morning trying to concentrate on calculus and physics, but all she could think about was practice. Her stomach felt empty and tense, squeezing tighter and smaller as the day went on. When the last period was finally over, she took the steps up to her room two at a time. As she changed, she tried to pump herself up by blasting some music and visualizing herself passing the test. It didn’t work.
She took her time getting there, trying to enjoy the sun and the wind on her face. She told herself it was just another workout; she had done this a million times. But she couldn’t keep the nerves out — not for the best high school lacrosse team in the country.
She walked onto the field at around 3:30, with plenty of time before practice was supposed to start. But something was wrong. The team was already on the field, and Coach Fitz was standing on the sidelines with a stopwatch around her neck. Her two assistants stood next to her and busily scribbled on their clipboards. The Graff team was sitting in the bleachers, waiting their turn, and behind them was a little cluster of men in suits, watching the practice from far up in the stands.
Her stomach turned to water as the realization hit her. Thayer hadn’t e-mailed the whole team. It was an act of sabotage, and Sadie was the only target.
She immediately broke into a sweat, and her heart felt like it was beating directly behind her eardrums. On the field, Jessica was motioning to her frantically, waving her arms and pointing at her nonexistent watch. Sadie dropped her bag at a run and joined the others, so nervous she felt faint.
What felt like seconds later, Coach blew the whistle and signaled for the girls to line up. They took their usual positions on the 25-yard line.
“Welcome, ladies,” Coach yelled. “Today is the conditioning test. Most of you will pass, but some of you will not. I see some of you didn’t deem it necessary to take full advantage of warm-ups today, and that has been noted.” She looked Sadie in the eye, but Sadie stared back, her chin high. “Those of you who don’t pass will retake the test every Saturday morning until you pass or give up. Until then, you will not be allowed to practice. This year’s test will be harder than last year’s, so I hope you’re all prepared.”
Sadie heard a few of the girls groan.
“This year’s test will contain two parts: a speed test and a long-distance endurance test. The speed portion will be a series of six three-hundred-yard shuttles completed in twenty-five-yard increments. To pass you must complete each shuttle — that’s twelve lengths — in less than seventy-two seconds. The endurance test will be a two-mile run on the track that must be completed in under fourteen minutes.
“As is our tradition at Keating, you will run the test in order of increasing seniority. This means Marlowe, Harris, Brownley, Reid, Thomas, and Helms, you six are up first on the sprint.”
Sadie followed the five other girls as they trudged toward the other end of the field, where the assistant coaches had set up two lines of bright orange cones 25 yards apart. The field felt a mile wide, and with each step her heart pounded faster, until her whole ribcage seemed to vibrate. As she placed her toe on the starting line, everything seemed to slow. The sounds around her fell away, and she saw nothing but the cone in the distance. She took a deep breath, feeling her lungs expanding and swelling against her chest, and then the whistle blew.
She passed.
All the girls who had been on the team last year did, except for Jenna, a senior and the team’s backup goalkeeper. When it was all over, the Graff team took the field and Sadie followed the rest of the team as they staggered back to the locker room. Jenna was crying uncontrollably as they walked, but nobody had the energy to console her.
When she got to the showers, she stepped into the closest stall and closed the curtain behind her. She turned the shower on full
She took her time getting there, trying to enjoy the sun and the wind on her face. She told herself it was just another workout; she had done this a million times. But she couldn’t keep the nerves out — not for the best high school lacrosse team in the country.
She walked onto the field at around 3:30, with plenty of time before practice was supposed to start. But something was wrong. The team was already on the field, and Coach Fitz was standing on the sidelines with a stopwatch around her neck. Her two assistants stood next to her and busily scribbled on their clipboards. The Graff team was sitting in the bleachers, waiting their turn, and behind them was a little cluster of men in suits, watching the practice from far up in the stands.
Her stomach turned to water as the realization hit her. Thayer hadn’t e-mailed the whole team. It was an act of sabotage, and Sadie was the only target.
She immediately broke into a sweat, and her heart felt like it was beating directly behind her eardrums. On the field, Jessica was motioning to her frantically, waving her arms and pointing at her nonexistent watch. Sadie dropped her bag at a run and joined the others, so nervous she felt faint.
What felt like seconds later, Coach blew the whistle and signaled for the girls to line up. They took their usual positions on the 25-yard line.
“Welcome, ladies,” Coach yelled. “Today is the conditioning test. Most of you will pass, but some of you will not. I see some of you didn’t deem it necessary to take full advantage of warm-ups today, and that has been noted.” She looked Sadie in the eye, but Sadie stared back, her chin high. “Those of you who don’t pass will retake the test every Saturday morning until you pass or give up. Until then, you will not be allowed to practice. This year’s test will be harder than last year’s, so I hope you’re all prepared.”
Sadie heard a few of the girls groan.
“This year’s test will contain two parts: a speed test and a long-distance endurance test. The speed portion will be a series of six three-hundred-yard shuttles completed in twenty-five-yard increments. To pass you must complete each shuttle — that’s twelve lengths — in less than seventy-two seconds. The endurance test will be a two-mile run on the track that must be completed in under fourteen minutes.
“As is our tradition at Keating, you will run the test in order of increasing seniority. This means Marlowe, Harris, Brownley, Reid, Thomas, and Helms, you six are up first on the sprint.”
Sadie followed the five other girls as they trudged toward the other end of the field, where the assistant coaches had set up two lines of bright orange cones 25 yards apart. The field felt a mile wide, and with each step her heart pounded faster, until her whole ribcage seemed to vibrate. As she placed her toe on the starting line, everything seemed to slow. The sounds around her fell away, and she saw nothing but the cone in the distance. She took a deep breath, feeling her lungs expanding and swelling against her chest, and then the whistle blew.
She passed.
All the girls who had been on the team last year did, except for Jenna, a senior and the team’s backup goalkeeper. When it was all over, the Graff team took the field and Sadie followed the rest of the team as they staggered back to the locker room. Jenna was crying uncontrollably as they walked, but nobody had the energy to console her.
When she got to the showers, she stepped into the closest stall and closed the curtain behind her. She turned the shower on full
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