Maple Park
Two Days Later
After spending a weekend traveling to and from Manville and overexerting myself, Monday's my rest day. I spend it in my bedroom, napping, rereading old manga from my shelves, and mimicking scenes in my sketchbook for practice to slow myself down. To others? Boring. I'm just a lazy kid, right? Me? A mental health day.
I'm supposed to report back to the rec center tomorrow for practice, so I'll need all the rest I can get.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Alarm.
Yeah. I know. Got it.
Be—
It's my work alarm. I set it so I don't have to have Mom storm in like it's the Bastille. I'm still exhausted. Stiff as a log. I stretch myself out, then grab something clean from off the floor. It's summer. Warm out. I wish I could wear shorts to work, but they don't allow it.
Okay, Mr. Chirp Fashion Influencer, move!
I look to my shelves, bubbling up as I give my soccer shelf a tap.
We have to move, Stephen.
...Yeah. The local library calls.
***
Manville
Two Days Ago
...Off the crossbar—
Frack!
But, bounces off the diving keeper, into the net!
Fr...wait. What?
An odd series of unimaginable events! A lucky bounce goes Vaughn's way, and the Fisher Cats come roaring out front in extra minutes!
...Wha—
"Yeah! Let's go!" Brandon cries in my ear.
...What just happened?
Spencer and the Bears...hands on heads in disbelief. Their keeper can't believe it, eyes glazed in flashes of what could be a costly break.
Stephen's jostled around by the excited mob. Reality hasn't set in. That shot. How did that go in? The thud. The goalie's diving attempt. An accidental own-goal header. Real? Surreal.
100'
Stephen glances at the clock.
Now comes perhaps the longest twenty minutes of that young man's life as we play on.
"Keep calm!" the Bears coach screams.
The Bears with five left in the first fifteen.
Hold on. That's the goal. Defense. For once, Stephen's happy to play on the defensive side of the ball. The next five go his way.
Can the Bears respond with fifteen more to go?
110'
Here come the Bears the other way. Spencer passes it off to his right. The Fisher Cats tightening the middle line. Off to Spender. Spencer! ...Kicked away by Henry.
112'
Spencer! ...Blocked by McRae.
113'
Spencer comes up the right. Tyler creeps in. Vaughn stays back with McRae as they guard the box with Geoff. ...Spencer steps into the party! ...Blocked. Kicked out by McRae.
YOU ARE READING
Earhart & Noonan: An "Us Club" Novel (#1)(NaNoWriMo15)
Teen FictionFor the first twelve years of Stephen Vaughn's life, just trying to get others around him to pronounce his first name the right way ("Stee-vehn Vawn") has felt like the hardest task he's had to try and cope with. That is, until his perfect life with...
