myself.
You can do this
.
I size up the distance, the angle, the
possibility, just like my dad taught me, then pull my leg back and take an almighty
kick at goal. The ball leaves the side of my foot and soars up high into the air and
comes down in a perfect arc to rest in the back of the net.
‘GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
Four–three. And my first hat-trick.
The whistle blows for the end of the
game.
Job done.
Chapter 26
I sink to the ground, exhausted. My
teammates pile on top of me, yelling and cheering. When they finally let me go I can
hardly stand up. Then I discover that some of the crowd have run on to the pitch and
want a piece of me too.
Lissa, Ali and Tash are hanging off my
neck, jumping up and down with excitement.
‘DAN-NI! DAN-NI! DAN-NI!’
yells Tash.
‘We never knew you were that
good!’ screams Ali.
‘Awesome!’ agrees Lissa, her
eyes shining. ‘You’re the best.’
‘What are you doing
here?’
‘We bumped into your mum and Jade
this morning in town,’ explains Tash.
‘Yeah,’ says Ali.
‘Your mum thought you were with us.’
‘Jade fessed up so we all jumped on the train to Blackett
to make sure you made it back in time for the hockey trial,’ says Lissa.
‘We’re your police escort.’
‘All? You mean …’
‘Your mum’s over there. With
Jade.’
I turn to see them on the touchline and
breathe a sigh of relief as Mum waves at me. It’s OK, she’s smiling.
Beside her, Mr Little gives me the thumbs-up.
‘Is that really your gran?’
asks Ali. ‘I thought she was supposed to be a frail old lady.’
‘Oh flip!’ Gran is bearing
down on me. She doesn’t look in the slightest like a frail old lady;
she’s more scary than Tank Boy. But instead of telling me off, she flings her
arms round me and hugs me so tight I can’t breathe.
‘I’m so proud of you!’
she says.
Squashed up against her, eyes closed, my
nose pressed into her neck, I hear a familiar voice.
‘Me too.’
That’s all he says. But I’d
know his voice anywhere. My eyes shoot open.
It’s my dad. He’s really
here.
Chapter 27
We make it to the hockey trial just in
time.
Lissa’s right. They are like a
police escort. I’m in Dad’s car with Mum, Jade and Gran. Mr
Little’s car is in front of us with Lissa, Tash and Ali. Uncle Terry brings up
the rear with Ryan, Lofty and Marvyn. Nobody wants to miss it, you see.
I sit in the passenger seat next to my
dad.
‘Should’ve told you I was
coming,’ he says apologetically. ‘I just came on spec see, cos I knew
you’ve been visiting your gran on Saturdays. It’s been a while since I
caught up with you and Jade. But when I turned up, there was no one
there.’
‘I was out looking for her,’
pipes up Gran. ‘I was wondering where she’d got to.’
‘I
told
you to ring Gran and tell her you
weren’t coming!’ Mum scolds me from the back seat.
‘Sorry!’
‘I knew where she’d be
though. Playing football with the boys!’ chuckles Gran. ‘She’s a
chip off the old block, David.’
‘Playing for Blackett, just like
your old man!’ Dad shakes his head in disbelief. ‘Who’d have
thought it? And Terry Jeeves coaching you! No wonder you’re all so good. He
used to be skipper of the Wanderers years ago.’
‘They won’t want me playing
with them any more,’ I grumble. ‘Not now they know I’m a girl. All
thanks to you, Gran.’
‘Course they will,’ he
chuckles. ‘You’re their star player. You’ve earned your place in
that team. They won’t want to see you go.’
And you know something? Dad’s
right. When Terry’s car pulls into Crowley School behind us, Ryan jumps out
and comes running over to bang on my window.
‘It’s OK,’ he says,
breathless with excitement. ‘Uncle Terry says it’s OK. There’s
nothing in the rules that says you can’t play for us.’
‘D’you still want me to?’ I ask shyly.
‘Yeah.’ He looks at me as if
I’m mad.
