Songs for Cricket by Laine, E. (ebook reader .TXT) 📕

face relaxed into a kind but sad expression. “You don’t have to. It will go on record as someone else bringing this to my attention. I just need you to confirm it.”

“I won’t.”

“Finley, I get it. You don’t want to make waves. But I’ve already spoken to the president and passed on his response to your coach. In fact, I’m sure he’s going to have a talk with your teammates about our zero tolerance for hazing of any kind at this school.”

President of our school? Hazing? How much pull did this girl have?

“You’re only making it worse.” With my hand pressed to my forehead, I began to pace. “I’ve already gotten a typewritten note warning me that a girl like myself could get hurt during a game.”

She gasped, and I covered my mouth. I hadn’t meant to reveal that. She stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to play?”

It had been a question I’d been thinking about a lot. “Yes. I’m not going to let anyone bully me. If I give in, they’ll think they can get away with it.”

She gave me an understanding nod and let go of my hands.

“I’m a little in awe of you.”

Before practice was over, I would reconsider my words to her. I’d ended flat on my back several times that day as we worked on a trick play where I was tasked with throwing the ball and not kicking it.

The wind had gotten knocked out of me for the fourth time, and I lay there replaying Tori’s question in my mind.

“Shake it off, Farrow.”

I heard Coach Ari from what felt like miles away. The guy who’d penetrated the offensive line held a hand out to me. Though he smirked, I took his hand anyway and let him help me get to my feet, bullies be damned.

“Again,” Coach Ari yelled. “This time, protect your team-mate.”

When I heard a few snickers, I assumed I would be on my own to stay on my feet. Hadn’t that hate note warned me?

Though Cooper was technically on my squad, he shadowed Billy during practice, playing understudy because a holder wasn’t a position anyone trained for. I sucked in air, knowing I was likely going to eat turf again when we ran the same play. The holder flipped me the ball at the last second. I saw the same guy gunning for me. I scrambled to the right, which wasn’t in the play. But in real game situations, you had to improvise. I spotted the receiver downfield and pivoted some to let the ball loose. I heard the battle cry and braced myself for impact. Only the whoosh of air didn’t come from me.

Whistles blew all over the field, and I turned to find August rolling off the guy who had planned to teach me a lesson. Cooper and Shepard had just missed the opportunity.

Curses spewed out of all the squad coaches’ mouths nearby.

“You want to fucking play?” August yelled and beat his chest like he was King Kong. “Let’s play.”

Everyone grew silent. That was when I noticed Coach had arrived.

“What the hell is going on here?” Coach ranted.

“He doesn’t want to practice. He wants to play. And so do I,” August yelled. “Right?”

Cooper and Shepard started chanting in agreement with him as August riled everyone up.

Coach blew his whistle again bringing back order.

“You ladies want to play?” As my brothers and Shepard nodded along with several other guys, Coach waved the entire team over. “Fine.” He looked at me. “Let’s have ourselves a good old-fashioned pigskin game.”

I pitied anyone going against us. We’d watched the entire last season of Layton’s football team. More than I, my brothers, including Shepard, knew the veterans’ weaknesses. But they knew nothing about us. We’d played together for years longer than anyone on this team, including the seniors.

16

shepard

Coach barked out the rules to simplify the game. One quarter of fifteen minutes, two teams with eleven players playing both offense and defense, only one down, if you didn’t score, ball was turned over at dead spot because there wasn’t a chain gang to spot and measure the ball. There would be no kickoffs or punting. Ball would be placed on the fifty-yard line, and a coin toss would determine who got it first. First team to twenty-one won. He and the other coaches would only referee. He named Billy and Cooper as team leaders.

As they took turns picking, it was risky that Billy might try to pick one of us and that would muck things up. In the end, he didn’t. August, Finley, and I were on Coop’s team along with some other freshman that had hung out at our house the other night.

“Let’s get all this shit out with a game, and then it’s back to work,” Coach declared.

We huddled on one side of the field. This was where Cooper shined. He immediately took over like he was born into leadership.

“If you trust us—” He pointed at himself, August, Finley, and me. “—we will win this in three plays.”

The other guys looked skeptical but seemingly trusted us.

We lost the coin toss, and Cooper assigned Finley to be a corner. She was fast and could easily keep up with their receiver. As a tight end, I was used to blocking, so I took that position. August played right corner opposite his sister.

As soon as the other team lined up, I knew from their formation they were going to use their running back to break for the goal. It would be up to me to stop him because Finley and August would stay on the other guys in case they were faking us out.

Only they weren’t that smart. Billy went with what he knew. I stopped the guy from getting too far so we wouldn’t have that much ground to cover.

In the huddle, Cooper simply said, “Protect my sister, and we’ve got the rest.”

Then he used hand signals for us and pointed at me. He would shovel