“Yeah.”
“He’s something special, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d your test go, by the way?”
“Okay. Chip helped me study.”
“How come you never ask Landon to help you study? Sounds like he’s smart too.”
I swallowed away the lump in my throat again.
“I don’t know. His classes are all different.”
“Hm.”
The back of my neck prickled.
“Remind me when your next game is?”
“Friday.”
“Maybe your dad can catch it while he’s home.”
“Maybe.”
Our game against the Beaverton East Eagles was tough. Neither team scored, so we ended up in a shoot-out.
The Eagles’ first shooter scored with a tricky shot that ricocheted off the corner and into the net, but Gabe got them back with a slick shot of his own. No one else scored after that: James and Nick and Jaden all missed, and so did Beaverton’s shooters.
But then it was Chip’s turn.
I held my breath as he sized up the goal and took the shot.
And scored.
The stands went wild—at least the small cluster of parents and friends did. People didn’t care about the Chapel Hill High School varsity men’s soccer team the way they cared about the football team.
Dad was conspicuously absent. His flight got delayed.
The guys all clustered around Chip, laughing and shoving each other and high-fiving and exchanging sweaty hugs.
I hung back a little bit. I don’t know why.
But then Jaden saw me. He laughed and pulled me into the scrum too, and he slapped my back and hung his arm around my neck, and Gabe fist-bumped me, and Chip grinned at me, and I smiled back in spite of myself, and we shouted and jumped until Coach came and told us to calm down so we could shake hands with the other team.
She was grinning too, though.
And for a second, at least, it was okay that Dad was gone.
Just for a second.
Chip found me at the bike rack.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey. You were awesome.”
