Santi is the starting quarterback for the football team and point guard for basketball He’s even the captain of the lacrosse team Cici is also a varsity athlete She plays starting forward in field hockey center in basketball and is the highest-ranked tennis player in Cape High’s history By the time I came along Santi and Cici were already playing on competitive junior travel teams When I was old enough to play a sport of my own our weekends were already completely booked with their games That might upset most kids but I actually enjoyed watching instead of playing In fact watching from the sidelines is how I first realized that I wanted to be a sports broadcaster one day Hot apple cider and pumpkin cookies Mom said snapping me back to reality Want some Mom placed a wobbly tray of mugs on the front step careful not to spill any of the steaming cider 8
Cici followed with a plate of her famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookies Their freshly baked orange crust glittered in the fall air Yum cried Louie Thanks Mrs Esposito Alana Louie and Rana jumped out from underneath their blankets and each grabbed two cookies and a mug They sat back down on the front step right next to the treats The chilly weather was no longer a problem Yum sighed Alana She polished off each cookie in one bite Mom and Cici plucked a cookie from the pile and joined the girls on the steps They huddled close blowing the steam from their mugs Don’t you want a snack Maya Mom asked She nodded to the last mug on the tray The warm smell of nutmeg wafted over It was instantly blocked by the knots in my stomach No thanks I said I’m too nervous Are you sure you don’t know who the winner is Mom 9
Mom pulled me in for a hug Nope she answered Remember We had to keep the competition fair since many of us have children that wanted to enter As the Sports Editor Mac is the only one who gets to read the essays and pick the winner When it’s time for the Arts Entertainment contest it will be my turn to judge What about the authors names asked Alana She shoved another cookie in her mouth Wouldn’t Mac see those I’m one step ahead of you Mom said The names were taken off of each essay before they were given to Mac So he had no clue who the authors were You see Fair and square I reached for a cookie but quickly decided to put it back on the plate Don’t be nervous said Cici You know everything there is to know about any kind of sport including the ones we don’t even play Plus 10
you’re the best writer in your entire grade No offense girls None taken Louie mumbled She huddled under a blanket with Alana Read us that last part again said Rana Yes agreed Mom Let’s hear the ending That will calm your nerves I reached into my jeans pocket Maybe they were right Maybe reading the essay would calm me down I unfolded the well-worn paper scanning the familiar words I had carefully chosen over a month ago The last few paragraphs were my favorite too I had been so proud when this final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place I cleared my throat and started to read A life on the sidelines is more exciting than you might think We know that players get all the glory And behind every star athlete is a fan cheering them on from the sidelines Sure my 11
