A Lot to Tackle (2 page)

“I'm so not perfect,” she said.

Emily rolled her eyes. “Tell that to the teachers.”

Mrs. Campbell nodded. “Emily tells me that not only are you helping the cheerleading squad, but you were elected seventh-grade class president and your grades are out of this world. All As!”

Alex shrugged modestly, secretly delighted by the shower of praise. She dreamed of being a senator or a governor someday. Or even running a big business with thousands of employees. Middle school was the beginning of bigger things. Much bigger.

And then her mind flashed back to the big red B scrawled at the top of her English quiz yesterday.

She chewed her lip. Her first B on a quiz, ever. She hadn't told her parents or Ava. Her mom and dad were too busy before the big football game to worry about her English grade, and telling Ava seemed unfair. Ava would be happy
with a B. Thrilled, even. Alex tried to make a point of never bragging to her twin how easily school came to her. Ava struggled with ADHD, and that made focusing on schoolwork more difficult for her.

Alex sighed. She knew why she'd gotten that B. She'd been making posters for the playoff game and organizing this cheerleader breakfast. She hadn't had time to make her special color-coded study sheet.

No big deal,
she told herself.
I'm a superstar. One B isn't going to mess that up.

Alex excused herself and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. On the way, she pulled out her phone and searched for the number of the restaurant in Austin her mom had mentioned last night. Before bed, she and Ava had decided to surprise her parents by making a reservation. What better way to celebrate after the championship game? Alex said she'd call, since Ava had to warm up before her own game.

Alex listened as the phone rang.

“Hello, you've reached Mercury Grill. We're closed right now. Please leave a message at the beep.” The recording was delivered by a man with a deep voice.

Alex left her phone number and glanced at the time. Of course—fancy restaurants weren't open this early. She'd add calling them back to her list.

“Alex, hey, Alex!” Lindsey tugged at Alex's royal-blue sweater. “I need your opinion.”

Alex looked up. Lindsey and Emily stood before her in their cheerleading uniforms and perfect blond ponytails.

“About what?” Alex asked. She self-consciously re-did the hair band on her own ponytail, smoothing down the flyaways.

“Me and Corey,” Lindsey said. “Tomorrow is our two-month anniversary.”

“Oh. Wow! Congrats,” Alex said.

“I want to do something nice for him,” Lindsey said.

“Something romantic,” Emily added.

Alex wondered what
she
would do. Maybe share the huge Arctic Blast sundae at Rookie's or fly side by side on that new zip line at Adventureland. She gave a small chuckle. Who was she kidding? She'd never had a boyfriend for two hours, let alone two months.

When she'd first moved to Ashland, she'd actually wished Corey would be her boyfriend.
That was before she knew about his history with Lindsey—and before she and Lindsey became friends. Now the idea that he could have been into her seemed crazy! Everyone at school, including Alex, saw that Lindsey and Corey were so right together, even though it was kind of a cliché. He was the middle school quarterback. She was a cheerleader. Their mothers had been college roommates, linking Lindsey and Corey together since they were born.

“Alex, you keep spacing out on us.” Lindsey's voice broke through her thoughts.

“Oh, sorry.” Alex looked back at her phone. She'd have to remind the cheerleaders about their new pom-poms again. It was almost time to go.

“What about a party?” Lindsey asked. “An anniversary pizza party!”

“I love parties!” Emily clapped her hands together. “We can all celebrate with you.”

“All of us?” Alex wrinkled her nose. “Isn't that . . . well, a lot?”

“It'll be fun,” Emily insisted. “We can do it at my house tomorrow night. We can make it a surprise for Corey.”

“He'll be shocked. We'll get all his friends
and our friends too. I'll be the most awesome girlfriend!” Lindsey bounced on her toes.

“Do you think he'll want that?” Alex asked. A pizza party didn't sound very romantic.

“Sure,” Lindsey said confidently. “Will you help me plan it, Alex? You're so good at organizing these things.”

“Well . . . I . . .” She liked parties, but something about Lindsey's idea felt wrong. For two months of going out, a party seemed a bit excessive.

