Free Win or Lose by Alex Morgan

pushing two tables together so we could all sit in one place.
    â€œShould we get slices or a couple of pizzas?” Brianna asked. “Pizzas are cheaper if we can all agree.”
    â€œPineapple!” yelled Jessi and Frida at the same time.
    â€œAnything but pineapple!” I yelled, and we all started laughing. After we all weighed in, we finally agreed on getting one pineapple pizza and one plain (although Frida was disappointed about not getting her anchovies).
    â€œI’ll go put in the order,” I said, heading for the counter.
    Then the bell on the door jingled, and I turned my head. Grace and Megan were walking in the front door. Grace turned a little bit pink when she saw me, and she and Megan turned their heads and started to whisper. Then they both sat down at the table closest to the door.
    Okay, I thought. So they didn’t want to have pizza with us. They’re still allowed to have pizza together, right?
    I stepped up to the counter and placed our order, and when I turned around again, more girls were coming through the door. Eight more girls, in fact—the rest of the eighth-grade Kicks!
    Maya got a look of shock on her face, and it looked like she was going to say something to me, but Megan quickly pulled her down onto the chair next to her. I went back to my table, where my friends were all talking.
    â€œCan you believe it?” Jessi asked.
    â€œThey must have thought that we were going to Vinnie’s,” Frida guessed, “and they planned their own pizza thing here.”
    Jessi turned and looked right at them. “We should say something.”
    â€œNo, we shouldn’t!” Emma looked anxious.
    â€œWell, what are we supposed to do?” Zoe asked. “Pretend like we don’t see them?”
    â€œOf course not,” I said. “But Jessi’s right. I’m going to ask them about it.”
    I marched over to their table with Jessi beside me.
    â€œHi,” Jessi said loudly.
    â€œHey,” Grace said with a toss of her blond hair, not looking either of us in the eyes. Next to her Megan just kind of glared at me. The rest of the girls started whispering to one another.
    â€œDid any of you get my texts? About going for pizza as a team?” I asked.
    Grace looked uncomfortable. “We planned our own pizza night,” she said without answering my question.
    â€œI get that you guys are mad at me,” I said. “But why are you taking it out on the other seventh graders? That’s not fair.”
    â€œGrace is a captain too,” Alandra piped up, her eyes flashing. “I don’t think you seventh graders get that.”
    â€œYeah, everyone on the team should listen to Grace as much as they do to you,” Anjali said.
    â€œDoes that mean listening when Grace tells them not to pass the ball to me? Because as a captain I would never tell anyone to do that.” I felt my cheeks turning red as I spoke.
    â€œI told you, I never told anyone to do that,” Grace said, her voice rising.
    â€œMaybe the eighth graders are the ones who need to listen to you more,” Jessi said, her arms crossed in front of her. “Because that’s what they’ve been telling the seventh graders to do. And they’re saying it’s what you want.”
    Grace shrugged while Megan shook her head and stood up.
    â€œWhatever,” she said. “We need to order our pizza.” She walked over to the counter, and Grace followed her.
    Jessi and I walked back to our own table. “Unbelievable!” she hissed.
    I shook my head. “This is bad. There’s no way we can play as a team if we’re divided like this.”
    A server came by and put two pizzas on our table, along with plates, napkins, and pitchers of drinks. The eighth graders had almost ruined my appetite—almost. I couldn’t resist the smell of the hot pizza, so I grabbed a slice. Next to me Emma started shaking red pepper flakes on