Saving the Team Read Online Free

didn’t know what to say to that. I found myself staring at her shoes again. “Your shoes are really cool,” I offered.
    â€œAren’t they?” she asked. “My dad got them for me. ‘Dress for the job you want, not the job you have,’ he always says. It’s what I wore for tryouts for the travel soccer team I’m on. It’s a waaaayyyy better team than this group of losers. Some Pinewood girls are even on my travel team. They’re the real deal.”
    Pinewood again, I thought. Jessi and Emma had said they were the best team in the league. I gulped. If she was playing with girls from that team, she had to be good.
    She looked down at my legs and sneered. “Nice socks,” she said sarcastically. “You know they don’t match, right?”
    My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe she was making fun of me. And I didn’t even know her name! Before I could think of how to reply to that, she barreled on.
    â€œYou’re new here? I saw you talking to Jessi.”
    â€œI-I’m Devin,” I stammered, still at a loss as to how to deal with her rudeness.
    â€œI’m Mirabelle,” she said. “Good luck. You’re going to need it, especially if you hang out with Jessi.”
    I had no clue why Mirabelle disliked Jessi so much. Being the new girl definitely had its disadvantages. The butterflies decided to hold a family reunion. I felt like Iusually did after drinking one of my mom’s green smoothies, and I tried to shake the queasy feeling. Mirabelle was intimidating. If I let her get to me, I could blow tryouts. I needed to stay focused. But Mirabelle’s sneering smile kept floating through my mind.

    After we finished counting off, Coach Flores waved us out onto the field. “Fantastic job, everyone!” she cheered. “Now just go on out there and have fun. Pick a position and make sure you’ve got someone on goal.”
    Just pick a position? That sounded like pure chaos to me. I played striker, so I rushed ahead to claim a spot at center field. But there were already a few girls arguing over who got to play striker. I’d never get a spot. So I rushed back to play midfield—my next-best position.
    Jessi, who was a one like me, ran by me on her way to grab a spot, giving me a concerned look. “I’d stay away from Mirabelle if I were you. She’s mean.” She raced off before I could answer. I had been able to figure that one out on my own. I wondered once again what was going on between Jessi and Mirabelle, but before I could think about it any more, Coach Flores blew her whistle to start the scrimmage.
    All at once, it seemed like, everyone started screaming.
    â€œGet the ball!”
    â€œI’m open!”
    â€œOver here!” It was total madness on the field, just like I’d feared.
    When a high looping ball finally came drifting over to me, a horde of charging maniacs pounced. Flustered, I booted the ball away. Half the girls watched as the ball sailed back over their heads. Then they turned to chase after it like a pack of golden retrievers.
    Even though there was a soccer ball and a bunch of players on the field, this did not feel like soccer. Organized soccer, anyway.
    â€œThis is crazy,” I said out loud, even though nobody was around me.
    â€œI know, isn’t it?” Surprised by the voice, I looked over, and there was our goalie, squatting comfortably nearby. She was way outside the penalty box area. The goalie’s yellow gloves looked even brighter against her all-black outfit. Her eyelids had dramatic, thick black eyeliner swiped across them, curling up at the ends. It gave her a very fierce look when she squinted.
    â€œShouldn’t you be back there?” I asked. She wasn’t in position to stop anything where she was.
    â€œYou must be new. I’m Frida,” she said. “And I’m trying to not make the team.”
    â€œTrying to not make the