Free Lucy’s “Perfect” Summer by Nancy Rue Page B

field.
    Lucy rubbed at her nervous stomach with her pen. She knew her dad. He always said God could help them through anything. He didn’t get that maybe-even-God-can’t-this-time worry in his eyes unless something was way wrong.
    Things are changing, and we need to be ready, he’d told her.
    What else could possibly change? What exactly was he getting ready for?
    Lucy hugged the Book and checked out the window for a possible J.J. signal and made exclamation points in Marmalade’s fur with her finger. But nothing took away the dread that clung to her like a cobweb. The one thing that always helped was soccer. And now, she wasn’t even looking forward to that.

    But things started off better the next day at camp. Coach Neely divided the team in half, and Lucy nearly cheered when Rianna ended up on the other side. She was looking pretty grumpy and didn’t have much to say to anybody, but Lucy had a feeling that was going to change, and she didn’t want to be on the other end of it.
    Lucy stood in a line with Bella-with-the-braids, Sarah-of-the-long-ponytail, and tiny Kayla and tried to concentrate on what Coach Neely was saying. It was a little hard with Patricia-with-the-out-of-control-hair muttering under her breath like she never stopped doing and toothy Taylor and Waverly-no-smile glaring at Rianna and Rianna glaring back. Lucy decided she had the better team. At least they didn’t look like they wanted to eat each other.
    “Lucy’s side is going to have four balls,” Coach Neely said. “Rianna’s side will have none.”
    “How come?” Rianna said.
    “Why are we called ‘Rianna’s side’?” Taylor said.
    Coach Neely parked her ball on one hip. “This is the reason we’re doing this exercise,” she said. “You girls have to start talking to each other instead of about each other. When you’re out on the field in a game, you can’t depend on me to tell you what to do. You have to rely on one another, which is why I didn’t stop Rianna from ‘coaching’ you yesterday.” She didn’t appear to see Rianna looking like she’d just scored a goal — or hear Patricia muttering or Taylor snorting. “At least somebody was talking. Now, here’s the way this game works — ”
    Within a few minutes, Lucy’s side was dribbling around the area Coach Neely marked off. Whenever they heard someone on Rianna’s side call their name, they had to pass their ball to that player and run off and find someone with a ball who they could call to.
    Lucy’s name was called a lot. When she had to call, it was hard not to say, “Long Ponytail!” or “Toothy!” She was amazed that by the time Coach Neely blew her whistle, she finally knew everybody’s name. She just wished Rianna didn’t know hers.
    When Coach Neely had them sit down and drink water while she explained the next thing, Rianna maneuvered herself to sit right next to Lucy. Lucy was afraid she was going to start in about lunch yesterday, but Rianna smiled — a sort of curled-lip smile — and scooted in close.
    “What I just saw on the field,” Coach Neely said, “that’s what I’m talkin’ about.” She flashed her very white teeth in a rare smile. “I think you’re getting the idea. Now, let’s work on strategy. We’ll start with when you should dribble instead of passing or shooting — ”
    “I already know that,” Rianna whispered to Lucy. “I bet you do too.”
    Lucy nodded and kept her eyes frozen to Coach Neely.
    “If you’re all by yourself and no one is challenging you, by all means dribble.”
    “Like a mad dog,” Mr. Auggy would have said. Lucy felt a pang of homesickness.
    “Take as much of the field as the defenders will give you.”
    Rianna poked Lucy. “Which isn’t going to be much if we’re the defenders, right?”
    “If the defenders do approach you, what are your options?”
    The girls called out things like, “Send the ball to an open player,” and “Do a wall pass.” Rianna put her lips close to