incessant screaming brought her back to reality, and the fact that they were on the middle of the field in the midst of absolute chaos. The entire team was sprinting out onto the field, arms up. Brynn skipped and lunged into the air just before throwing herself into the mix of Knights colliding.
She grabbed Rosalie and Ray by the arms and dragged them after the others as they made a beeline for the goal where Joanna stood, targeted by every girl on their team and every person in the stands screaming her name. Rosalie watched as Joanna sidestepped to the edge of the goal and skipped into a sprint, running as fast as her short legs could carry her before Ray caught her around the waist and flung her up into the air.
"Put me down! I'm not made to fly!" Joanna shouted, thrashing frantically. It was no use. It certainly didn't stop her fans from jumping the field wall.
Dylan and Ashton led the crowd of male athletes Joanna had befriended as they pushed onto the field and brought the rest of the stadium with them. In a matter of seconds, the field turned into a mosh pit of screaming and chanting over the music blaring on the speakers to signal the Knights' win. We Are The Champions flooded the stadium from the mass of people gathered together with the Knights in the middle, all but sobbing under the intensity around them.
Rosalie didn't remember much of it, truth be told, but eventually, the crowd thinned. In the breathing spaces between hot, sweaty players and fluffy winter coats, Rosalie caught her breath and spied Sami across the way. She weaseled her way between Bradshaw kids and made her way to him.
Sami spotted her and screamed, throwing his arms out to catch her and pull her up off of her feet. She laughed, the tear tracks on her face cracking under her brilliant, bright smile. She squeezed her arms around his neck as he spun them and settled her on the ground beside Isaiah.
She reeled Isaiah into the hug and said, "Thanks for coming! Thanks so much!" but with the tears, it all came out garbled and messy.
"I can't believe you did it! I'm so happy for you!" Sami said, smushing his hands against her cheeks. She giggled, tears bubbling over her lashes. She could barely keep her eyes open. "God, you're a mess. Here—Isaiah brought tissues."
He plucked the tissue packet out of Isaiah's jacket pocket. Isaiah rolled his eyes as Sami started plucking them out by the handfuls and stuffing them against Rosalie's face. She took them, fully aware that her fingers were chapped and red and numb from the cold under her thin gloves. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes, stuffing the used tissues into her jersey short pockets.
In the process of doing so, someone laid their hand on her shoulder. She turned and found Coach standing there, smiling wide. She reached over to hug Rosalie, who squeezed her back and said, "Thanks for letting me play, Coach."
"Well, you certainly didn't make me regret it," she said, laughing. She pulled away and clapped Sami on the shoulder with a nod. Sami waved back weakly as Coach looked behind her and pulled someone forward.
Rosalie lifted her eyes to meet a woman who looked like a carbon copy of Gal Gadot. She was tall enough to warrant both Rosalie and Sami to tip their chins up to look her in the eye, but doing so made Rosalie's throat close up and her heart stop because she recognized this woman. She'd seen this exact woman's portrait online, and frequently saw it in each team photo for the Seattle girls' soccer team.
"Coach Heather!" Rosalie squeaked, clasping a hand over her mouth the second she blurted it out. Her ears were already red from the cold, but all the heat returned at the sight of Seattle's assistant coach smiling down at her.
The woman crossed her arms, as Coach Maguire laughed and said, "I figured I should introduce the two of you. Heather, this is our captain, Rosalie Mason. If it weren't for her, this win never would have happened."
"I wouldn't say never—" Rosalie started, only to stop at the look Coach was giving her. She smothered her next words in a weak smile. "Nice to meet you, Coach Heather."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. It sounds like you've already done your research," she said, her smile light and amused.
Sami clapped his hands on Rosalie's two shoulders. She jumped in surprise. "Research? This chick follows you on all social media—"
Rosalie squeaked and spun around, shoving Sami back by the chest. She pushed him and Isaiah away, Isaiah, the same idiot who was now giggling and letting Sami rat her out like this! She made a mental note to gut them both.
"That is—That is true but unnecessary to point out," Rosalie insisted, turning back to Coach Heather. She shook her head and said, "Coach said she called a rep in from Seattle, I wasn't expecting—"
"Me?" she said. She nudged her elbow against Coach Maguire's and said, "We went to high school together. As if I'd say no to the captain!"
