Game Changer ~ ZDH

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: this story will use American Football and soccer.

Your pov, *summer practice before school*
"You there! Go and get the team water from the store," My soccer coach yells.
I groan to myself and turn to him, "I'm on the team coach!"
"You are?" He questions.
I sigh and nod. "Well then what're you doing! Get a soccer ball and practice your footwork!"

I nod, "Yes coach."
I do as he says and start kicking around my soccer ball. All the other girls are either passing the ball to each other, or running around the field and doing drills.
The net is empty, so I go to start practicing my kicks for goals. I work on my form and technique so that maybe I'll finally get more than an hour of play time this year.

It's my last year in high school, and I'm just an athlete that's a nobody. No one really knows me or bothers to take the time to know me.
If I'm being honest, I don't blame them.

My family's reputation.. it isn't exactly the best. But that's not something to be thinking about right now.

I kick the soccer ball into the net, with full power and a decent amount of energy. I made it in, so I retrieved my ball and went back even further to test my accuracy.
I just keep kicking the ball, exerting so much energy since practice is basically over. Soon enough, the field starts getting emptier and emptier, every girl on the the team leaves and I'm still on the field, practicing my kicking and accuracy.

"Hey! Get off the field, it's our turn now," some guy yells. I look over and I sigh at who is walking over. Zach Herron. Our schools quarterback. He's basically the star of the team, and has been since freshman year.

"Cmon Zach, let the girl take some time to clean up," another guy walking beside Zach had said.
"What? This 'girl?' She can listen to me and get off right away!" He shouts at me.

I scoff, "Oh come on you guys aren't even practicing."
"We're getting ready for tryouts," the other guy said.
I nod, but Zach comes all up in my face. "Get off the field you criminal," He whispered in a low voice.

At that point I had it. My blood started to boil and I can feel the vein on my forehead popping out. I clench my fist and take a step closer to him. "Or what?" I say through my gritted teeth.
He crosses his arms and glared at me, "Or I'll put you in jail, just like the rest of your family."

At this point, a whole crowd of guys had gathered behind Zach. Angry, I squeeze my fists even harder, feeling my nails dig into my skin.
I stop myself from trying to take out any anger on him and I look around. I spot my soccer ball, but the goal is all the way across the field. Using my anger, I run and kick the ball as hard as I can and instead of going into the soccer goal, it goes into the football goal post.

I hear some murmurs come from the crowd of boys and I just turn to Zach and stare at him with anger.
He just looks at me with a shocked expression sitting on his face, but once he saw me staring, he quickly shut his mouth.

"Hey! Who kicked that soccer ball into the post?" A loud voice yelled. The football guys all made a path and the football coach is walking towards us. "She did coach," one of the boys said while pointing to me. He comes up to me and looks at me with anger. I start to get a bit scared because he's bigger than everyone here.

"Coach, kick her off the field," Herron said.
"Zip it," coach snapped back. Zach was taken aback and didn't say another word.
"You on the soccer team?" Coach asked me.
I gulp a clump of saliva I didn't know I had. "Um, yeah."

"Do you play often?"
I shake my head no.
He narrows his eyes on me and is silent. I awkwardly stand there, scared at what could happen next.
Coach makes this intense thinking face but it finally relaxed. "I want you to be our new kicker."

"What?!" I freak.
"Yeah, what?!" Zach said after me. Murmurs came from all the boys, but I pay no attention to them. My only attention is on the coach wanting ME, unpopular soccer athlete, to be the footballs team kicker.
"You got the foot to kick a soccer ball that far. Why not try with a football? SEAVEY!" He shouts.
"Yessir?"
"Bring this lady a football and hold it down."

Seavey nods his head and runs to get a football.
"Coach, come on. You're going to let a girl join the team?" Zach asked him.
His coach sighed, "Yeah. I see no problem with it. If she can kick, it's good enough in my books."

"But.. she's a girl! We're boys! Where would she change? What would she do on field?"
"Herron be quiet. We'll figure that all out but I need to see her kick a football. Seavey! Set it up on the 15 yard line." Coach instructed.
The boy ran to a spot on the field, halfway between two lines.

"Go and show me what you got," Coach said while pointing to Seavey.
I take a deep breath and run over to him.
"Um.. I've never kicked a football before if I'm being honest.." I nervously say to him.
I awkwardly rub my arm and look back at the crowd of boys watching my every move.
"It's easy. You hit the lower part of the soccer ball to give it air right? It's the same thing here, but aim in between the big yellow post instead of the net."

I nod my head and take another deep breath. I back up to create space, shaking every limb on my body.
I start running and swing my leg at the ball. It gets a lot of air and keeps going straight. Soon enough it goes straight into the goal post.
"Yes! I did it!"
Seavey gets up and cheers with me, holding up his hand for a high five. "That was perfect!"

I return the high five, "Was it really?"
He nods, and his gaze goes from me to behind me. He cleared his throat, "Ehm, I'm gonna go get the football."
Confused, I turn around and the football coach is walking towards me.
"How would you like to be our new kicker?" He asked.
"Me?"
He nods.
"Her?!" We hear, and Zach Herron walks over, disgusted look on his face.

"Zach if you learn to kick a football before our first game in two weeks then you can be the new kicker. Otherwise, I don't want to hear it. We lost our best kicker through graduation, and-"
He looks at me, "What's your name?"
"Um, Y/n Summers sir.."
He nods, "Summers here is the best kicker I've seen since Josh."

I watch as Herron rolls his eyes.
I narrow my eyes at him, annoyed at his attitude. I've heard he was stuck up, but I didn't think it was this bad.
"Y/n, how would you like to join the football team?"
My eyes widen in realization of what's happening. I'd have to quit soccer. I mean, my coach barely knew I existed, but it's the adrenaline that kept me going. The feeling of winning since my whole life has been a loss.
I quickly glance at the quarterback, who is staring at me, waiting for an answer, just like the rest of the boys.

I proudly smile, "Sure."

~~~