Win or Lose (16 page)

We had lost the game. Our season was over. I really didn't feel like going to a party—and I'm sure the rest of the Kicks didn't either.

“Devin, you look beautiful! Twirl around again!” Kara demanded.

I twirled around in my blue dress in front of my computer screen. I had showered and changed as soon as we'd gotten home, and I had promised Kara that she could see the final result.

“Oh my gosh, you're gorgeous!” she said. “So why don't you look happy?”

“You know why,” I said. “We lost! The season is over.”

“Yeah, but you're in California, and they have soccer programs all year long,” Kara pointed out. “I have to wait until March for spring soccer. Besides, you won your league! The Cosmos didn't even do that.”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “It's just . . . losing stinks.”

“Everybody loses sometimes, Devin,” she said. “Even super-amazing professionals. It's part of the sport.”

“Why do you always have to be right?” I teased.

“Because I am perfect!” Kara said. “Now get out of here and go have a good time, you weirdo!”

I stuck my tongue out at her and shut down the laptop. Then I hurried down the stairs, glad that my mom had bought me some sparkly silver flats to wear with the dress.

“You look nice,” my dad said when he saw me.

“So do you,” I said. Dad wore a navy-blue suit with a light blue shirt and a red tie. Then I looked at Mom and Maisie. Mom had on a navy-blue dress with short sleeves, and Maisie had on a blue dress the same color as mine.

“Oh my gosh, we're the crazy matching family!” I cried.

“Blue is a very popular color,” Mom said. “Anyway, we all look wonderful.”

Dad looked at his watch. “Come on. We don't want to be late!”

As we drove to the temple, I could feel my disappointment about losing start to lift a little. It lifted even more when we got inside. The temple room was really beautiful, with gleaming wood benches and stained glass.

I quickly spotted Jessi and Emma, and we went to sit with them. Jessi's mom and dad were there, and so were Emma's parents.

“Oh my gosh, you guys look great!” I told Jessi and Emma. I looked down at Emma's feet and saw that she had on sparkly flats too. I stuck out my right foot so that Emma could see that we matched.

Emma grinned. “Nice.”

Frida and her mom rushed in next, and Frida looked totally gorgeous too. She had her wavy auburn hair held back in a black sequined headband that matched her dress.

“Are we late?” Frida asked.

“I think it's about to start,” I said.

Then Zoe walked in, followed by her parents and all three of her older sisters. She gave us a little wave and a smile as she walked past.

“She picked the black-and-white dress,” Jessi whispered to me.

I nodded. “She looks awesome!”

I had never been to a bat mitzvah service before, so I didn't know what to expect. It ended up being really beautiful. The rabbi played this totally mellow music on a guitar, and Zoe's sister Jayne sang a beautiful song, and Zoe had to do this whole speech in front of everybody, and she didn't even sound nervous! I was really impressed.

When the service was over, Zoe was superhappy and practically jumping out of her heels.

“The party is upstairs, everybody!” she announced.

We all followed her directions to the second floor of the temple, which was this huge room with lots of windows. The red carpet led from the entrance into the party room.

“Oh my gosh, it's beautiful!” Emma exclaimed when we stepped inside.

The room was decorated with black-and-white balloons and streamers. Each table was set with either a black or a white tablecloth, and each place was set with the
black-and-white favors we'd made. In the center of each table was a big collage with pictures of models in different outfits, with a name sprawled across each collage.

Zoe ran up and grabbed me by the arm.

“Each table is named after one of my favorite designers,” she said. “You guys are at the Betsey Johnson table. Come on!”

Jessi, Emma, and Frida followed as Zoe dragged me across the room to a big, round table near the deejay booth.

“I've got to go do some stuff,” she said. “I have to sit with my family, but I'll squeeze in with you guys later, promise.”

Zoe sped off, and we took our seats. Brianna, Sarah, Anna, and Olivia came and joined us. Jessi nodded to the two empty seats left at the table.

“I wonder who's sitting there,” she said.

That's when I looked up and saw Cody and Steven standing there, grinning.

“Is this the Betsey Johnson table?” Cody asked.

“You bet,” Jessi said with a grin.

I looked across the room and caught Zoe's eye. She winked at me, and I knew she had set this up.

“I didn't know you guys were coming,” I said as the boys sat down. Steven had on a short-sleeved light blue shirt and a dark blue tie, and I couldn't help thinking how nice he looked.

“Yeah, Zoe invited a bunch of us from school,” Cody said.

“I've known her since kindergarten,” Steven added.

Over at the deejay table a guy wearing a tux grabbed the microphone.

“All right,” Cody said. “Let's get this party started!”

“Welcome, everyone, to Zoe's bat mitzvah!” the deejay announced. “Now let's hear a nice warm welcome for Zoe's family! First up, her sisters, Opal, Jayne, and Yvette!”

Zoe's sisters walked in on the red carpet, and everybody clapped and cheered. Then the deejay introduced her mom and dad, and finally . . .

“Miss Zoe Amelia Quinlan!” the deejay said.

Everyone at our table stood up and started whooping and hollering like crazy. Zoe looked totally gorgeous and poised as she walked down the red carpet. Then she made her way up to the deejay booth and stopped at a small, round table set with unlit white candles. The deejay handed her the microphone.

“Thanks for coming, everybody,” Zoe said a little shyly. “Before we start everything, there are a few people I want to thank.”

She took a deep breath as she unfolded a piece of paper she'd been carrying.

“You always cheer me up when I feel sad. I love you so much, Mom and Dad.”

Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan walked up to the table, and together they lit one of the candles with Zoe. She gave them both a big hug.

“Oh, that's so sweet!” Emma said.

Zoe read more rhymes for all the different people in her life—her sisters, her aunt and uncle, and her cousins. Then she smiled and looked over at us.

“Win or lose, they're all great chicks. This candle is for all of the Kicks!” she said.

Nervous and giggling, all eighteen of us approached Zoe and tried our best to put one hand each on the candle lighter. We were all squished together, but we did it. Then Zoe handed the microphone back to the deejay.

“Okay. Zoe wants this dance for the Kicks! Coach Flores, you get up here too!” he said.

Then the music was blaring, and we all started dancing and jumping around. Coach Flores started doing this thing where she was jabbing her arms, like she was boxing.

“Yo, Coach! Busting out the moves!” Jessi yelled, and we all cracked up.

Zoe grabbed Emma's hand, and they twirled around, which was funny because Zoe was so short and Emma was so tall. Frida was spinning around and waving her arms, and the fringe on her dress swung back and forth. Jessi faced me and started jumping up and down, and I jumped with her.

I didn't feel like a loser anymore. Not even a little bit. After all, I had my friends around me, and my whole team.

As long as I had them, I knew I would always be a winner!

Also in Alex Morgan's The Kicks series

Saving the team

Sabotage Season

SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2014 by Alex Morgan and Full Fathom Five

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Morgan, Alex (Alexandra Patricia), 1989–

Win or lose / Alex Morgan. — First edition.

pages cm. — (The Kicks ; [3])

Summary: “Devin's team thinks she is taking too much credit for their winning streak and she must keep the team together”— Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4424-8580-8 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-4424-8584-6 (ebook) [1. Soccer—Fiction. 2. Friendship—Fiction. 3. Teamwork (Sports)—Fiction. 4. Family life—California—Fiction. 5. California—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.M818Win 2014

[Fic]—dc23

2013022773