Liam's Little Sister

Chapter 3: Sabotage

The days following the ordeal at the Creamery were eventful, to say the least. The news that Liam and Tanya had gotten back together spread like wildfire through the halls of our school. By Monday morning, everyone was talking about it, and it had been mentioned several times in the gossip column in the school's newspaper. I have to admit, Liam looked much happier, but there was still something off about him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Worse, being Liam's little sister, I was the new center of attention. Everyone was coming up to me in the hallways and asking for the dirt on my brother and Tanya. I didn't say a word, as I saw that as invading the newly reunited couple's privacy. Since Trish and I were now considered something along the lines of friends, soccer practices were much more enjoyable. In fact, our first game was going to be this Thursday.

By Monday afternoon, practice seemed like a much-needed retreat to me. Everyone grinned and greeted me happily, and we got straight to work. There was just one thing missing: Trish. After a few minutes without our captain, the team was concerned. Trish was never late to practice, ever.

"Did something happen to her, do you think?" junior Brianne Williams asked nervously. We threw worried glances at each other. We didn't want to skip practice- our game was coming up- but something was off here.  

"Maybe we should go check in the building? Maybe she- I don't know- forgot something? Got locked in?" Dot asked. We all agreed and made our way back up to the school. The doors were unlocked, so she couldn't have been locked in. As we rounded the corner towards the locker rooms, we heard threatening voices.

"Your little teammates aren't coming to get you, are they, Trish?" a sly and slippery girl's voice stated.

"No-o-." Trish's voice sounded small and weak compared to usual. The team looked at each other. Ashley pulled out her phone and pulled up her camera- she was going to tape the whole thing! Ashley carefully peaked her phone around the corner so that it pointed directly into the locker room. We were able to watch the screen to see what was happening. To our enormous surprise, there were four girls from the Westmont soccer team standing around Trish. They wore their jerseys rolled up on the shoulders, and had brought signs that read "Die, BM, Die!" For a second, I wondered what BM meant, then I realized it meant Bane Memorial. These girls, who we were supposed to play on Thursday, were threatening Trish and our team! 

"So... you'll let us win on Thursday... or else." A tall, dark girl raised her eyebrows in a no-nonsense way. I was distinctly reminded of first meeting Trish. 

"Back off- Bane Memorial has won the state championship and have gone undefeated for six long years." Another girl said. "It's Westmont's turn." 

"Let us win on Thursday, and we'll be forever grateful. And if not- or if you tell your silly little team about this meeting- we'll be sure to knock you out of the state qualifying match. You were warned." The four girls marched out of the room, and our team stepped backwards into a nearby closet. 

"What in the world-" Alicia whispered once they were gone. "-was that."

"I sure don't know, but one thing is for certain." I said.

"What's for certain?" Kiko asked.

"We've got to beat them on Thursday. No matter what Trish may try to say, we go to win, 'k?" The girls nodded.  We quickly exited the maintenance closet and hurried towards Trish.

"Trish!" Dot cried innocently. "We've been looking everywhere for you! What's wrong?"

"Oh- um- nothing." Trish replied nervously, wiping her hands on her shorts. The team looked at each other. Trish frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Trish- we know what those Westmont girls said." Isabella said. "We heard them." Trish turned bright red.

"Oh dear- you probably think I'm some horrible captain now- agreeing to let them win."

"You agreed?"

"Well- not exactly but-"

"Then, deals off. We're winning. No, Trish, if you care anything about this team, let's beat them. This is your last chance to make it to state and get recruited for college. Who gives a damn about high school bullies?" 

Trish grinned. "I love you guys."

"We love you too!" we chorused back.

---

Thursday couldn't have come quicker. Everyone in school was waiting in suspense for the game- Westmont was Bane Memorial's biggest rival, and everyone in the school wanted to see them beat. Our team was pretty hyped as we walked out onto the turf Thursday afternoon. The four girls we had seen on Monday were, indeed, playing, though one was on the bench. 

'The sooner this game is over, the better.' I thought to myself. Our team had spent all of Monday's practice devising a plan to conquer Westmont for good. As I looked up at the stands, I saw practically the entire school cheering us on. Who knew the first game of the season could be such a hit? There were plenty of signs along with the cheers. I even spotted a couple that read, "Go, Layla, Go!" I saw Liam holding two signs- one for Tanya and one for me. 

The whistle blew. The game had started.

The first half went exactly as planned- we had the Westmont girls leading us by one goal. Our school's cheerleaders seemer concerned about this, and were surprised to see us smiling and high-fiving each other. At half-time, we got prepared to use our secret weapon- Tanya and I. We were two of the best offense players on the team, and we had a plan- to score one goal after another. No mercy. 

The second half started with a loud blow of the whistle and a great kerfuffle to get the ball. Our team, thankfully, ended up in possession. The game only got rougher as time went on. The Westmont girls seemed to realize we hadn't given up, and they used their hardest and strongest tactics on us. With two minutes to go, we were tied neck in neck. The crowd was roaring so loud you would have thought world hunger had just been cured. The ball came soaring towards me. Forty second to go. This was our last chance. I kicked the ball the full length of the field, dodging the Westmont girls like they were an obstacle course. Twenty seconds left. Aim and- kick. Straight through the arms of the goalie. Our team screamed with joy. We ran at each other and piled into a huge lump on the ground, yelling and congratulating each other. 

"Layla, that kick was like- crazy!" Justine squealed as she hugged me. The Westmont girls were approaching us.

"What happened to our little agreement, huh?" The tall, dark- haired girl asked. 

Trish scoffed. "I don't seem to remember ever actually agreeing to anything. Besides, we went easy on you. You could have won, but you were just too weak and inexperienced. Goes to show how you would only lose at states. Sorry!" We giggled as we walked away from the stunned Westmont team. 

"That was awesome, Trish. You totally showed them!"

"Well, yeah. No one's taking away our state title!"

Liam came streaking out of the stands, waving his hands furiously and grinning broadly.

"You won- you won- you won!" he chanted happily, giving Tanya a kiss on the cheek. Smiles were passed around to everyone, and every second I was being congratulated by a new person. 

Because of this game and my final tie-breaking goal, I was no longer just a name. I was a spectacular soccer player!