Rosalie could have fainted, but she didn't. She didn't want to miss the look Coach pulled when Coach Heather threw her head back and let out a hearty laugh. "I'm teasing! Gosh, always so serious. I was just on the team for a year. Used to be a Stoney—Stone Ridge, I mean, not... anyway," Coach Heather said, clearing her throat as Rosalie laughed. "I'm interested in meeting this keeper of yours, Maguire. You never mentioned anything about her."
Rosalie couldn't ignore the needle that just went through her throat where her heart leapt and turned into a shish kabob. She also couldn't ignore how painful it was to swallow when she heard Joanna's voice behind her:
"That's because I'm not on the market."
Rosalie felt Joanna's shoulder brush against her arm where she came to stand alongside her. She saw Joanna's hand reach out for Heather's. "Joanna Spencer."
They shook hands and Heather squeezed Joanna's closer and asked, "Oh really? And who snagged you?"
"Depends on the topic of interest."
"Joanna," Rosalie hissed at her. She managed to catch Joanna's eye, and found that clever little glint that told Rosalie just how little to trust her right about now. For a split, dreadful second, she wished she would have listened to Joanna during the timeout.
Coach had her hand pinched over the bridge of her nose. "University, Joanna. She wants to know where you're going."
"No one's business except Rosalie's," Joanna said, pointing her thumb in Rosalie's direction.
Coach Heather looked to Rosalie, who wanted nothing more than to melt into a puddle. "Is there anything that might pique your interest in Seattle, Miss Spencer?" she asked, turning her eyes back to Joanna.
"Maybe."
Rosalie's stomach plummeted, and with it, her heart and the needle stuck through it. She wanted to know what Joanna was planning. Was the Coast Guard a lie? No, it couldn't be. That was Joanna's cover since the start, and it seemed unlikely that Joanna would change the story now. As if Seattle was Joanna's choice school. As if the university wasn't expensive enough, housing would be an issue for her, and—
Rosalie's internal analysis was cut short by Joanna saying, "I'd go if Rosalie's there."
The beat of silence that followed provided enough time for Rosalie's internal scream to manifest into a verbal, "She's kidding."
It was promptly followed up with Joanna saying, "She's not. If you look into my history at Kaiserslautern International School in Germany, the team there has been undefeated in their region for the past decade. My coach would be willing to vouch for me."
Coach Heather cleared her throat and managed to repeat, "Kaiserslautern?" She pulled a pad of paper from her coat pocket and handed it to Joanna to write down. Rosalie turned her stunned stare onto Coach Maguire, who's jaw was already ticking, and the vein on her temple pulsating.
Joanna tucked the pencil into the notebook's spine and handed it back to Coach Heather. The woman took it with a pleasant smile and said, "Well, Miss Spencer, Miss Mason—Hopefully I'll see you two at Regionals. If I can make it to State, I will."
Joanna clasped an arm around Rosalie's shoulders and gave the woman her best fake smile and said, "We'll see you there, Heather. Have a nice night." With that, she dragged Rosalie back and pushed her ahead, through the thinning crowd, and to the sideline benches where their water bottles waited.
The team was already gathering their things to leave. Rosalie was still in shock even after folding up her sweats and dragging her water bottle from the bench. She walked in silence during the march to the locker rooms, fully aware that Joanna was at her side through it all, waiting for Rosalie's sanity to recollect.
Bradshaw's corridor to the locker rooms felt sweltering hot after spending the past several hours out in the cold. Rosalie's numb fingers began to prickle and sting, and moved sluggishly when she twisted the lock on her door. It took several tries to undo the lock, and once that was complete, her chattering teeth stilled and clenched tight when she looked over at Joanna sitting on the locker room bench.
Joanna straddled the bench and had her mouthguard case and gloves on the wood in front of her. Her expression didn't change when Rosalie at last addressed her, but she spoke then. "I'm not actually planning on going to Seattle."
"Then why did you say it?" Rosalie said.
Joanna swung her leg over and stood to face Rosalie. "Because I told you, Rosalie, and you already know it. They're looking for a keeper. They need to see more of you, but they can't do that if they give up on me."
