Shaken Up (13 page)

I am on the field. Jessi passes to me. I take the pass and charge toward the goal. The goalie is waiting for me, a look of determination on her face. But I'm not afraid. I kick the ball hard and low to her right. She dives for it, but she's not fast enough. I score, and the crowd goes wild!

I smiled as I drifted off to sleep Friday night, and for the first time in days I slept peacefully until morning. No dreams about clowns, or Steven and Hailey laughing at me, or Coach Darby benching me for the rest of the season. I woke up a half hour before I needed to and went downstairs, where I made myself a healthy breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, along with a yogurt and granola parfait and a big glass of calming orange juice. Mom smiled when she saw me in the kitchen.

“Wow, Devin. You're up early!” she said.

“Well, big game day,” I reminded her. “And I slept great! You and Dad are going to be there, right?”

Mom nodded. “And Maisie. Her game isn't until three. So your full cheering section will be there.”

“Yes!” I cried, and then I bounded upstairs to get dressed. I was full of amazing energy!

I was changing into my uniform when I felt the floor move beneath my feet. The trophies on my shelf started to rattle. At first it didn't register what was happening.

Then I heard Maisie yell, “Earthquake!” and our family training kicked in. I dashed into the doorway of my room. Seconds later the shaking and rattling stopped.

Dad ran out of the bathroom. “You guys okay?” he called out.

“Fine!” Maisie yelled, and I yelled “Good!” at the same time.

And you know what? I meant it! I didn't know if I would ever completely get used to earthquakes. They were so weird, and came out of nowhere. But this one had ended quickly, and everyone was in one piece. I took a moment to gather myself, and then I went back into my room and finished getting dressed. There may have just been an earthquake, but as far as my confidence went, I was on solid ground.

The game that day was on the Galaxies' home field in Davidson. As we warmed up, all of my teammates were talking about the quake. Jessi jogged up to me.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I'm fine,” I said. “Not shaken.”

“Good!” she said. “I had a feeling you would be just fine.”

We warmed up and did our pregame cartwheels, and then Coach Darby called the first girls onto the field. She had Jamie and Mirabelle start at forward, and Jessi, Janet, Kelly, and Sarah in midfield—which meant I was benched.

Okay, it's all good,
I told myself. Coach might not have been starting me, but that didn't mean I wouldn't play later. I took a deep breath to help myself keep calm. Coach Darby kept that lineup in for the first two quarters, and we ended the half at Griffons 2, Galaxies 3. I thought for sure she'd put me in when the third quarter came around, but instead she put Zarine at the goal and replaced Janet with Meg, and Kelly with Courtney. Still, no me.

I was starting to sweat. Would this be another game where I sat on the bench the whole time? I knew I hadn't been playing my best, but I had really killed it at the last practice.

The third quarter ended with a goal by Jessi that tied up the game at 3–3.

“Devin! You're in for Mirabelle!” Coach Darby called out.

I charged off the bench like a rocket and took my place on the field. My heart was pounding. This was it. My mojo was back, and I was ready to prove it to everyone in the stands.

The ref's whistle blew, and the Galaxies had control of the ball. One of them charged down the left side of the field, right past Jessi, and passed to an open teammate midfield. That player passed it to another player, who pushed passed our defenders. Then she scored.

Griffons 3, Galaxies 4, and time was running out on the clock. But the Griffons had control of the ball. Jessi accepted a pass from Meg and then took it down the edge of the field. I dodged a defender and got open, and Jessi passed it to me. I dodged through another defender as I made for the goal. Right before I reached the penalty box, I kicked the ball over the goalie's head.

Goal! Now the score was tied, 4–4. Jessi high-fived me as we headed back to our places on the field.

I could hear Dad, Mom, and Maisie cheering my name, but it sounded like they were miles away. I was hyper-focused on the game. Tying was good. Winning was better. And I had something to prove.

One of the Galaxies took the ball midfield. I ran up to her from the side, catching her off guard. She dribbled a little too loosely, and I got control of the wayward ball and headed down the field. Two Galaxies swarmed me, and I heard Jamie call out, “Devin! Over here!”

I found a hole between the two Galaxies and shot the ball downfield toward Jamie. She stopped the ball with her foot, but when she let go, the ball skidded away from her, and one of the Galaxies swooped in!

Courtney charged forward and stole the ball away from the Galaxy player. A cheer rose up from the Griffons fans in the stands. Courtney passed the ball to Jessi, who took it a few yards and then noticed three Galaxies charging for her.

“Devin!” she called out, and then she passed it to me.

What happened next happened superfast and in slow motion at the same time.

I took the pass and charged toward the goal. The goalie was waiting for me, a look of determination on her face. But I wasn't afraid. I kicked the ball hard and low to her right. She dove for it, but she wasn't fast enough. I scored, and the crowd went wild! It was just like I had imagined it!

Now the score was Griffons 5, Galaxies 4, and it stayed that way until time ran out on the clock.

“Nice work out there, Devin,” Coach Darby said. “That's why I saved the best for last.”

I grinned at her as Jessi came up to me.

“You did it, Devin!” she cried. “You got your mojo back!”

“I absolutely did!” I said, and at that moment I knew that no matter what happened—whether it was being in an earthquake, or being benched, or anything else that might come up—I was not going to let it shake me!

Also by Alex Morgan

THE KICKS

Saving the Team

Sabotage Season

Win or Lose

Hat Trick

BREAKAWAY: BEYOND THE GOAL

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ISBN 978-1-4814-5100-0

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