Chapter 4: If I Just Get Better
I entered the school gates the morning after our first soccer game with my hands in my pockets. I had wrapped them after my parents left. They would have scolded me for doing something so stupid or pulled me off of the soccer team. I wasn't going to risk it.
"Casey- chan!" I turned and smiled at Kojima. She ran up to me with a smile on her face too. In the last 2 weeks we had become pretty good friends. Granted, I kept to myself most of the time and she was constantly out training by herself, but we were as close as we could get without being out of character. "You went to the doctor's and let them check out your hands right?"
"Of course." A lie. Her smile faltered as if she could tell that I wasn't being truthful but I assured her that I had.
She reached around into her back pack and pulled out a pair of thin gloves. "I didn't think you'd want people to stare at you so I brought you something to cover up the burns."
Smiling wider, I accepted them. Unfortunately, I must have put the bandages on wrong and she frowned at me.
"You didn't go to the doctor's." It was a statement, not a question.
"I'm fine, trust me. It won't get in the way. Thanks for the gloves." She crossed her arms stubbornly. "It isn't a big deal. We washed it off and I got some stuff to put on it. It will be fine, don't worry. Now I have to go if I want to make it to homeroom before the bell rings. Bye Kojima- chan!"
I could still feel her eyes boring into my back as I hurried down the hallway, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I felt. She's still worried. Sighing, I entered Katori- sensei's classroom a few seconds before the bell rang and took my seat.
I just hope it doesn't distract her from soccer.
Come practice time Kojima-chan seemed to have forgotten about my burns and was focusing entirely on the team. I didn't mind. The only problem I had experienced that day was while trying to write. It put pressure on the burns and made them sting but it was nothing too bad.
"Keep going girls! We have another game this Saturday. We have to be ready! These guys will be faster, stronger, and more experienced than our last opponents were. You want to beat them right?"
I shook my head and concentrated on running. I was so worried about Kojima- chan being worried that I just distracted myself. I have to get better. I have to.
"Coach Matsushita!" He turned at the sound of my voice but couldn't seem to find its source. "Coach Matsushita!" He gave me a thoughtful frown and smiled when recognition dawned on him.
"You're one of the girls from the other soccer team, right? I thought I remembered you."
The 'other' soccer team? I took silent offense to that but kept my mouth shut.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes." I smiled politely. "I was wondering if you could train me a little. I saw the note you left about me needing to work on my ball- handling and I've found some other things I want to work on. Can you teach me some drills I can do to get better?"
"Training? When? You just had practice didn't you?"
"Yes, now, and yes again."
He frowned. "Are you sure? Aren't you… you know, tired? You should probably get some rest." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Maybe this weekend would be a better time."
"This weekend will be too late. I want to improve for our next game Saturday. I can stand a little extra training after practice. A midfielder has to have endurance right?"
Apparently, he was aware that I wasn't about to budge. He also must have sensed that I thought he was holding back because I was a girl. "If that's what you want, grab a ball and get out there."
I couldn't help but grin as I set my bag down and jogged over to claim a ball from the store room where they had recently been stowed away. Then it began…
Ow. Ow. Ow. Each step was painful, courtesy of the very long, very harsh, very helpful training under Matsushita- sensei. He wasn't a teacher at the school but he was teaching me a lot about soccer so I think he qualifies.
As you have probably guessed, I was too proud to show that last night's training had any affect on me but I found regular practice much more difficult than usual. And it didn't help that Kojima- chan was pushing us harder. She had seen me training with the coach before she went home and gained inspiration for the team-- inspiration that threatened to become too much to handle.
Never- the- less I found myself at the boy's soccer field after practice with a ball at my feet and Matsushita- sensei (he laughed when I first called him that) before me.
"You are quite stubborn aren't you?" Without waiting for an answer, he instructed me to begin the drills I had worked on last night. This time, however, he increased the tempo, pushing me to my limits. I thought about quitting a few times- just packing up and going home- but then I'd fall and my burns would sting, and I'd remember why I was here in the first place.
I can't practice for the team, but maybe if I get better… Maybe I can convince them to get better too.
"No practicing tonight."
"What do you mean no practicing tonight?"
Matsushita- sensei sighed and placed his hands on my shoulders. "If you push yourself too hard tonight you won't be ready for the game tomorrow. Go home. Get some sleep. Be well rested for the game. You won't do any better by practicing now."
I reluctantly headed home, knowing he was right but feeling like I should be doing something.
"Don't even touch the ball tonight!" he called after me.
I should be doing something. Anything. I won't be good enough for the game tomorrow. But he is right. No practice tonight.
When I reached the house, the walk there seeming rather short, I kicked my shoes off and entered the empty living room. My parents would still be at work for the next hour at least. After a quick shower I came back in the room and saw my ball peaking out from behind the couch. Frowning, I picked it up.
Just a little bit of playing wouldn't hurt. Right? I shook my head and put it out on the porch. No, I'm supposed to rest. I can't let my team down and that means I have to be rested for tomorrow. I'll just… watch TV! Thankful for the distraction, I set on the couch and flipped through the channels, settling on a movie of my favorite anime. I remember the first 5 minutes of it.
"Casey? Casey, hun, wake up. It's 9:30."
I shot up, narrowly missing crashing my head into Mom's. "9:30! But… that means I only have 15 minutes before I have to be at school!"
"Relax," Mother soothed. "It's Saturday."
"I have a game today!" I threw back the blanket that someone had laid over me and dove for my room. Why didn't I… My alarm clock. I wanted to groan when I realized that I hadn't set my alarm before falling asleep on the couch.
I ended up getting dressed, pulling my hair up into a ponytail, and shoving a granola bar down my throat in less than 10 minutes. Mom had luckily understood the rush I was in and was waiting in the car in the driveway. I wanted to reach down and press the petal all the way to the floor but restrained myself.
I still have a few minutes. They'll wait for me. They have to. Clinging to this sliver of hope and the handle of the car door, I began searching the road ahead, straining to see the school and a bus that may or may not be waiting in the parking lot.
Oh God, please don't be late.