He found her near the door, talking to a girl with a long dark ponytail. The girl had been at the Bobcats’ practice. “This is Shayna,” Erin said. “Hi, Shayna,” Ben said. “How did you like soccer practice?” “It was fun,” Shayna said. “I liked playing goalie.” “Do you like our coach?” Ben asked. Shayna giggled. “Yeah. She’s my mother!” Ben blushed. “I didn’t know that.” “What did you think of that kid Mark?” Shayna asked. Ben shrugged. “He was a jerk.” “He’s in my class,” Shayna said. “Nobody likes him.” “He sure likes himself,” Ben said. “He thinks he’s a big star.” “My mom will keep him in line,” Shayna said. “She won’t let him take over the team.” “That’s good,” Ben said. “He could ruin everything.” The school bell rang, so Ben and Erin waved to Shayna and walked toward their classroom. “She’s nice,” Erin said. “She’ll be a good teammate,” Ben said. “So we’ll have at least one good one.”
