Falling Star by Robert Rayner Page A

he swung his leg to kick the ball. At the last second he slowed. Instead of kicking the ball, he passed his foot over it, then back-heeled it. At the same time his teammates burst into a frenzy of action. The twins set off running in a wide circle, following one another. Their markers moved with them, so that the four players ran in a circle. Shay and Steve raced toward their own goal. Their markers looked at Coach Spear, who called, “Stay with them!” Matthew and Brandon were on opposite sides of the field. They ran toward each other, passing in the middle. When they reached the opposite wing, they turned around and set off across the field again, their markers on their heels. Toby, Linh-Mai, and Julie, who had waited near the Brunswick Valley goal while Edison prepared for the kick, raced toward the High Park goal, overtaking Edison, who veered toward the wing. His marker tracked him closely. The ball, meanwhile, had rolled a few centimetres and stopped. As Edison headed for the wing, all his teammates, taking their cue from him, did the same. Their markers followed them, leaving the centre of the field empty — except for one player.
    Amy had sprung from her goal as soon as Edison headed for the wing and was racing down the pitch. She collected the ball without stopping and careened toward the High Park goal.
    Coach Spear screamed, “Never mind who you’re supposed to be marking. Stop her!”
    Amy, with only the High Park goalkeeper to beat, veered left. The keeper went with her. Amy swerved right, rounded the keeper, and stroked the ball gently into the net.
    Apart from a polite smattering of applause, the crowd and the band and the cheerleaders were silent.
    The only voice was Mr. Field’s. “Sur-prise!”
    As the game resumed, the High Park band struck up again and, with the cheerleaders’ encouragement, the crowd roared its support for the hometeam.
    Mr. Field tried to make himself heard above the noise, shouting, “We need two more goals. Two more!” He repeated, clapping with the rhythm of the words: “Two more! Two more!” Mr. Grease clapped too.
    When they stopped, the chanting and clapping continued. “Two more! Two more!”
    Edison heard the chant change from the coach’s hoarse voice to a lighter, higher sound, and looked across the field. Another minibus had pulled up behind Mr. Grease’s, and Casey was leading the Dorchester All Stars in the chant. As Edison watched, she pushed through the crowd with her companions, and they lined up behind the Brunswick Valley bench, still chanting and clapping. Ella waved to him. He waved back, then turned his attention to the game.
    Jillian had received the ball from Jessica’s throw-in and had sent it into the High Park penalty area. A defender cleared it, but only as far as Matthew, who dribbled past his marker and chipped the ball back into the centre. It landed at Edison’s feet. Two defenders immediately challenged him. With no space to move, and no one unmarked to pass to, he kicked the ball against one of the defenders. It rebounded out of play for a throw-in near the Brunswick Valley bench. Mr. Field retrieved the ball. As he tossed it to Edison he murmured, “I think it’s time for another surprise.” Edison nodded and waved Brandon over to take the throw. Brandon threw the ball to Edison, who set off toward the High Park goal, his two markers at his heels. He gathered speed, then stopped abruptly, so that both of them crashed into him.
    The referee whistled and said, “Free kick.” He placed the ball where Edison had fallen, about sixty metres from the High Park goal.
    Edison called, “I’ll take it.”
    At the same time Steve shouted, “I’ll take it.”
    They both ran to take the kick. Edison got there first and stood over the ball. Steve pushed in front of him. The High Park players were looking at one another, grinning.
    Shay ran across.