Chapter 11 #2
I can see it on their faces; the Chicago Stars are hungry. I look up at the front line, and I see the same girl who has been charging forward on offense is staring us down.
“They want this,” I hear Hendrix call to us all. “But we want it more.”
“Let’s go, Blaze!” I hear Coach Watts scream from the sidelines. “Don’t let up!”
I want to win this game. And we’re going to. No one is getting past me. I keep repeating that mantra over and over again in my head.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see that the winger is coming for me. She thinks by sliding down the side and cutting over, she’ll sneak past Carrie. But it doesn’t work. Carrie meets her head-on and sends the ball up the field.
“Nice!” I shout and point in her direction.
“Keep on the good defense, ladies!” Hendrix shouts from behind me.
I nod. Oh, I will.
Our offense gets a turn for a bit, keeping the Stars defense on their toes.
Mac is trying like hell to put one in. So is Kelsey, who is not only great at sending a ball up to Mac, but she can shoot from far out.
Which is what she did. I peek up at the replay on the screen that is hanging large above the goal and see that the goalie bobbled it in her hands before she could fully hold onto it.
“Keep them guessing!” I shout. I’m not sure if she heard me, but I don’t care.
I’ve always been a talkative defensive player.
Sometimes it angered the goalies because they wanted to be the ones that were shouting out instructions, but Hendrix doesn’t care.
She lets me yell, curse and root for our team all at the same time. I love that about her.
The Stars perform a substitution when it’s their turn to throw the ball in.
It looks like in order to stop the run from coming down the field, Cassie kicked it out.
Which isn’t a bad move because it kills the momentum and makes the other team have to change their shape.
It just so happens that this time it comes with a fresh set of legs.
The Blaze doesn’t sub, though. It’s rare that Watts takes us out or switches things up.
If a formation isn’t working, then he absolutely makes the change.
But it’s times like this, when we’re all gelling and good things are happening, he won’t.
He might be a bit superstitious like that, but I don’t mind.
I like that, because he’s right, it would break the momentum.
But right now, it’s helping the Chicago Stars because here comes number eleven right for the goal.
She’s driving hard, thinking that she’s going to get to Hendrix.
She’s going to have to get through me first. Although judging by the harsh look on her face, I think that’s exactly what she intends on doing.
I size her up as she comes barreling towards me. I know I need to make a move and commit to it. Once I do, there’s no backing down. Because hesitation can cause a goal and, unfortunately in my days of playing, I have been guilty of that. But I won’t do that today.
I step up and watch her eyes and then her feet. My eyes keep snapping back and forth, waiting to see if she’ll give me her tell. There’s no change in direction and she’s not looking for any passes, so she intended to go through me.
Good for her. I commend her for trying.
I move an inch closer and get my foot on that ball as she kicks it at the same time. The ball snaps up and I bounce it lightly off my chest, bring it to ground and get ready to send it up the line or over to Carrie. I’m looking for my options.
Suddenly, I hit the ground hard with my side. It feels like everything is happening in slow motion.
Number eleven falls down on top of me, the weight of her legs coming down on my left knee.
“Fuck!” I holler out in pain.
“No!” I hear Hendrix shout.
I look back and see that she’s staring at me. She’s not worried about a one-on-one because it appears my opponent wasn’t able to get the ball away from me.
I hear a whistle blow and the refs, along with my teammates, come over to inspect me.
“Are you alright?” Carrie bends down, pushing a long brown curl from her face as her eyes search mine.
“Amelia!” I hear Mac yell.
Everyone is coming over, asking me if I’m alright or if I can stand. The Chicago player has already gotten off of me and she’s standing in front of me with her hand outstretched, indicating she wants to help me up.
“Give her a second!” I hear Cassie snap. “Let her get her bearings.”
The ref starts guiding everyone away from me. “Let’s all give her a bit of air,” she’s telling them before turning back to me. “Do you need a minute or a trainer?”
I sigh and assess myself. The pain in my knee and leg is only temporary. I think it’ll be a nasty bruise in the morning. I bend my legs and straighten them a few times to be sure before answering her.
“I’m good. Let’s finish this.”
She pats me on the shoulder and stands back up.
I see her wave off Dex and the coaches. Dex throws a clipboard, and I see Jase moving his hands deliberately slow in front of him.
I’m not sure what that’s about, but I’m sure he’ll tell me later.
I allow the player to help me up, and I’m pulled into a group hug with several of my teammates.
“You good?” My eyes register Mac’s face.
“Yeah, I’m good. She surprised me.”
She nods. “I would contest it, but the tackle was clean.”
“I’m sure it was,” I tell her, pulling my knee up to my chest a few times to stretch it.
The ref eyes me for a moment and I nod. “Resume play,” she signals that it’s drop ball.
Cassie and a Star square up and take the challenge. Thankfully, Cassie wins, and the ball is sent up field.
“West!” I hear someone shouting from the sidelines, I look over and see it’s Dex. His face is a bit red, and his hands are on his hips. When our eyes meet, he throws his up in disgust.
“I’ve got this!” I call over to him.
Dex shakes his head and sits down on the bench.