A+Soccer+Champ+in+the+Waiting

__ A Soccer Champ in waiting by: Oonagh McNally __ “Dana, look out!” “Huh?” I fell to the ground as the football came whirling past me. “Dana you have to pay more attention during the football unit,” Ms. Maine stated. “Sorry!” I yelled. I rubbed my sore shoulder and brushed the grass and dirt off my gym shorts. This was the third time this week that we played football. I hate football! Why can’t we play soccer instead? Soccer tryouts would be after school tomorrow and I was determines not to let Ada, a popular girl who was equally as good as I was beat me for team captain. After gym I climbed briskly up the stairs. As my mind revolved around the tryouts I heard a loud moan behind me. As I turned around I saw Ms. Maine with her long shiny blond hair flowing down her shoulders. She was grasping her leg grimacing in pain. “Ms. Maine what happened?” I asked. “My leg- I think I broke it when someone pushed me from behind.” Ms. Maine grimaced again. I gazed through the football field and saw a dark-haired figure bolting away. “Hey! I yelled. But it was too late. The figure had vanished. As the ambulance rushed away with Ms. Maine I wondered who could have pushed her. When I got to the school the next morning I saw my competition, Ada. Ada’s hair was swept back neatly with a pin, the blond hair shimmering in the sunlight with her dark, green, and bold eyes against her perfectly toned face with a firm jaw and slender chin. She was wearing a gray dress with furry boots and carrying a designer purse with studded gemstones in a perfect pattern against the dark green purse. I felt oddly plain standing next to her with my short, frizzy, and brown hair wearing my sweats and a white tee. Ada wore no makeup because she did not need any. I felt guilty wearing a slight touch of mascara because my light eyelashes looked so ugly. As I walked past her she stuck her foot out and I fell on her boot. “You tripped me!” I gasped in agony. “I did not!” She yelled back. “Ladies break it up!” spoke firmly a lady with black hair as black as Halloween and a sly evil grin. “Dana apologize to Ada for stomping on her foot.” The lady spoke, her grin fading into a hatred scowl. “But…….but I didn’t do it,” I said. “I’m your new gym teacher Ms. Paine and I saw clearly with my own eyes that you stomped on Ada’s foot. “Ms. Paine I didn’t do it,” I repeated with certainty. “Detention!” She almost screamed at me. “ Bu ….bu….t….,” I stuttered “I’ll miss the soccer tryouts!” “No buts!” she screamed again. This time a deafening scream. After school, as I walked to my locker to get my stuff packed up, I dreaded detention with Ms. Paine. In fact she was a pain. Ada gave me a wicked but happy grin as she skipped to the tryouts. I felt the hot anger boiling inside me and I walked as calmly as I could to the detention room. Suddenly Ada came rushing back from the gym and ran into Ms. Paine as she came out of the detention room, probably to scream at me for some reason. But, when Ada came crashing into her Ms. Paine yelled at her and said, “Ada what is the meaning of this!” “Some one stole my phone!” She wailed in despair. All of a sudden she stopped wailing and stared at my expensive phone in my pocket that my mom had bought me for Christmas. “That’s my phone!” Ada clearly stated. “But….But…. that’s my phone,” I whispered still too shocked to raise my voice. “Dana Fields! What did I say about no buts?! Now hand the phone over to Ada,” Ms. Paine said. As I stood paralyzed and wondering what to do next sweat pouring down my face, Ada grabbed my phone out of my hand when a voice behind me said, “Not so fast, Ada!” Startled I spun around and there stood Ms. Maine. “Ms. Maine! I thought you had a broken leg,” I said startled. “I just pretended that my leg was broken so I could get out of teaching for a few days. All teachers do it.” Ms. Maine declared. “But I thought something fishy was going on when I checked the school website and I saw a new unsuspected gym teacher taking my place. So I decided to investigate. It turns out that Ms. Paine the so called teacher gave you detention so her daughter here, Ada could win for team caption. And I also brought some friends with me,” Ms. Maine finished her speech as two counselors lead Ms. Paine and Ada away for a little chat. “That was great Ms. Maine!” I exclaimed. “I have my moments.” Ms. Maine humbly said. “Now aren’t you supposed to be at soccer tryouts?” Ms. Maine asked. “Oh! That’s right I completely forgot. Thanks Ms. Maine!” I called out to her as I ran to the tryouts thinking only of the tryouts and how they awaited their team captain.