rise Aiden has only hesitated a moment and must now choose within the next second He taps the ball in a perfect line to Enzo’s right foot One touch The ball blazes by the goalie’s outstretched hands into the left corner of the net swirling into the back with a whoosh Enzo pulls his shirt up to celebrate the goal Ben launches himself onto Enzo’s back Aiden knows he’s made the right decision but something inside makes him feel like he regrets it At least a little Kai the team captain comes up from midfield behind Aiden Great pass Thanks says Aiden Same to you Aiden replays the match in his head in class the next morning while his algebra teacher writes formulas on a whiteboard A bird perches on the window sill Aiden glances in its direction 8
0 9 0 11 7 5 9 13
Bryan who sits to his left shuffles in his seat Aiden’s attention zips over to his friend Yesterday’s match appears in flashes in between play-by-play moment by moment He was in a perfect scoring position when Enzo didn’t pass The bird flutters its wings Ben shuffles The rubbery pen on the whiteboard Freddy Wong scribbles frantically in the squeaks front row Allan Baxter jiggles his legs A strong gust blows against the window rattling the frame Squeak rattle jiggle shuffle scribble Aiden can’t wait for practice The clock on the wall ticks ticks ticks No phones in class Tick Class ends finally Clang bang shuffle 10
Books snap shut Chairs slide Aiden’s mind jumps from one frantic activity to the next And suddenly he feels the presence of someone and then hears a voice beside him Aiden you heading over to practice now asks Ben Yeah let’s go They head toward the door Aiden Mr McCartney rolls his squeaky whiteboard pen between his fingers Can I have a quick word Uh yeah sure Mr McCartney Catch you on the field says Ben who is impatient to get to practice himself Aiden approaches the teacher’s desk which feels a bit like walking up to a referee and asking for a penalty You know Aiden sports are important at Mt Pleasant but it’s also important to keep 11