You can do this
.
I size up the distance, the angle, the
possibility, just like my dad taught me, then pull my leg back and take an almighty
kick at goal. The ball leaves the side of my foot and soars up high into the air and
comes down in a perfect arc to rest in the back of the net.
‘GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
Four–three. And my first hat-trick.
The whistle blows for the end of the
game.
Job done.
Chapter 26
I sink to the ground, exhausted. My
teammates pile on top of me, yelling and cheering. When they finally let me go I can
hardly stand up. Then I discover that some of the crowd have run on to the pitch and
want a piece of me too.
Lissa, Ali and Tash are hanging off my
neck, jumping up and down with excitement.
‘DAN-NI! DAN-NI! DAN-NI!’
yells Tash.
‘We never knew you were that
good!’ screams Ali.
‘Awesome!’ agrees Lissa, her
eyes shining. ‘You’re the best.’
‘What are you doing
here?’
‘We bumped into your mum and Jade
this morning in town,’ explains Tash.
‘Yeah,’ says Ali.
‘Your mum thought you were with us.’
‘Jade fessed up so we all jumped on the train to Blackett
to make sure you made it back in time for the hockey trial,’ says Lissa.
‘We’re your police escort.’
‘All? You mean …’
‘Your mum’s over there. With
Jade.’
I turn to see them on the touchline and
breathe a sigh of relief as Mum waves at me. It’s OK, she’s smiling.
Beside her, Mr Little gives me the thumbs-up.
‘Is that really your gran?’
asks Ali. ‘I thought she was supposed to be a frail old lady.’
‘Oh flip!’ Gran is bearing
down on me. She doesn’t look in the slightest like a frail old lady;
she’s more scary than Tank Boy. But instead of telling me off, she flings her
arms round me and hugs me so tight I can’t breathe.
‘I’m so proud of you!’
she says.
Squashed up against her, eyes closed, my
nose pressed into her neck, I hear a familiar voice.
‘Me too.’
That’s all he says. But I’d
know his voice anywhere. My eyes shoot open.
It’s my dad. He’s really
here.
Chapter 27
We make it to the hockey trial just in
time.
Lissa’s right. They are like a
police escort. I’m in Dad’s car with Mum, Jade and Gran. Mr
Little’s car is in front of us with Lissa, Tash and Ali. Uncle Terry brings up
the rear with Ryan, Lofty and Marvyn. Nobody wants to miss it, you see.
I sit in the passenger seat next to my
dad.
‘Should’ve told you I was
coming,’ he says apologetically. ‘I just came on spec see, cos I knew
you’ve been visiting your gran on Saturdays. It’s been a while since I
caught up with you and Jade. But when I turned up, there was no one
there.’
‘I was out looking for her,’
pipes up Gran. ‘I was wondering where she’d got to.’
‘I
told
you to ring Gran and tell her you
weren’t coming!’ Mum scolds me from the back seat.
‘Sorry!’
‘I knew where she’d be
though. Playing football with the boys!’ chuckles Gran. ‘She’s a
chip off the old block, David.’
‘Playing for Blackett, just like
your old man!’ Dad shakes his head in disbelief. ‘Who’d have
thought it? And Terry Jeeves coaching you! No wonder you’re all so good. He
used to be skipper of the Wanderers years ago.’
‘They won’t want me playing
with them any more,’ I grumble. ‘Not now they know I’m a girl. All
thanks to you, Gran.’
‘Course they will,’ he
chuckles. ‘You’re their star player. You’ve earned your place in
that team. They won’t want to see you go.’
And you know something? Dad’s
right. When Terry’s car pulls into Crowley School behind us, Ryan jumps out
and comes running over to bang on my window.
‘It’s OK,’ he says,
breathless with excitement. ‘Uncle Terry says it’s OK. There’s
nothing in the rules that says you can’t play for us.’
‘D’you still want me to?’ I ask shyly.
‘Yeah.’ He looks at me as if
I’m mad.
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