Stop it,
Alex chided herself.
Corey is Lindsey's boyfriend. She knows him best.

“I'll totally help,” Alex promised. She pulled out another piece of paper and began to make a party list.

“Shove over, Sackett.” Ava looked up to see Corey O'Sullivan drop down beside her. He pulled off his helmet, pushing his dark-red hair from his eyes. Beads of sweat lined his forehead. “That was a disaster,” he muttered.

Ava inched down the bench in the boys' locker room. The thirty boys around her had accepted that she was as much a part of this team as any of them. She struggled to breathe through the stench of mildew, sweat, and an overabundance of spray-on deodorant. Even though she didn't like perfume, she almost suggested they move their halftime meeting to the girls' locker room.

But today wasn't the time for cute remarks.

“We're down twenty-one to fourteen. We've been down before. And what do we do? We come back to win!” Coach Kenerson called out. “It's the final play-off game, and you guys looked nervous out there. You made too many mistakes. We need to relax. Each and every one of you needs to push himself”—he looked at Ava—“or herself to be better than you thought you could be. There's no other time but now. If we turn it around and win, we're on to the championships, just like the high school team last night.”

Ava nodded. The entire first half of the game had been a mess, full of mistimed throws and missed catches. Nobody was in the groove. And the other team, the Plainview Pioneers, was playing a more aggressive game than any team they'd been up against all season.

“We can't let this slip away.” Corey stood and addressed the team. “We've got to work together. We can do this!”

They formed a huddle. All hands dropped into the middle. “Go Tiger Cubs!” they cried, raising their hands high.

Ava joined in the cheer. She wanted this win for her dad, for the team, and for herself. She'd fought the school board for a place on the team.
Getting to the championships would prove not only that she belonged but that she was a vital player. As they walked back onto the field, she vowed to play better.

The second half began. Ava anxiously waited for the opportunity to kick.

“Go! Go!” she cried, as Corey bulleted the ball to wide receiver Owen Rooney. Owen, who was famous for his golden hands, misjudged the distance. The ball bounced onto the turf five feet behind him. The Pioneers snatched it for an interception.

“What's he doing?” Ava cried in frustration.

“He's having a bad day,” Bryce Hobson said. Bryce was also a kicker, and he sat alongside her, helplessly watching the action. “Everyone is.”

“We can't all have a bad day
today
!” Ava paced the sideline, unable to stay seated on the bench. She grimaced as Owen repeatedly got tackled on the next few passes.

Coach Kenerson stood with his arms crossed and his eyebrows knitted together in a disgruntled V. Ava had played wide receiver countless times in practice. She was sure she could catch the balls Owen had missed. Would Coach K put her in?

But the game moved into the fourth quarter,
and Owen stayed in his position. They managed to score another touchdown on a pass caught by Greg Fowler. Ava hated not being part of the action.
If only I could get a chance like Tommy has now that Dion is out,
she thought. She knew she shouldn't think this, but if Owen got sick or a little bit hurt, she could take the field and run for the touchdown they so badly needed. She was ready to be the hero.

Please, oh, please put me in so I can do something great,
she thought.

But Coach Kenerson remained loyal to Owen.

“Go! Go!” Ava cheered as loudly as she could for Owen and Corey, hoping to encourage them to play as well as they had all season.

When the final twenty seconds of the game flashed on the scoreboard, the Ashland Tiger Cubs were down 24–23. Minutes earlier, they'd scored two points when Xander sacked the quarterback in the Pioneers' own end zone. Coach Kenerson called a time-out. He motioned Ava over.

“There's no way we're getting a touchdown.” He locked eyes with her. “It's a long shot, I know. I'm not asking for miracles, but one field goal will do the trick.”

Ava gulped and noted the field position. She'd
have to kick the ball from thirty-nine yards out. She'd never cleared the crossbar from that far away in a game. She rarely attempted that distance in practice.

She gazed at the Texas flag hanging limp on the pole by the concession stand. No wind today. That was good.

