Lily Out of Bounds Read online

  A Letter from

  Brandi Chastain

  Hi Everyone!

  Soccer is one of the greatest sports in the world. I should know, I’ve been playing it basically all my life. I was always that kid down at the schoolyard kicking the ball against the wall or juggling in my front yard. I was willing to do whatever it took to get better.

  Plus, it was fun and I loved it.

  I still do. There is no better sport to teach you how to be a team player, make friends, and keep you healthy and strong.

  Playing soccer provided me with so many amazing opportunities! From playing in two World Cups to having the privilege of representing my country in the Olympics.

  One thing I didn’t have when I was growing up were books about soccer players. I wish I had had Soccer Sisters to read when I was a kid!

  Lily, Vee, Tabitha, and all the Bombers have so many adventures and exciting games on the field. Reading Soccer Sisters takes me right in the middle of the action – my favorite place – and I know you will love it too.

  I hope you enjoy Soccer Sisters as much as I do and remember, you can become a true champion if you always work to achieve your personal best.

  Keep reading and kicking!

  Praise for Soccer Sisters

  Napa County Reads 2012 Official Selection

  “The Soccer Sisters series isn’t just about soccer. It’s about friendships, family and the awesome thrill that comes from winning. It’s also fun, which is the best reason in the world to read it.” —Carl Hiaasen

  Praise for Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano

  “A winning book by a talented newcomer.” —Mike Lupica

  “Montalbano’s love of the game is evident in the detailed, technical description of each play. Her description of youth sports tackles fanatical fans, overbearing parents, and jealous peers.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “It’s an ideal pick for readers more interested in scoring goals than boyfriends.” —Publishers Weekly

  Soccer Sisters

  Book 1

  Lily Out of Bounds

  Andrea Montalbano

  In This Together Media

  Copyright © 2012 Andrea Montalbano

  All Rights Reserved. This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Published July 2012 in the United States of America

  by In This Together Media, New York

  BISAC: 1. Soccer (Sports & Recreation)—Juvenile Fiction. 2. Girls and Women—Juvenile Fiction.

  Cover Design and Photo: Evan Rich

  www.evanrphotography.com

  Table of Contents

  A Letter from Brandi Chastain

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Acknowledgments

  Questions and Activities

  About Andrea Montalbano

  About Brandi Chastain

  About In This Together Media

  Chapter 1.

  It’s not always easy to know right from wrong, especially when you’re a kid.

  Sure, parents try to help. Look both ways, they remind you. Don’t wallop your brother. No kicking the ball in the house. Finish your homework. And that old favorite: Get to bed.

  Lily James had heard it all in her thirteen years. She listened as best she could. She mostly left her little brother, Billy, alone. If she hit him, she did it when no one could see, which she thought should count for something. She hadn’t been taken out by a car, she had clean-ish teeth, and, in general, she slept at night.

  The “no kicking the ball in the house” thing was tougher.

  For Lily, kicking a soccer ball was as vital as taking a breath. Did her parents really expect her not to breathe in the house?

  Lily’s mom and dad did do their best to support her obsession with soccer, because they both had their own passions. For her father, Liam, it was food and cooking. He owned a small restaurant in their hometown of Brookville called “Katerina’s,” where he spent hours concocting special recipes. Then there was Lily’s mother. She loved bugs. Seriously. Toni James was the world’s foremost expert on butterflies and other insects, which Lily thought made her both weird and cool.

  As usual, both Lily’s parents were too busy to make it to today’s game, the kick off to the Long Island Memorial Day Cup, one of the biggest tournaments in the Northeast. The teams and fans were gathering on the fields, and Lily breathed in the scene. Every one of her senses absorbed the pre-game bustle. She inhaled the smell of the young summer grass and listened to the murmur of coaches and players huddled together whispering about line-ups and strategy. She ached for the feeling of freedom and for the joy of dribbling a ball down the field. She adored running strong and playing tough.

  Lily loved everything about soccer.

  Straightening out her blue and yellow Brookville Bombers uniform, Lily sized up their opponents, the Ocean View Wildcats, who were stretching in a circle on the other side of the field. Lily knew they were the tournament’s defending champions. She and the Bombers were facing a tough game. Lily checked her laces and grabbed her neon green ball.

  “Ready?” she asked her best friend, Vee Merino, who was plopped on the ground beside her.

  “You know I’m not.” The answer came quickly.

  Lily sighed and watched with amused eyes as her BFF went through her sacred pre-game checklist. Lily knew it by heart. First, Vee double-knotted her laces. Then she meticulously tucked the tips into the sides of her shoes (Vee couldn’t stand it when her laces flopped around during a game). Next, she fiddled with her shin guards, refolded her tube socks, and adjusted her headband. Several times.

  “Ready now?” Lily asked, after the third headband adjustment.

  “One last thing,” Vee answered, checking her cleats for dirt. “Okay, ready.”

