A Hopeful Beginning

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Kelley's POV
I wake up and start getting ready for school. It's been a week and I actually don't hate it. Tobin has been a really good friend to me and I've been getting closer with some of the other girls, although I've yet to have a full conversation with Hope. I don't know why I want her to be friends with me so bad but I don't really see her very often since she's a senior and in none of my classes and at lunch she always seems to be sitting away from me and only talks to Carli. That will hopefully all change though because today is the first soccer tryout! I'm super excited but also a little nervous because I don't really know how I'll work with this team. I will have to wait through a whole school day first but it to probably go by quick. I make sure to pack my shirt, shorts, socks, shin pads, cleats and tryout form before going downstairs to get some breakfast and walk to school.
At school I'm greeted by Tobin at my locker who looks at me with sparkles in her eyes. "Well somebody is in a good mood" I say to her as she walks up to me
"Duh! It's tryout day! We get to be on the field again! This is the best time of the year!" Wow she really is excited "You don't seem to be as excited as me" she pouts
"No I am really excited! I just also want to make it through the school day first" I reply and I she just puts a goofy smile on her face
"Alrighty well then let's go to English" I nod and we make our way into our classroom.

Back to the cafeteria for lunch, the girls at the table are all buzzing, once we join them it's hard not to be happy around them. They all continue in they're conversations. Ash talking to Ali, Sonnet cracking a joke and making Lindsey, Rose, Abby and Sam laugh, Tobin is listening to Chris tell a story. Alex and Allie have been messing around with me for a while now. We always seem to be singing little songs, we have a good one going about different vegetables that currently has us in stitches! As we're laughing I look to the end of the table and just for a moment catch Hope smiling at us but as soon as the moment starts it stops and she looks away. I feel myself start to blush but I have know idea why, she was just smiling at us being funny, nothing more.

The afternoon seemed to go by pretty quick as I was meeting up with the girls once again. This time though it was in the change room and we were all getting ready for tryouts. I'm sitting between Tobin and Alex on a bench and we are all lacing up our cleats and putting our shin pads in our socks. I look over at Tobin and wonder how hers are even going to stay in, she wears her socks so low but I just shrug and assume she knows what she's doing. We head out on to the pitch and are greeted by Ms. Ellis. She's a gym teacher and also the soccer coach, I hope I can make a good impression on her. "Ladies!" She begins, "I am very excited to welcome you to tryouts, I can't wait to get things started and to see where this season will take us! We will start with a few fitness tests, then some skill drills and finish off with a little scrimmage. Make sure I have your name down and your forms in! Let's get started!"
The tryout is underway, the fitness tests weren't that bad, a few sprints, some jumps and a run. I think I did decently. I'm definitely not the fastest out here, Chris takes that title but I was close to the front of the pack and I had good power in my jumps. Next up was the skills. We split into forwards, mids and backs and did a few drills, again nothing to crazy but I think I put up a good showing. The real test was going to be the scrimmage and it was coming up soon. Coach Ellis told us to get a sip of water while she consulted with another lady names Dawn who wasn't there at the beginning but ended up introducing herself as an assistant coach who would mostly be working with us on strength and fitness. Eventually they finished talking and called us back over. "Alright ladies, we have made two teams, we have tried to make them fairly even after looking at the drills and also knowing most of you already."
She announced the teams and I am very happy with mine as most of my friends are on it so I won't have to play against them. We've got Tobin, Chris and Alex up top, Lindsey, Sam and Rose in the midfield and then our back line is me, Abby, a senior named Becky, and a freshman named Tierna, both of which I've never met before but they were really good in the drills! Oh and our keeper is Hope, I am both excited because now I have a reason to talk to her but very scared because she means business when she is between the posts and I really do not want to mess this up for her.
Ms. Ellis blows her whistle to begin the scrimmage and we are off. Both teams fight for possession and territory. Ms. Ellis was right when she said she made even teams, we had been going for almost half an hour and neither team had a goal. Good things were definitely happening on the field but one way or another the back of the nets were kept empty. Once again the other team started to build out of the back with Emily sending a cross to Allie in the mid field, their mids were able to keep possession with a few one touches to each other, a give and go happened and suddenly a freshman named Mal was streaking up the field, she had made many good runs up the middle today and even gotten a few shots off but now she was on my side and it was all me, I had to read this right. Her eyes came up off the ball as she looked to her teammates then to the net. She was trying hard to prove why she belonged on this team but so was I. She took a few more touches and right as she went to send the ball in I made the tackle and the ball sailed out of bounds. Whew I thought to myself that could have been really bad. My team was clapping as I got up, I looked back at Hope who just gave me a thumbs up. Coach Ellis blew her whistle signalling for the end of the game. We all shook hands as we were very tough on each other. I went up to Mal, "good game, and great runs" I said to her, "my name'a Kelley and you're Mal right?"
She nodded back "that was a great tackle you made, I wish I was in your team instead of going against you!" We both laughed as we walked over to coach Ellis.
"I would just like to say that you just made my decisions very difficult, that was quite a match out there and we are very pleased with what we saw" coach said gesturing to herself and Dawn, "thank you all for coming out, I will have the list posted by Wednesday! Have a good night"
All of the girls started taking off their gear and dispersing off the field to go home. I waved and said by to most of them before realizing that as I was talking I wasn't ready to go at all and was practically the last one there. I quickly turned to find my bag and untie my cleats as the last few girls headed out and the field went quiet. I put everything in my bag and was about to get up to go when I heard a voice behind me "you played well out there, I hope you make the team" I looked over slightly blushing because I knew that voice but just to see her smiling before she turned to walk away. "Oh thanks" was all I was able to say back before she got to far and she waved behind her back to acknowledge she heard me. Then I got up and walked home in the opposite direction.
'Ugh why do I have to be so weird around her and why did one compliment make my heart sing, she pretty much just said good game Kelley, get yourself together. Why do I care about her opinions of me, I barely even know her. But I do really want to be her friend like really bad. Whatever if it happens, it happens, I'll just focus on the list and the team when it's posted' I thought to myself as I walked home.
When I got there mom had already made dinner for me and dad who came through the door right after me. We ate dinner together and talked about my tryout and I could see they were really happy that I was at least half enjoying this new WSHS life.

Hi! This one is a little shorter but I'm already working on the next chapter. I've really enjoyed writing this new project so far and excited to see where it will go! If you have any comments or feedback let me know :) Have a great day! <3