pizza. And, Frida, knock off the Captain Kiss.â
As soon as I said that, everyone started laughing again, even Jessi this time. It just sounded so ridiculous.
âFrida,â I said as the laughter died down, âfor your next role at a soccer game, all I think you need to do is pretend Jessi is chasing you. Iâve never seen you run so fast!â
âOr maybe,â Frida said with a gleam in her eyes, âI could play Captain Kissâs loyal sidekick, Lip Stick.â
âFrida!â Jessi yelled as she jumped at her, while Frida laughed and raced away again.
I shook my head. My friends might have been crazy, but they definitely made life interesting.
CHAPTER FIVE
âDevin, stop yawning!â Kara pleaded. âNow youâre making me yawn!â
Kara had gotten special permission from her parents to stay up late Friday night so we wouldnât miss our webcam session. It was eight p.m. for me when I called her, but it was eleven p.m. in Connecticut.
âSorry,â I said. âItâs been a crazy week. First my uniform got stolen, and then Zoe got hurt, and then I tried out some new positions at practice, and it was a disaster. And I had a vocab test in the middle of this, and then we went to the mall tonight. . . .â
âSounds like you need to relax,â Kara remarked.
âNo way!â I replied. âThereâs practice tomorrow.â
âWeâve got practice tomorrow too,â Kara began. âAndââ
âAfterward I want to research more drills for the next time I get to run practice,â I continued, too focusedon my plans for practice to really listen to Kara.
Karaâs blue eyes got wide. âWhoa, are you totally obsessing on the team, or what?â She sounded a little annoyed.
âThatâs what Jessi and everyone else keeps saying to me,â I replied. I thought Kara, out of everybody, would understand. âYou know weâve both been dreaming about becoming professional soccer players ever since second grade. Except when you went through that phase of wanting to be a cowgirl.â
Kara laughed. âI still have the hat and boots, although they are way too small for me now.â
I nodded. âWell, itâs just that I keep thinking if I really want to go pro, I need to start now. And being on a championship team will totally help when itâs time to apply for colleges.â
âCollege is a long way off,â Kara reminded me. âWeâre only in middle school. Donât forget the reason we both dream about being pro soccer players is because of how much fun we have playing. It doesnât sound like fun to be yawning on the field all the time.â
Saying that, she let out a big yawn and frowned. âRats! I made myself yawn that time.â
âMy bed is calling me,â I said. âSee you tomorrow night.â
âSee ya!â
I was always a little sad when the screen went dark after our chats, but I was seriously tired. When I woke up at eight the next morning, I felt supercharged and ready for practice. I raced down the stairs.
âWant some pancakes?â my dad asked, sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee.
âWhat Devin needs is some complex carbs for energy before practice,â Mom told him. âHow about some granola cereal with a banana and a glass of OJ?â she asked me.
Whew, close one! Iâd thought she was going to offer me one of her green smoothies. The granola cereal was way yummier, so I happily agreed.
When Dad dropped me off at the field, I jogged out of the car, feeling like I needed to do five laps around just to get going. But I took only a few steps before I realized that the field was occupied by a bunch of senior citizens. Puzzled, I jogged up to Coach Flores.
âWhat are they doing here? Are they almost done?â I asked anxiously.
âActually, they just started,â Coach replied.