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ball came back to her seconds later and Megan was rushed hard but deftly popped the ball right through the legs of the halfback. She took the ball downfield, using somefancy footwork to trip up another defender. She raced toward the goal virtually untouched. The goalie, from the look on her face, was completely flummoxed. Megan faked left and kicked right. The girl had no chance.
    â€œScore!” Coach Leonard called out as the ball whizzed into the back of the net.
    Megan’s teammates crowded around her, slapping her on the back and showering her with high fives. That had been a little too easy. Megan hoped that the starting goalie was at the other end of the field.
    â€œNice one, Megan!” Coach Leonard called. “The rest of you are making me look bad! Let’s go!”
    This time the other center forward glowered full force at Megan when they toed the line. “Beginner’s luck,” she said.
    Megan ignored her, knowing she would formulate a comeback five hours from now—one she would never have the guts to deliver anyway. Instead, she’d just make this girl eat her dust.
    At the whistle, Megan got the ball again, but this time, Blondie took it right away with a deft, behind-the-legs steal. It happened so fast Megan never saw it coming and she had to laugh as she chased the girl down.
    â€œNice move,” she shouted, impressed.
    â€œGet used to it,” the girl replied.
    She passed the ball right by Megan, who was two seconds too late to block it. Her teammate took it upfield but quickly lost it. The ball came flying through the air toward Megan. It was a perfect angle for a head pass, so Megan jumped up to take it. But before forehead ever touched leather, she was blindsided—afull-contact hit jarred every bone in her body and threw her to the ground. By the time she looked up again, Blondie was halfway down the field with the ball.
    â€œWatch it, Hailey!” Coach Leonard called out.
    â€œWow,” Megan said under her breath as Hailey scored. “Someone’s not messing around.”
    She knew that Hailey’s hit was a blatant foul that probably would have earned her a yellow card in a real game, but Megan liked the fact that the girl wasn’t afraid to play rough. Every team needed fearless players like that. And from what she had already seen, Hailey had some of the best moves going.
    Maybe even better than mine, Megan thought. Megan was used to being a star on the soccer field, but she knew she’d be okay sharing the spotlight with this girl. She just hoped that Hailey’s playing center forward didn’t keep her from making the squad.
    A few minutes later, the whistle blew and everyone trotted off the field. Megan jogged over to Hailey and put out her hand.
    â€œNice moves out there,” she said. “Never saw you coming.”
    Hailey looked at Megan’s palm like it was covered in ticks. “Yeah, most people don’t. That’s why I’ve been All-State for three years in a row and why you’ll never get my spot.”
    Stunned, Megan slowed her steps and let Hailey jog ahead, where she slapped palms with Tina and a few other girls.
    â€œDon’t mind Hailey. Nobody likes her.”
    Another player, the girl who had played right flank on Megan’s side, had caught up with her. She had a powerful-looking build, and most of her shoulder-length blond hair had fallenfree of its ponytail and now hung in clumps around her clean, sweat-shining face. Megan had noticed her on the field. She was one of the faster girls on the team.
    â€œNot even them?” Megan asked, looking at Hailey’s friends.
    â€œShe pays them,” the girl joked. “As her sister, I get to turn down the money and say what I really think.”
    â€œYou’re her sister?” Megan asked, surprised.
    â€œI know. I’m, like, so much prettier than her,” the girl said, batting her eyelashes comically. “Anyway,