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hips in line with the center of the goalpost.”
    Bryce blew out a puff of air and picked up one of the footballs. “It’s hard to get fired up when I know we don’t even have a game this Saturday,” he grumbled. Then he looked at her guiltily, as though it had just dawned on him that she was the reason they weren’t playing. “No offense,” he added.
    Ava pretended not to be bothered. “Yeah, I know it’s hard to keep the energy up, but Coach wants us to go hard in practice like it’s a game situation,” she said. But she knew he was right. She could sense a general feeling of “why bother?” from her teammates, and she didn’t blame them. Without the Briar Ridge game to look forward to, it was tough to feel enthusiastic and to give it their all in practice. They’d worked so hard, all season, and Briar Ridge was one of their biggest opponents. For the zillionth time, she felt guilty, knowing she had the power to change the situation. All she had to do was to say she would sit out, and the game could go on.
    But wasn’t that giving in? Wasn’t that letting them get away with it? She thought back to what Coach had said the night before. “Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be for the good of the team.” Why was she the one who had to decide? It didn’t seem fair.
    When practice was over, Coach K called the team together for a talk. For a fleeting moment Ava’s hopes soared, thinking that maybe Briar Ridge had backed down and she’d be allowed to play with her team. But one look at Coach K’s grim face told her the Briar Ridge parents hadn’t changed their minds.
    â€œThe situation with Briar Ridge has not changed, unfortunately,” he said.
    A loud groan arose from the boys. Ava stared at the ground. Where was that little ant when she needed it?
    â€œIsn’t there anything we can do, Coach?” asked Andy Baker.
    Ava didn’t look up, but she felt him look her way and was well aware of the emphasis he’d placed on the word “anything.”
    Corey spoke up. “Listen, guys, we play with Sackett or we don’t play,” he said. “She’s our best kicker. She’s our only —” He stopped. “She’s an important part of the team,” he corrected himself.
    Ava knew he had been about to say our only kicker but must have realized he would hurt Bryce’s feelings. Bryce wasn’t terrible, but he was still so young, and still learning the technique. Plus, being a kicker meant you had to be able to deal with high-stress, high-pressure situations. Bryce was untested, and she was pretty sure Corey didn’t trust him to be calm under difficult conditions. And Xander was a punter, which was a completely different kind of kicking, and he had more or less decided he wanted to play defense.
    The other boys mostly nodded in agreement with Corey, but Andy and some of his buddies didn’t look happy.
    â€œGuys, the decision is yours, and I’ll stick by it,” said Coach K. “I like your team spirit. It’s a credit to AMS and to your character.”
    Which only made Ava feel worse than ever.

    By lunchtime on Thursday everyone at school had heard Briar Ridge was forfeiting, and everyone knew why. Ava was once again aware that she was the center of attention, the last place she wanted to be. As she wound her way through the tables toward where Alex and their friends were sitting, she sensed that kids stopped talking as she passed them. Her face was burning by the time she slid in between Kylie and Lindsey. Alex was across from her.
    â€œWe are so bummed!” said Lindsey before Ava had even taken a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “The cheer squad has been working really hard on a new routine for Saturday’s game! I can’t believe the Briar Ridge players and cheerleaders are accepting this ridiculous decision! I mean, hello?