  “Finally!” Lily laughed, pulling Vee to her feet and dribbling quickly onto the field, making sharp moves to the left and right. Vee was beside her in a second. Lily laid off a pass to the right without even looking. Vee collected the ball and delivered it right back to Lily’s foot. Neither girl ever broke stride.

  That’s how it was between Lily and Vee. They had known each other since they were babies, because Vee’s father was the manager of Katerina’s. Lily and Vee had been together on the Bombers for the last three years, but they had been kicking the ball around behind the restaurant for as long as either could remember. Vee lived in a neighboring town and went to a different school, but that hardly mattered.

  Because Lily and Vee were sisters.

  Not the kind of sister your mom and dad bring home from the hospital, but the kind of sister you choose.

  The kind who picks you up and wipes you off when you fall face-first in the mud.

  The kind who shares your passions through sunshine or rain, win or lose.

  The kind who always has your back, no matter what.

  Lily and Vee were connected in a way that had nothing to do with DNA, but everything to do with TEAM.

  Lily and Vee were Soccer Sisters.

  Physically, the two girls could not have looked more different. Lily was tall and Vee was tiny. Lily was fair with Irish freckles and bright eyes that were a mix of green, blue and yellow. Vee was from Mexico. Her skin was like cocoa, her hair was so black that in some lights it looked blue, and her big brown eyes were steady and warm. They weren’t technically related, but soccer m
ade them family.

  The two girls moved in tandem toward the rest of the Bombers, who were taking shots on goal.

  “So what do you know about this guest player?” Vee asked Lily as they waited to take their turns.

  “Not much,” Lily said, pushing the ball to her right and firing a shot toward the goal. As usual, both girls shared the same giddy pre-game anticipation, and today their excitement was doubled. They were expecting a new girl to join their team as a guest for the tournament.

  “What position does she play?” Vee asked, gathering the ball back from the goalie.

  “All I know is she’s a mid-fielder, she’s from here on Long Island, and she’s really late,” Lily said. She scanned the field for an unfamiliar face, but just saw her regular squad warming up. Beth was in goal, Olivia was trying to do some juggling, and the rest of the girls were starting a game of keep-away. The only person missing was Tabitha, who was away on a cruise with her family.

  “What kind of player comes late to a tournament?” Vee asked in an annoyed voice. “The game’s about to start.”

  “That’s a good question,” Lily said, looking around. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  “Bombers! Bring it in!”

  It was their coach, Chris Moore. He held up his clipboard with the line-up. Chris ran them through their positions and told them the guest player, a girl named Colby, was running a few minutes late. There was a little chatter among the Bombers, but seconds later, the referee blew his whistle and Lily and her team were swept away by the magic of the game.

  The Wildcats lived up to their reputation. Before they knew it, the Bombers were losing 2-1. Today was one of those days when nothing was going their way. The ball wouldn’t go in no matter how many shots they took. It was like there was an invisible screen in front of the goal. The ball hit the side posts and bounced into the goalie’s hands. It sailed over the crossbar from impossible angles.

  Bounce, bounce, bounce. Everywhere but into the back of the net.

  Lily was keeping her cool, but she and the rest of her team were frustrated. They knew the clock was ticking.

  “Lily! I’m open!” a girl screamed. “Lily! Give me the ball!”

  It took a second for Lily James to register that the girl was calling to her. Everyone on the Bombers called her LJ.

  She passed the ball quickly, but her two-second delay was too much. Her pass was intercepted by a blur in orange, and the ball went out of bounds.

  “My bad, Colby,” Lily called, apologizing for the bad pass. She ran over to take the throw. Colby jogged over to her.

  “Lily, I’m going to fake a run down the line but then go into the middle. You get me the ball, okay?”

  Lily nodded, a little hesitant. So this was her new teammate. She stared at Colby’s face.

  “Okay?” Colby asked again.

  “Got it,” Lily nodded, surer this time.

  The guest player had arrived all right, along with weird excuses about getting lost. Her name was Colby Wrangle. She had short, spiky dark hair that flopped like a bird’s wing when she ran. She wore a tattered black headband to keep the hair out of her eyes, which Lily thought made her look ultra-fierce. On one side of her head, her hair was cut super short and had a stripe dyed scarlet. To top it off, she had a tattoo on her lower arm that said “Glory,” and she wore black stuff under her eyes like a football player.

  No one said “no” to Colby Wrangle, Lily could tell.

  Colby ran straight at Lily, and Lily faked the throw. The orange defender got in front of Colby, who made a quick turn and ran into the middle of the field. Lily quickly lifted the ball over her head and launched it as hard as she could. It floated over the confused defender’s head. Colby brought the ball down and took off toward the goal.

  Colby played with supreme confidence, Lily thought, tracking her downfield. She’d been unsure about having anyone new on the roster for such an important tournament, but with Tabitha away, they needed another player. Now Lily was psyched Colby was on their side. She certainly wouldn’t want to have to play against her. Colby had already scored the Bomber’s one goal of the morning off a direct kick. Lily didn’t get a good view of the foul, but she sure saw that Colby had no problem finally getting the Bombers a goal.

