1 Chapter 1: The First Spark

As the striker drew closer, I braced myself for a hit. I poke my foot in front of her, knocking the ball towards the sideline, and she kicks my ankle instead. "Ouch," I think, "that'll leave a mark after the game." I don't care though, I'm used to it by now. I stumble forward and gain control of the ball just before it rolls out of play. I sprint up the line, dribbling the ball as I go. I meg one girl and clip it above the head of another, and shoot it across the field where a midfielder takes the shot. It deflects off of the goal keeper, and the whistle blows. I smile with satisfaction of mine and my team's playing, even if we tied 1-1. After the normal congratulations and compliments are exchanged, I leave the field with my family, catching a familiar face walking onto the field. He smiles at me and I smile back. Our younger sisters talk for a while and our parents mingle. My other sister stands separated from us, focused on her book. "How was your game?" he asked me. "It was good," I reply. "My team played well, and even though we tied, I was happy with our performance." He leans against the fence and adjusts his baseball cap, drawing attention to the rest of his baseball uniform. I make sure to keep my eyes focused on his face, to avoid looking down and being rude. We talk for a few more minutes, discussing our different sports, teammates, musical instruments, and stories involving both. I laugh when he tells me about a time when a kid in his band class said 'B regular' instead of 'B flat'. "Ugh...I'm being so dorky..." I think. He asks if it's hard to play the viola and I was surprised he hadn't mixed it up with the violin. I ask about his bass clarinet. His family tells him it's time to get ready and warm up for his game, and I wish him luck and follow my family to our car.