ball tucked under his arm.
They’ve been playing soccer together ever
since—either on a school team or in the alley
behind their houses. Malcolm is becoming a
great goalie, and Iggy is finding his way as a
striker. For Iggy, there’s no better feeling than
scoring a goal.
Iggy turns and looks when he hears voices
echoing from the parking lot. He watches as
a group of seniors make their way toward the
field. Compared to most of those guys, he and
Malcolm look like little kids, but on the field, size
differences don’t matter as much. They’ve been
able to keep up with the older guys so far, but
today they need to do more than just keep up.
Iggy looks at Malcolm. “Ready?” Iggy
wants to prove that he can kick the ball as hard
and as fast as any of the upperclassman.
Malcolm nods. Iggy takes a few quick
strides and blasts the ball. This time, it goes
low and bends to the left—not where Malcolm
was expecting it. He dives, but the ball streaks
past Malcolm’s fingertips. To Iggy’s horror, it
hits Coach Yuro right in the groin.
6
