I’M WIDE OPEN!” A kid named Jack hollered, dancing back and forth on the spongy, well-irrigated grass of the high school soccer field. Maddie dribbled the soccer ball between her feet, keeping an eye on the boy hovering to her right. But she forgot about the girl on her left. When she tried to pass the ball to Jack, the girl jumped forward and intercepted. “Ha!” the girl cried as she quickly passed to one of the other kids on her side of the drill. Coach Wu blew her whistle. “Sorry, guys,” Maddie called to Jack and the others who were playing on her side. “Guess I flubbed that one.” “Just don’t do it in a real game,” a girl warned. “Yeah, hotshot.” Jack grinned, tossing his bright red hair out of his eyes. “You might not want to do it when the Cascade League scouts are watching either, or they’ll take back that invite.” Maddie grinned as the rest of the team laughed. They’d been ribbing her since practice started. She didn’t blame them. It was good-natured, and she’d have done the same if any of them had been chosen.
