Testing My Feelings

Chapter 18

It was Monday now. Nothing really happened at school today and for some reason I didn't see Connor at all the entire day. Today was my first day of practice on the school's JV soccer team. All I could think about all day was soccer. When the final bell of the day rang, I had bolted out the doors of the main school building. I walked down the path to the soccer team's team room, although in reality, it was more like a team building.

"Hey," two voices behind me called out.

I turned around to see who it was.

"Oh. Hey Connor. Hi Josh," I answered back.

Connor sped up to catch up with me as Josh hobbled along behind.

"So we're going to take you to meet Coach Lillian," Connor explained.

"Yea..." Joshua paused to catch his breath.

"She'll probably give you your uniforms as well as some more information," he said.

"She'll also probably ask YOU some questions as well," Connor added, stressing the 'you'.

The two boys walked me over to the team building. It was a pretty big building and it was nice looking too, inside and out. Inside, Connor and Josh took me over to Coach Lillian's office. It was a typical office with frosted glass walls and a frosted glass door. The glass door read "Boys' Junior Varsity Soccer Coach." Underneath that it read "Lillian Anaheim." Inside her office looked to be a short brown headed boy with a nice tan. He was probably a flat five feet tall and was rather short.

"Who is that talking to the coach?" I asked them both.

Josh and Connor turned and looked at each other. They looked back at me and shrugged their shoulders at me. I stared at them blankly.

After a moment Joshua said, "We don't know who that is. He's not on any of the boys' teams."

"Oh," I acknowledged.

The three of us sat there waiting for what seemed like ages. In reality, it was only like five minutes. I caught a glimpse of the brown haired boy's face as he left. He had green eyes and a very young, childish looking face. I guess he may be a freshman. Anyway, Josh and Connor walked me into the coach's office.

"Ah. Nice to see you Connor," she said as we walked in.

"Yes coach," he answered.

"And I see you've brought Joshua Collins..." she paused as she looked at Josh.

"Yes Ma'am," he acknowledged.

"How's the leg doing?" she asked him.

"Oh ya know, it's getting better," he answered.

"That's good to hear."

Coach Lillian turned and looked at me.

"And you, you must be Andrew Neely," she said to me.

I gulped and answered, "Yes ma'am."

"So I got a message over the weekend from Assistant Coach Skylow about a player you had scouted out," she turned and said to Joshua.

"I heard that he's decent in the goal and is a sound midfielder," she continued.

"I even heard that he might even be the replacement captain we're looking for."

"Yes. That is all correct," Josh confirmed.

"Well, Andrew, I am quite interested in seeing how you perform," she turned and said to me, her brown eyes felt like they were evaluating every bit and piece of my heart and soul as she stared me down.

"Th...Thank you Coach Anaheim," I nervously thanked her.

She gave a small chuckle and said, "The boys usually refer to me as 'Coach Lillian.'"

She turned around and took a bag off of the shelf behind her desk.

She turned around plopping the bag on her desk and said to me, "Here are your uniforms. Your number will be thirteen."

"Thank you," I said.

"I'm expecting a lot from you Mr. Neely. Don't let me down," she said to me.

I grabbed the bag and the three of us started leaving her office.

Josh and Connor had just left the room before Coach Lillian said to me, "Andrew, close the door and hold up a minute."

As I did what she had asked she opened her desk drawer and rummaged around inside it. After a moment, she pulled something out and handed it to me.

"It's not set in stone, one hundred percent official yet, but rather, consider it a test."

With that she motioned for me to head out.

I stood outside her office, in disbelief at what Coach Lillian had just bestowed upon me. Connor and Josh saw what was in my hand. Connor gasped and Josh had a smug but satisfied look on his face.

"Connor, we better get ready for practice," I said.