Pieces

Chapter 1

Liz was on fire. As the starting center defender, she didn't allow a single shot for the entire 80 minutes of play. Her blonde ponytail flew behind her as she raced across the field, kicking the ball to the other half of the field in one swift motion.




"Liz really improved over the summer, don't you think?"




Jake shrugged. "She's alright I guess. I wish she would stop showing off and let the other team at least have a shot on net. Her goalie must be bored out of her mind!"




Which was probably true. Kate, the starting goalie, was leaning against the inside post as Liz sent yet another ball towards the head of the opposing forward.




The whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. As the teams exchanged handshakes, Jake and I waved to Liz and made our way to the parking lot to wait for her.




Ten minutes later, Liz came jogging towards us. She threw her backpack in the backseat of my truck and jumped in after it.




Jake turned around to look at her. "You smell." Liz shrugged. "A lot."




"Hey, Jake, be nice." I turned to face her. "You did a good job out there."




Liz nodded. She looked down at her hands, twisting them nervously in her lap. "There was a scout out there today."




Jakes head snapped back around. "No way! Really!?"




"Yeah." Liz swallowed hard and looked up. "I'm so nervous. All I want is to play soccer in college, and a scholarship would help out so much.."




"Liz, you are an amazing athlete. There is no way you won't get a scholarship," I said, reaching backwards to pat her leg before pulling out of the parking lot.




"I'm just.. Sometimes I think I'm not good enough to okay college level, and--"




Jake groaned. "Liz, listen." He turned around in his seat to face her again. "I know I bullshit around a lot, but I promise you, what I'm about to say is one hundred percent the truth, okay? Look at me. You are a very good soccer player. You're incredibly smart, and pretty good looking, I guess. So stop worrying so much. You'll be fine."




Liz sniffed. "Aw, it's like you actually care about me."




"He does care about you," I said. I pulled into our neighborhood and into Liz's driveway. I put the car in park and turned to look at her. "You played well. You'll get that scholarship, alright?"




Liz nodded. She patted my cheek and smiled. She opened the door and jumped to the ground, grabbing her bag on the way out. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She ran inside her garage, waving as she disappeared into her house.




I backed out of her driveway and pulled into mine three houses down and across the street. I shut the truck off, and Jake hopped out.




"Hey, CJ? Who's moving in across the street?"