Chapter 8
Ainsley
End of Sophomore Year
My heart races as my feet pound against the grass.
With two defenders on either side of me, fighting to catch up, I sprint downfield. The world goes silent around me; the crowd screaming in the stands; the opposing team yelling to one another; both of our coaches shouting. Everything fades away until the only thing left is the net in front of me.
And the goalie blocking it.
With seconds left, the game is tied, and it all comes down to me.
I clench my stick and push harder, ignoring the burn in my legs. One defender lunges for my shoulder, her stick swiping at mine. I spin away just enough to keep the ball protected.
I look to pass, but defense is on my teammates, making it impossible without a turnover.
The goalie shifts her weight, crouching lower, stick ready. She’s waiting for me to shoot.
Not yet.
I fake right, watching her move with me, then I cut left. My momentum nearly sends me sliding across the grass, but I steady myself and snap my shot.
The ball slices through the air, and I hold my breath as the goalie lifts her stick.
But she misses.
The ball fires into the upper corner of the net, and the buzzer rips through the silence. The roar of the crowd rushes back to my ears, and my teammates scream.
We won.
We just won the state championship.
And I scored the winning goal.
Ivori is the first to crash into me. “You did it!”
I laugh and gasp for air as the rest of the team surrounds me. We collapse into a pile on the field, and the months of tension, exhaustion, and stress roll off our bodies, hovering over us like spirits leaving the dead.
As we untangle ourselves, I pull off my goggles and scan the bleachers for my dad. I spot him wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands.
Big softie.
Like a tidal wave in teal Breakwater High hoodies, the lacrosse boys climb over the railing, shouting like maniacs. We always show up for each other’s games to show our support.
Evan charges me like a freight train, and I brace for impact. “Let’s fucking go!” He tosses me over his shoulder and runs around my team in a wide circle. “State champions, baby!”
“Put her down,” Coach Nadine scolds him. “Boys, get off the field!”
I laugh as Evan plants me back on my feet. “Go grab some tables at River Rock for us. We’ll meet you there.”
Landon hangs back, obeying my coach, but he shoots me a wink, wearing a bright smile.
I did it.
I won.
As the excitement dies down, Coach wrangles us back in a line so we can shake hands with our opponents. Southern was a formidable opponent, and gave us a run for our money. I have mad respect for their team.
Then we have our last huddle of the season. Tears flow as we highlight our seniors who just played their final high school game, and then Coach Nadine turns the attention to me.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so young with such raw talent.” She shakes her head. “I can’t wait to see what you do next year.”
Tears sting my eyes as I smile. “Thanks, Coach.”
We soak up several more minutes on the field with our seniors, and then we make our way to the parking lot. My dad’s waiting by his car with his arms wide open.
I crash into him, and in the safety of his embrace, I can finally let go. Tears roll down my cheeks and my shoulders shake as I cry.
“You did it, baby,” he whispers. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He pulls back and adjusts the brim of his baseball cap. “You getting pizza with the team?”
I nod. “You should come.”
“Nah, you go have your fun.” He slips my gym bag off my shoulder and takes my stick. “I’ll meet you back home for ice cream later.”
I beam. “Deal.”
My father is my biggest supporter. It’s been just the two of us since Mom died when I was eight, and he’s my best friend.
I hug him one last time, and then look for Ivori’s mom’s car.
“Ainsley.”
I spin around as Mrs. Nadine jogs after me. “What’s up, Coach?”
“I want to run something by you.” She grimaces. “I know you’re on a high right now, but it’s just food for thought.”
I stuff my hands into my letterman’s jacket, curiosity piquing my interest. “Okay...”
“What would you say if I could get you on the boys’ team next season?”
My eyes narrow as my stomach dips. “What? How?”
“We’ve all seen you play, Ainsley. You’re running circles around these girls.” She lowers her voice, glancing around the parking lot. “It’s almost not fair to have you on the same field.”
I laugh, shifting from one foot to the other. “Uh, I don’t know. Aren’t there rules about this sort of thing?”
She arches a brow. “And you’re going to let that stop you?”
I hike a shoulder, the wheels turning inside my head at warp speed. “I’d be abandoning my team.”
“Or inspiring them.” She grips my shoulders. “Ainsley, I think you can make history here.”
I spent all year making noise about the unfair advantages the boys’ teams at this school receive over the girls. I’m no stranger to calling out the societal inequities.
But playing with the boys? Evan can toss me over his shoulder like a rag doll. Would I really be able to hang with them on the field?
“I’d miss playing with the girls,” I say. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Think about it. We have time. I just wanted to plant the seed now.”
