Take One For The Team

Chapter 2

BEEP... BEEP... BEEP

I rolled over to turn off my alarm. The big red letters showed 06:30. 

Today was the day. Soccer practice started at 8. 

I still wasn't convinced that me trying out for the boys team was a good idea, but the Principal, Coach and my dad all seemed to think it would be fine.  

It's not that I was worried about not being good enough; I'd been going to mixed soccer camps every summer since I was 8, I knew I could keep up with the boys. 

But this was my senior year, and a whole new town. I just wanted to blend in, make a few friends and make it through the year. I'm pretty sure that being the only girl on the soccer team was the exact opposite of blending in. The last thing I wanted was everyone talking about me. 

But really, what choice did I have? This could be the only way college scouts would see me play, and I needed that scholarship.

At my last school I'd always been part of the 'popular' crowd. My ex was a jock, my friends were all pretty and athletic, either my teammates or cheerleaders. My life had become a shallow, meaningless existence, and I constantly worried about what everyone else thought of me. What I looked like, who I dated, what parties I went to. It had happened so gradually throughout high school that I hadn't even noticed, which is why catching my ex with my best friend and my ensuing breakdown had been such a wake-up call. I didn't even recognise the person I'd become. 

I was not going to let history repeat itself this year. 

I sighed and dragged myself out of bed and downstairs towards the smell of scrambled eggs coming from the kitchen. 

Dad was stood over the hob, cooking the eggs whilst reading the morning paper. He looked over at me and my mass of bed hair and grinned,

"Morning, peanut."

I sighed in response and poured myself a cup of coffee, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow, "Like I'm going to throw up."

"Well," he answered, "This will help."

He placed a plate of waffles, eggs and bacon on the counter in front of me. He'd arranged the bacon like a smiley face on top of the eggs. 

I couldn't help but smile at him. He always knew how to cheer me up. I picked up my cutlery and started scoffing down my breakfast. 

"Are you sure you think this is a good idea?" I asked through a mouthful of food. 

Dad looked up from the paper, "What, breakfast?"

I rolled my eyes, "You know what I mean. Seriously, Dad, the boys team?!"

He sighed, "I know, peanut, it's not ideal. But what's the worst that can happen?"

"Um, in no particular order; they could hate me, I could end up the school freak, they could refuse to let me play,  and then I won't get a scholarship and then I won't be able to -"

"Woah!" Dad interrupted me. "Okay, wasn't expecting so many options."

I aggressively shoved in another mouthful of eggs. 

Dad pulled out the stool next to me and sat down. 

"Look, we made it through the last year, didn't we? The old Alex wouldn't be phased by the idea of playing with a bunch of boys! Just think how proud Mom would be, after everything you've been through, this is just another speed bump to get over."