curb.
Mel laughs to herself. “Honestly? Sometimes I feel the same way.”
“Wait. Isn’t this your boyfriend’s party?”
Mel stops abruptly, the ball centered on her stick, blade angled to take aim at Luci. Luci freezes as Mel pulls back and fires off a shot. Luci winces reflexively but it’s not a rocket. Instead, the ball chips off Mel’s stick blade in a soft high arc, the way you might toss something to a friend across the kitchen. Luci reaches up and catches it barehanded.
Mel walks over and sits down on the curb next to Luci. “Did Phoebe tell you that?”
“No. I overheard one of the girls say it … though maybe I heard wrong?”
Mel slides out her ponytail holder and gently pulls her fingers through her hair. “Gordy’s not my boyfriend. We hooked up, like, for a few weeks this summer. Nothing serious. And now it’s totally and completely over. You know what I mean?”
“I don’t have any firsthand experience in that department, but yeah. I get it.”
“Just so you know, I don’t have that much experience either. That’s a nice thing about being on this team. Wildcats field hockey inoculates you from relationship drama. You’re too busy to get caught up in it.” Mel leans back, her hands behind her, and looks up at the sky. “You’ll see how the other girls in school are always in the hallways with their boyfriends, breaking up and making up over and over again.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know why anyone bothers until college.”
“You seem like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“Is that how I seem?” Mel smirks. “I guess that’s the way I looked at each of my old varsity captains.” She sighs. “Anyway, don’t forget, you’re the one who came up with this whole idea tonight. I owe you big-time.”
Luci thinks back to what Coach said. That Mel hadn’t given her any credit. Maybe that was true. But it’s not now. “I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes.”
Mel sits up and turns her body so she’s facing Luci. “Luci, I’m honestly grateful. The Wildcats have been doing this special Psych-Up night before any of us got to high school. But it’s basically the same every year. Yes, traditions are important and I’ve always believed that there’s something really special about tonight being ours. But why wouldn’t we want to try something new, especially after the way last season ended? Why wouldn’t we shake things up?”
“I’m glad you think it’s helping.”
“I know it is. Watching Ali come out holding that bulldog was … just awesome.” She pauses. “You wouldn’t be able to tell, but she’s been different since we lost the championship. And it was nice to see the old Ali back.” Mel grins. “I wish we could post our picture and tag Darlene Maguire, the way she did with their stupid video tonight, but, you know, we’d probably be suspended.”
“Expelled.” Luci laughs. “Well, it’s not for them. It’s for us, right?”
“And for Coach,” Mel says.
Mel looks over at Luci with such tenderness, it’s hard for Luci not to look away. She puts her hand on Luci’s knee. “This is going to be a big year for you, Luci. And I’m here if you need anything. Okay?”
A tingling giddiness comes over her. “Coach said the same thing to me today,” she confesses. “But I’m still having trouble believing it. It’s a lot of pressure, and I don’t want to let anyone down, especially not him, you know?” Though Luci expects Mel to understand, she stares blankly at her for a few seconds. “So, um, really. Thanks for saying that.”
Another moment or two of silence.
“Hey, Luci, can you go in and round up the girls? I’d text but I’ve got everyone’s phone. We need to get going and figure out the last two stanzas if we’re going to get any sleep tonight.”
“Sure. Absolutely.”
Luci heads into the party house and circles through the room tapping her teammates on their shoulders. She stops briefly at a cooler and reaches around beers and lemonade Smirnoffs, hoping for a can of soda. She could use some caffeine.
Phoebe and Ali are deep in a discussion, each of them perched on the arm of a recliner, the Oak Knolls bulldog snoring asleep between them on the seat.
“What’s that on his nose?” Luci says, crouching down.
Phoebe squints. “Dorito dust.”
Ali wipes it off. “Hey, Luci? Settle something for us about the Wildcat fight song.”
“Okay.”
Ali says, “So you know the line ‘We are the Wildcats’ …”
And then Phoebe interjects, “Do