Iâm Aimee Farmer. Little sister to Hailey âQueen Bitchâ Farmer.â
âAh,â Megan said, shaking hands with her. âIâm Megan.â
âI know. You were in my chemistry class this afternoon, right?â Aimee asked.
âOh God. You were there? Sorry, I donât remember anything after I almost burned my lab partnerâs eyebrows off.â
Aimee laughed. âIt wasnât that bad. So . . . you were amazing out there. Where did you learn to play like that?â
âI played on a lot of boysâ teams growing up,â Megan explained as they reached the sideline, where the rest of the team was sucking on their water bottles. âAnd last year my team was state champion in Texas.â
âWow. Texas. Big state.â
âTell me about it.â
âAll right, letâs run some drills!â Coach Leonard called out. A few girls grabbed the orange cones that were stacked up next to the bleachers and took them back out to the field. âMegan, see me after practice and weâll talk about a spot on the team.â
âSure, Coach,â Megan said.
âDepose my sister, please,â Aimee said under her breath. âIâll love you forever.â
Megan laughed as she and Aimee jogged back onto the field. A familiar and exciting warmth overcame her from head to toe and she relished it, even as she thought with a pang of Tracy and the last time she had felt it. Megan had a feeling she had just made her first new friend.
 *  *  *
âWell, Megan, youâve got some obvious talentâI donât have to tell you that,â Coach Leonard said as they stood in the hallway outside the girlsâ locker room.
Hair still dripping wet from the shower, Megan crossed her arms over her chest and tried to quell the butterflies inside. She had to make this team. Without the familiarity of soccer practice and drills and games, she would be totally lost.
âBut Iâve already got a starting center forward and sheâs been my center forward for three years.â
Megan gripped herself a little harder.
âSo, I have a proposition for you,â Coach Leonard said.
âWhatâs that, Coach?â Megan asked hopefully.
âHow would you feel about moving over to left forward?â Coach asked. âWeâre a little weak on that side of the field and I think youâd be a perfect fit.â
Megan grinned hugely. âSure, Coach. Whatever I can do.â
âGreat,â Coach Leonard said, slapping her on the shoulder. âGlad to have you here, Megan. I think with you on board, we could go a long way this year.â
âThanks, Coach.â
âSee ya tomorrow.â Coach Leonard gave Megan a nod as she walked off.
Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
âHey! You made it?â Aimee asked, noticing Meganâs ludicrous grin when she walked out of the locker room a moment later.
âYep. Left forward,â Megan said, hefting her book bag up from the floor, where she had dropped it while talking to the coach. She followed Aimee out into the bright sunshine, feeling lighter than air. She had made the team. Her new life had officially started.
She couldnât wait to get home and tell her mom and dad. Wait, call Mom and Dad, Megan reminded herself with a serious pang. This had been happening to her all day. Being away from them was going to be hard to get used to. Itâs okay. Youâll talk to them tonight, she thought. Itâll be great.
âOh, well. So much for the Hailey ego bursting. I was so looking forward to that,â Aimee said with a laugh. âBut Iâm happy for you. Hey . . . you need a ride home?â
âActually, that would be . . .â
Megan trailed off when she saw a vision that made her lose all power of speech. Evanâs car was parked at the curb of the schoolâs driveway and Evan himself was leaning
Pierre V. Comtois, Charlie Krank, Nick Nacario