  Vee made a run down the line. Lily smiled. Vee was always tough, fast and brave.

  “Colby!” Vee called, darting quickly across the grass.

  Colby sent a beautiful lofting pass over the defense. Vee handled the high ball easily, bringing it down to her foot without losing speed. She took off toward the corner flags. Lily knew she was going to go for a cross.

  An orange defender ran out to meet Vee. She was about twice Vee’s size. Vee waited for the girl to get close, then pulled back her left foot like she was going for the cross. The fake worked. The Wildcat lunged to block the ball. Vee deftly dribbled around her and this time she really did launch a cross. It was perfect, floating high above the defenders with enough backspin that Lily knew it would come down in front of the goal.

  Lily moved forward, tracking the ball and timing her jump.

  Keeping her eyes glued on the ball, Lily launched herself into the air. A defender jumped with her, but Lily moved higher. The ball arrived; Lily flicked her head to the side. She felt the ball connect with the side of her head and heard the satisfying thump that sent it soaring toward the upper corner.

  As she fell to the ground, she waited for the cheers to come. There was no way that ball hadn’t gone in. She hit the grass with a thud, but heard only a whistle and the referee’s call.

  “Corner kick!”

  Corner kick? How could that be?

  “What happened?” Lily stammered.

  “Goalie tipped it out of bounds.” Colby was shaking her head. “Unbelievable.”

  Lily sprinted over to take the kick. She raised her hand to signal her teammates that she was ready. Colby, Vee and Olivia all put their hands up in reply. Chris had moved the whole team into offense. It was now or never. Lily drove the ball as hard as she could towards the goal. This wasn’t a long, loopy pass, but a hard-driven knuckler. There were so many girls crowded in front of the goal it was hard to see what was happening. First, the ball careened into the mix and bounced off the thigh of a defender. Olivia ran forward and tried to tap it in. The ball ricocheted off another Wildcat. It was like soccer pinball.

  Finally, Colby came pushing through the crowd and, with her knee, corralled the ball into the goal. Lily heard the whistle blow and breathed a sigh of relief. The score was tied 2-2 and the Bombers were still alive. But there were only a few minutes left to play.

  Before the restart, the girls gathered in a huddle of sweaty excitement.

  Vee led off. “Dudes, there are only a few minutes left, and we’ve got to get another goal.” Vee called everyone “dude.” She was the only person Lily knew who could work the word into almost any conversation.

  The electricity of competition buzzed in the air. The Bomber fans finally felt like their team had a chance. They knew that soccer is a lot like the ocean–good things tend to come in waves. The Wildcat parents were pacing and quiet. Their coach, a tall lady with curly red hair, had a very worried look on her face.

  The Wildcat striker, a firecracker of a player, kicked off and Vee gave chase. Lily watched as Vee forced the forward to pass the ball behind her, keeping the pressure on. Avery moved to help Vee while Lily stuck close to the Wildcat striker, who was facing a losing battle to get the ball up field.

  “I’m open,” the girl called.

  The ball went rolling through the center of the field.

  Lily pounced, collecting the pass easily and letting her momentum carry her forward. She touched the ball past one player and kept moving, always looking to make a pass or draw another defender to her. The Wildcats were in disarray. No one stepped up to challenge Lily for the ball, so she kept moving. She thought about a pass, but knew the first rule of a good attacker: If you’re open in front of the goal …
SHOOT!

  Lily wasn’t going to miss this time. She moved to her left, ready to shoot—and felt her feet go out from under her. In a split second she went from about to shoot to a tangle on the ground, fighting to breathe. Someone had hit her from behind. The referee blew his whistle. He pointed to a spot on the ground just outside the box. Lily had been fouled. The Bombers would get a free kick.

  Lily barely registered what was happening. She felt as if someone had stuck a vacuum cleaner tube in her mouth and sucked all the air out of her lungs. She couldn’t get a breath. Vee rushed over.

  “You got the wind knocked out of you,” Vee said. “Put your arms over your head and take a deep breath.”

  Lily nodded and did what she was told. Slowly, her lungs started to refill. She felt awful. Her side ached. Colby came over and whispered to Lily, “Nice work. Way to get the foul. Stay down for a minute more. Groan or something.”

  Lily still wasn’t able to speak and could only give Colby a puzzled look in reply.

  “Do you need a break?” the referee asked Lily.

  She shook her head. Vee helped her to her feet and waved off their coach.

  “I’m fine,” she managed to croak. But she wasn’t.

  “You better take the kick, Vee.”

  Vee grabbed the ball, lined up for the free kick and waited for the referee’s whistle. Lily had lost track of time. She croaked to her coach on the sideline, “How much time?”

  Chris held up three skinny fingers.

  It was now or never.

  Lily heard the beep and watched as Vee’s shot curled over the Wildcat’s wall, past the keeper and into the back of the net. The Bombers went crazy in celebration—all except for Lily, who was still doubled over.