Life's Full of It

Chapter 5

Sorry about the super late update. I was on vacation and I didn't have wifi. I made this chapter longer because of that. Thanks for sticking with me.

After school I go to soccer practice, which was absolutely brutal. For everyone but me. Coach Browne was furious with our performance at the game on Friday. She said everyone but me messed something up. I find this hilarious if I’m being honest because I know for a fact that I did not have a “perfect” game. I did not dominate offensively my passes weren’t that powerful and I just know that I could have done better. Coach said that our passes were not as good as we were capable of, we were not as fast as we should have been (we got tired easily) and that our defense kept the ball for too long. Because of this she made the team do sprints, suicides and run for miles for the majority of the practice. She made everyone do this except for me. While everyone else ran while shooting me fake glares and me just laughing at them I talked to Coach about the starting lineup for the championship game.

“Okay O’Connor,” coach started, she calls most of us by our last names unless she has a nickname for you. I have a nickname but sometimes she calls me by my last name. My nickname is Freshie since I was the first person in this school to ever start on Varsity as a freshman. “We need to discuss the starting lineup for the game in a few weeks. As captain I need your input. This isn’t the definite lineup, just an idea to start with.”

“Okay,” I say, “Well, it’s obviously going to be me and Claire as the strikers and Kelly in goal.”

We discuss this some more while the rest of the team is running. Coaches specific instructions were to run around the field until someone throws up. It sounds evil but it isn’t because Coach is actually a big softie on the inside. She acts tough but she really does love us and wants what is best for us. 

After discussing the lineup coach tells me to go practice my free kicks with Kelly in goal in case it comes to that at the game. While I’m walking away Coach says “Oh, and by the way I contacted a friend at Notre Dame involved in the athletic department and they are sending a scout down for the game. They are choosing between two people for the soccer scholarship. You and some other girl that plays your position on the Polar Bears.”

At first I’m excited but then angry and competitive. “Do you happen to know her name by any chance?” I say with an edge to my voice.

Coach doesn’t seem to notice my tone of voice because now she is deep into thought. “Something that ends with y. Tracy maybe?” she says.

“Is it Stacy?” I ask, angrily.

“That’s it!” she says while snapping her fingers. “Her name is Stacy. Huh that’s funny. Her name reminds me of that song about Stacy’s mom.”

She then starts to sing the song “Stacy’s mom has got it going on. Stacy’s mom has got it going on.” I then cut her off before she gets into it by saying “Okay bye!”

I then angrily run over to the soccer balls and grab one. I am so angry right now. Of all  the people who can crush my dreams it has to be Stacy. The one person who might just ruin my life and dreams again. First Devin and now this. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about. I shake my head to try and concentrate on getting Kelly so that we can practice.

I look through all of the girls on the field running and spot Kelly running with Claire. I jog over to them and say “Kelly, coach wants me to practice free kicks with you.”

“Thank the lord!” Kelly screams while dropping to her knees looking more exhausted than anyone else here. Kelly hates running so much, and she isn’t exactly good at it either. Running and Kelly have a special relationship. Kelly hates running and running hates her. Kelly feels like she doesn’t have to condition since she’s goalie which I disagree with completely. Whenever we have to run like the girls are now (until someone pukes) Kelly is almost always the first to regurgitate. There was only one time when she wasn’t the first and that was when a junior had forgotten her lunch and had to eat the lunch ladies mystery meat.