What could she say? She had to try. And besides, hadn't she wanted to go in and save the game? She couldn't believe that this impossible kick was how she was getting her wish.

She secured her helmet in place and jogged onto the field. The cheerleaders pumped up the crowd with a new routine. The bleachers erupted with a blur of noise, but she focused only on the goalposts looming in the distance.

Too far,
she thought. Her stomach plummeted. How had the game come to this?

Suddenly the crowd's noise stopped sounding like noise, and she heard the chant: “Sackett! Sackett!”

They were chanting for her.

Her eyes searched the bleachers, landing on Coach's orange baseball cap. Her mother waved frantically next to him. Tommy pumped his fist. Alex stood down near the cheerleaders, who
were all going crazy. Her stomach churning with nerves, she looked again at Coach. He met her gaze with a look of steely determination.

Ava inhaled deeply. She knew that look. He was right. She had a job to do. She had to kick this ball as far as she could. The snap came, and her foot connected solidly with the ball. She watched it arc into the sky.

Then Ava turned away.

She didn't need to watch what she already knew. The kick hadn't been far enough. The ball would fall short.

A second later, the referee's whistle blew, ending the game and the Tiger Cubs' season. The Pioneers exploded into a rallying cry as Ava fought back the tears that threatened to run rivers down her cheeks.

Do not cry. Do not cry,
she repeated, as she walked slowly off the field.

“Tough one,” Logan Medina said as she found her way back to the bench.

“Not your fault,” Bryce added.

Many other boys chimed in, giving her consoling pats on the back.

Coach Kenerson gathered the players together, but Ava barely heard his words. She
knew it wasn't her fault exactly. The whole team had played badly. The game shouldn't have come down to that long-distance kick. But she still felt responsible for the loss.

“. . . you should be proud of your magnificent season,” he finished. “Walk with your heads held high. Look how far you came as a team. Let's have a team cheer.”

Thirty boys and Ava slung their arms around one another and let out the Tiger roar. In the deafening noise, Ava finally allowed herself a small smile. Being part of this team was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. One bad kick wouldn't take that away.

Next year will be even better,
she told herself. She'd practice kicking longer and farther. Then nothing could stop them from making it to the championships.

“See? This is good. Right?” Alex stood on the top step of Emily's front porch. Through the nearby bay window, she spotted the profiles of Emily, Lindsey, Rosa, Annelise Mueller, and Charlotte Huang against the warm glow of the family room's lights. They appeared to be bent over a board game.

Ava hesitated at the bottom step and tugged nervously at the hem of her sweatshirt. “I'm not dressed for a party.”

Alex raised her eyebrows. “And if I had given you more than five minutes before dragging you away, tell me what you would've worn. A pouffy dress? A flowy blouse?”

“You don't need to be so sassy.” Ava crossed her arms and sighed. “I would've worn my Tigers jersey. And yes, I know to you it's not much different from this navy sweatshirt, but to me it is.”

Alex grinned at her twin and straightened her short flowered skirt, crop top, and heather-gray cardigan. Alex loved getting dressed up, but she didn't care what Ava wore tonight. She was just happy that her sister was here. Ever since losing yesterday's game, Ava had spent much of her time curled up next to their Australian shepherd, Moxy, on the sofa, moping. She even refused to lick the bowl after Alex had baked brownies to bring tonight. That meant she was seriously bummed.

“You look fine. It's not really a party. Well, I guess it is, but the guys don't know that, so they won't be dressed up,” Alex explained. Lindsey had been texting her all day, and in between doing her homework and buying a gift for Coach Jen, Alex had helped her plan the big surprise for Corey.

“Were we supposed to bring a present? I've never been to a two-month anniversary party,” Ava admitted.

Alex snorted. “And you think I have?” She
held up the foil-covered brownie pan. “Here's our present.”

“Works for me.” Ava reached out to ring the doorbell. “I hope this party is worth it. I was into my cartoon marathon.”

“It'll be great,” Alex assured her, as Emily and Lindsey flung open the door.