We called it quits on Coach Connelly running Friday’s practice after fifteen minutes on our school’s field, making it the second time this week he no-showed. When you added that to him missing our game, plus his tardiness at the car wash, it was safe to say he’d been a flake. What was the point of us stealing the Sea Lions’ coach if he was this unreliable?

Well, at least Eduardo stepped in, so practice wasn’t a total bust. He made us dribble fast through cones so we wouldn’t get stuck in the mud. Izzy learned this lesson the hard way when Yasmin, Liza and Cathal took turns pulling her out of the sludge. One final combined yank from the trio sent dirt flying everywhere, igniting a mud war. They were oblivious when I slipped away to the sidelines, next to the water bottles and the buzzing phone basket.

Carter sent two messages in the last twenty minutes. Even the thought of reading the texts made me sigh. All I could think about was what happened at the car wash five days ago.

No one forced me to check his phone behind his back; that was on me, and a little on him, for leaving his phone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fine. It wasn’t his fault. I couldn’t even respond to his texts all week long, which asked if he’d done something wrong, without the urge to throw my phone against a wall. He wanted to do love language quizzes to connect, and I returned the favor by invading his privacy and ghosting him. What sort of girlfriend did that?

I couldn’t uncross the line; but I could move forward from the drama. The only way to do that was to put Rosie’s ridiculous theory that anyone cheated out of my mind. First, that meant getting my dad’s hoodie back.

My thumb hovered over her Instagram’s message request option. What was there to say? Thanks for sending me into an insecure spiral. I’m sorry for questioning your lesbianism. Now give me my hoodie back? She’d block me on the spot.

Direct. Simple. Factual. She couldn’t get offended and torch the hoodie in retaliation.

Eduardo directed everyone to gather next to me for a water break. “So,” he began once everyone sat down, “I’m stepping down as captain.”

“Is Coach forcing you?” Izzy asked, face tight.

“Nah. You need someone on the field leading the charge and that won’t be me with this.” He lifted his pink cast-covered-arm, prompting boos from the group. “Turn those boos into woos because we’re celebrating my last day as your leader at the lake party tonight. Captain’s orders.”

“That’s Ridgeway territory. How did you score an invite?” Dan asked, crossing his arms so his biceps bulged.

Dan, our middle defender and linebacker for the football team, stood at a towering six-foot-three, built like a brick wall. He had messy black hair parted down the middle, with bangs that hung over his ears. One thing to note about him, besides his excessive sea salt hairspray? He took the rivalry with the Ridgeway Institute way more seriously than the rest of us.

One of the Sea Lions’ football player’s parents filed an unfounded lawsuit against his family’s mechanic shop a few years ago. The financial stress on Kimura’s Auto Repair hit them hard. So, beating their school wasn’t about the chocolates under the Silver Lining’s hotel pillows or proving our team was the best in our county or state (because we weren’t close.) He went on the field to show those ‘snobs’ what happened when you crossed a ‘grease monkey.’ He hated their guts. It didn’t matter that their school’s mini soccer team had different players than their football team. 

Eduardo avoided Dan’s intense gaze and replied, “There’s people there I know.”

My phone buzzed.

That little… Of course, she wouldn’t make this easy.

“We can’t come for the Sea Lions if we’re acting buddy-buddy with them, Ed,” Dan said.

“Not because of my arm, right?” Eduardo asked. “Showering being a pain in the ass isn’t the end of the world. I’ve still got my UCLA soccer scholarship, and Dr. Wilson said I’ll be good as new in two months.”

“Nope, not for you, for…” Dan turned to me and said, “Kate. Didn’t you hear? She got it on with Rosie at the carwash.”

“I didn’t ‘get it on’ with anyone. Coach made me give Rosie my hoodie because I blasted her with the hose,” I explained, squirting my water bottle at him.

“Why did you do that, anyway?” Eduardo asked.

“She pranked me?” I lied, not wanting to get into the truth of the matter—the truth being—I accused a lesbian of going after my boyfriend.

“Damn dude, she got you hot and bothered,” Dan commented.

“You’re using that phrase wrong, so wrong,” I muttered.

“My point is, she did you dirty. You’re with me, right? No to the party?” Dan asked.

Rosie’s Instagram story pop-up distracted me from answering. Shaky footage of eighteenth birthday banners floating in a lake played on my screen. Was this the same party Eduardo wanted us to crash? Perfect. I could get my hoodie back tonight, tell Rosie to knock it off with her cheating theories, and then get my relationship with Carter back on track without him needing to know about any of this drama.

“How can we say no to Ed’s last official order as captain?” I asked.

“Traitor,” Dan coughed out behind his fist.

“Kate’s right. We can’t let him invade enemy territory alone,” Izzy said.

Eduardo motioned for everyone to stand up. “You had me in the first half, Iz, not going to lie, but they’re not our enemies,” he said. “Time to get back to business. Let the burpee trials begin! Whoever lasts the longest gets to sign my cast first. Go, go, go!”

Izzy gripped mine and Dan’s wrists so we couldn’t take off after the group. When Eduardo jogged far enough away, she said, “This is the perfect opportunity to get back at Dorothy—I mean—the Sea Lions with no chance of us getting caught. What do you say? You guys in?”

Dan high-fived her, affirming, “Now that’s what I’m talking about. I’m down.”

“Kate?” Izzy asked, nudging my side.

“Same,” I replied, shooting a message to Rosie.

Izzy and Dan spent the rest of practice plotting a prank behind Eduardo’s back: which involved stealing the Sea Lions’ clothes while they frolicked in the lake. I was only going to the party to get my hoodie back; the rest was a bonus.