I smirk. “Consider the seed planted.”
Nadine grins.
“Champions coming through. Move. The champs are here.”
I shake my head as Ivori pushes through the crowded restaurant. “You’re going to be insufferable tonight, aren’t you?”
She winks. “And for the foreseeable future.”
I laugh as I spot the tables pushed together at the back of the restaurant. “Look, there’s Evan.”
Ivori grabs my wrist, and drags me the rest of the way.
Once the boys’ team spots us, the howling and cheering starts. Their goalie, Patrick, stands up and cups his mouth with his hands. “Hear ye, hear ye! The queens of lacrosse are here to grace us with their presence. All hail the state champions.”
Several other tables in the restaurant clap as my teammates slide into empty seats at the tables set aside for us.
Ivori curtseys. “Thank you, peasants.”
She takes the chair next to mine, across from Evan. Landon sits beside him with the rest of their team, boys on one side with us girls on the other. It’s tradition for girls’ and boys’ varsity teams to treat one another to pizza after a big game.
“Pay up, Fletcher.”
Landon shoots me a wide smile as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. “Nice game, Morgan. If you keep winning, I’m going to go broke.”
I wink as I snatch the wad of twenties out of his hand. “I’d start saving up for next year if I were you.”
He laughs. “Seriously, that last goal was insane. You had every defender on you. I don’t know how you got it into the net.”
“I almost fucked it up.” I shake my head, replaying the moment in my head. “I slipped as I cut left.”
“It’s the damn grass.” Ivori points her index finger at him. “And we still won. You boys wouldn’t know anything about playing on our field.”
Landon nods. “I don’t know why they won’t turn it into turf.”
Evan rubs his thumb against his fingers. “Money.”
I arch a brow. “They had plenty of money for your new uniforms though. Funny how they magically found some for that.”
The waitress drops off several pies along the table, and we all dig in. I inhale two slices before coming up for air. It’s been so long since I’ve allowed myself to indulge in some shitty food, and tonight I’m celebrating.
“Hey, Ainsley.” Patrick leans over Landon’s plate as he holds out a shiny metal flask. “Want some?”
I scrunch my nose. “Pass.”
Aside from not wanting alcohol, I’d rather rip my lips off than put them on something that touched Patrick Weber’s mouth.
“Put that shit away, would you,” Evan hisses. “You’re gonna get caught, and then we’ll all be in trouble.”
He shrugs like he couldn’t care less. “They’re not gonna touch us. Live a little.”
“What must that be like?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest as I lean back against my chair. “Getting to do whatever you want because Daddy will bail you out of anything.”
Patrick grins with the carefree smile of a mayor’s son. “Fucking amazing.”
Landon rolls his eyes, and I smirk. Everyone tolerates Patrick, even his teammates. His father has a lot of pull in this town, so we all make nice out of obligation, not choice.
“You played good,” he continues talking, “you know, for a girl.”
Ivori chokes on her soda, and my chin snaps back like I got slapped.
Evan pinches the bridge of his nose. “Just shut the fuck up and eat your pizza, man.”
“What?” He looks between Evan and Landon. “I gave her a compliment.”
“No, you insulted her,” Landon says. “You can’t say shit like that.”
He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Come on, dude. She’s good, but she’s not Evan Cole good.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline, and Coach Nadine’s idea comes back to me. “You don’t think I could hack it with you boys on the field?”
Patrick’s head tilts back as he laughs. “We’d crush you. It’s just not physically possible for girls to play with the big boys.”
Landon’s top lip curls. “It’s so weird that you refer to us as big boys.”
I lean forward, and hold up my fingers as I tick off each of my points. “I can outrun you. I can outplay you. And I don’t need a dick to outscore you.”
Patrick scoffs. “You couldn’t score on me.”
Evan chuckles. “You sure about that?”
Patrick shakes his head, adamant in his confidence. “There’s no way a girl is scoring while I’m guarding the net.”
This is the way most of males in sports think. I know this. This isn’t anything new. And on one hand I get it, because there are clear differences in size and strength between men and women.
But fuck does it irritate me down to my core that this prick thinks I couldn’t score on him solely because of my gender.
Landon watches me like he can read my mind, those soft brown eyes always seeming to see into my thoughts.
“You should come to practice sometime,” Landon says, locking eyes with me across the table. “I’d love to see you shut his mouth right up.”
I chuckle, but the thought takes hold of me. “Maybe I should.”
“My money’s on you,” Evan says around a giant bite of pizza.
If I can beat the best girls in the state...
Why couldn’t I play with the boys?