Rosalie crossed her arms. She disguised her fury behind a casual shrug and said, voice thick with sarcasm, "So, what, suddenly we're a matching set? Get one, you get the other?"
Joanna put a hand to the locker beside hers and leant in to say, "That's exactly what I'm saying, Rosie."
Rosalie dug her nails into her arms as she looked between Joanna's steady eyes. She never properly saw Joanna this close up after a game, at least not enough to notice the damp baby hairs around her temples, or the smell of her deodorant on her otherwise sweat-stained jersey. The streaks of grass from every dive on the seam over her shoulder.
Rosalie flinched at the sound of a locker closer behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Ray disappearing around the corner at the exact moment Joanna pressed a finger to her cheek.
Joanna prompted her to turn her attention back around. Heat flooded to her cheeks. It wasn't often that people touched her face, and if anything, it was to squish her cheeks or leave an innocent kiss on her forehead. It was all friendly until now, with Joanna as the culprit behind Rosalie's rapidly beating heart.
"Let's make a deal," Joanna said, voice low. She dropped her finger from Rosalie's cheek and pocketed it. She settled her forearm against the locker and waited for Rosalie's response.
The deal Joanna made on the field was still up in the air, and Rosalie was certain this new idea had something to do with that. She swallowed hard, clutching her hands to the locker door. "What are the terms?" she whispered.
"I help you get to Seattle," Joanna said. Rosalie felt significance of the pause Joanna took. There was more to it. "We'll still keep the Nationals deal, but if this partnership plan works... I'll go to Seattle with you."
There was no way for Rosalie to avoid or anticipate the thrill that this prospect had. She sucked in a deep breath and said, "That's... a lot, Joanna. I mean, University's a big deal, and you have your reasons for going to the—"
"Yeah, but I might be able to get a full ride," Joanna said under her breath. She laughed and rolled her eyes away from Rosalie. "And if I do, then the Coast Guard's out the window. What do you say?"
The team was making a ruckus a few rows down. The silence between them was still flooded with their teammates screaming and laughing, locker doors being rattled and slammed. Rosalie was grateful for it, because it was as much privacy as they could get in the middle of a locker room.
She bit her lip to hold back the smile when she nodded. "Yeah. yes, let's do it. Deal."
Rosalie lifted her hand to Joanna. Joanna took it, and on the shake, Rosalie raised her eyes to find Joanna stepping closer. Her eyes widened when Joanna leant in, their hands still clasped together between their chests. Inadvertently, Rosalie squeezed onto Joanna's fingers tighter, breath catching at the thought of—
No, she wouldn't. Not in the middle of the locker room, her brain rationalized, but it didn't stop Rosalie's heart from soaring at the possibility of kissing Joanna. She hadn't considered it before then, and as Joanna pressed their cheeks together to whisper in her ear, she couldn't get the thought out of her head. It stuck to the inside of her skull, and remained there as she felt Joanna smile when she said:
"See you at practice, Captain."
Joanna leant back, pulling her hand away with her. Her fingers traveled over Rosalie's palm and dropped, leaving Rosalie with the distinct sensation that she had just held someone's hand—differently, though, in much the same way Joanna's hand on her face felt.
Joanna swiped her things up from the bench and looked back at Rosalie before leaving the aisle for her own locker. Rosalie stared after her until the smile splitting across her face became too obvious to ignore. She put her hand to her cheek, still hot from Joanna's skin pressing to her own. She reassured herself that it wasn't a big deal.
That reassurance did little to suppress the anticipation that came from their deal, and it certainly did nothing to stop Rosalie from thinking about a future kiss.
n/a: THUS CONCLUDES THE FIRST ACT. We've got a squad of about 70 loyal readers (I SEE YOU OUT THERE) and I want to know the following from ALL Y'ALL:
1. Would you prefer I continue posting on this book or post it as a separate sequel?
2. Pick a name: Charlie Ramirez, Leslie Alvarez, or Drew Mendoza
(I'm so excited for you guys to meet this character)
3. Thoughts on giving Ray a romance arc? I set it up as a possibility (her being on a dating app) but never followed through with it lol