Vee Caught Offside Read online

  A Letter from Brandi Chastain

  Hi Again Everyone!

  I hope you are as excited as I am for the new Soccer Sisters book!

  Being a part of a team, any team, is one of the greatest experiences you can have. You win together and you lose together, but mostly you learn and grow together.

  Being on a team forges a special kind of understanding and togetherness that can push you forward. It creates a sisterhood of friendships that you just can’t find in many other ways.

  I was proud to be a part of the United States Women’s National Team for the exciting 1999 World Cup, and am often asked what my favorite moment from that tournament was. Most people would assume that it was when I had the chance to kick the game-winning penalty kick, but they would probably be surprised by the correct answer.

  My best moment looked like my worst moment.

  Early in the quarterfinal game against Germany, I scored an “own goal,” against our team. Suddenly, we were losing and it was my fault. But, before I had time to have a negative thought about myself or the possible outcome of the game, our great captain, Carla Overbeck, was there to talk to me. Right away she said, “don’t worry about it,” and reminded me that there was still lots of game to play and that we were going to get that goal back and win. And we did.

  I never thought making such a big mistake would change my life in such a positive way.

  In that moment, my teammate made me understand that she still had my back. She made me see that I didn’t have to be perfect. She allowed me to feel the trust and vulnerability among soccer sisters. Because she was there for me, instead of the worst moment of the tournament, it was empowering, and in the end, the most impactful.

  These are the kinds of lessons you can learn on the field and in the Soccer Sisters series. Vee, Lily, and all the Bombers have their highs and lows, but through it all, they always have each other.

  Keep reading and kicking!

  Praise for Soccer Sisters: Lily Out of Bounds

  Napa County Reads 2012 Official Selection

  “As a mom of two daughters I’m always looking for books about strong girls and sports and all the good things that can trickle down from being part of a team. This one hit the mark on all those levels. Highly recommend.” —Jenny Rosenstrach, Dinner: A Love Story

  “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

  “Anyone with a daughter should have this book. The soccer sisters’ team code is really a code for life. My favorite was beating the boys at recess. Way to go Lily, as my daughter would say, you rock!” —Ray Leone, Head Coach of Women’s Soccer, Harvard University

  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 2

  Vee: Caught Offside

  Andrea Montalbano

  In This Together Media

  New York, New York

  In This Together Media

  New York

  In This Together Media Edition, July 2013

  Copyright @ 2013 by Andrea Montalbano

  All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to the actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States by In This Together Media, New York, 2013

  www.inthistogethermedia.com

  BISAC: Soccer (Sports & Recreation) – Juvenile Fiction. 2. Girls and Women – Juvenile Fiction. 3. Friendship (social issues) – Juvenile Fiction. 4. Hispanic and Latino (United States – People and Places) – Juvenile Fiction.

  ISBN: 978-0-9898956-8-6

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-9858956-9-3

  Cover Design and Photo: Evan Rich

  www.Evanrphotography.com

  Interior and Ebook Design: Steven W. Booth

  www.GeniusBookServices.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

  Acknowledgments

  Together Book Clubs: Questions and Activities

  About Andrea Montalbano

  About Brandi Chastain

  Other books by In This Together Media

  For all my Soccer Sisters!

  Chapter 1.

  It’s not always easy to fit in, especially when you’re a kid.

  When you’re little, it’s simple. Conquer the basics: tie your shoes, ride a bike, learn to read, make some friends.

  Easy. After a few knots and tumbles, most kids figure it out.

  But by the time she hit double digits, Vee Merino figured out that life gets way more complicated. Now, she faced not only the tests her teachers hand out but also the real-life pop quizzes of navigating modern middle school existence.

  Halls overflowed with cliques, clubs, hormones, and peer pressure.

  Talk about angst overload.

  Unless, like Vee, you were a Soccer Sister. Being a part of the Brookville Bombers U13 travel team was like having a protective social shield. Every time Vee slipped her blue and yellow uniform over her head and felt her jersey number slide down her back, she felt part of something wonderful, real, and legit.

  Her team.

  Pitfalls and social anxiety fell away, and all of a sudden the chaos of life appeared clean, simple, and organized. School was for studying; a boy was just someone who might also want to kick around; friends were always waiting with cleats on and balls ready to roll.

  Getting to winter practice on time, however, was often a true challenge.

  “Are we late again?” a voice asked from the backseat. It was Vee’s BFF, teammate, cohort of every level, #7 on the Bombers, center-midfielder, sometimes temperamental, but overall fan favorite, Lily James, aka, LJ. Vee looked at the car clock then turned to answer.

  “Believe it or not, only like two minutes,” she said. “Might be a record!”

  Lily gave a small cheer, gathered up her ball and water bottle, and zipped up her jacket. Vee loved that her buddy was born ready for action.

  “Brrr, it’s freezing,” Lily said, exhaling a puff of vapor. Even in the small car, the temperature was chilling. Vee and Lily lived in neighboring suburbs just north of New York City. It was mid-February and Old Man Winter was still working hard. No early retirement for him.

  “You know it’s not much warmer inside the Dome,” Vee commented, nodding toward the enormous white indoor soccer facility.

  The girls shivered in unison. The only winter soccer facility near Brookville was pretty much nothing more than a turf field covered by a giant, dirty, inflated tent. It looked like half of a massive, grimy golf ball sticking out of the ground. Inside there was no heat, except the kind made by running and kicking.

  “Papi, just let us out here, por favor,” Vee asked her father, Tomas, in a mix of English and Spanish.

  “Si, pero m’ija, where are you
r sweat pants?” Tomas asked with a heavy accent. He motioned towards Vee’s outfit. Wearing only a sweatshirt, jacket, and soccer shorts, her legs were bare at the knees. Nubby goose bumps covered the entire middle section of Vee’s legs.

  “Oh, I forgot them. It’s fine Papi, we will be running the whole time,” Vee answered quickly.

  Tomas’ face registered concern. The wind howled, shaking the car slightly. Vee thought the weather was conspiring with her father.

  “Look,” Vee said. “I’ll just pull my socks up over my knees and pull my shorts down low and there will only be a tiny strip of skin showing.”

  Vee yanked at her white tube sock, stretching the nylon fabric up over her knee.

  “See?” She said to her father, trying to get the furrow of worry from his brow to release. Tomas seemed to relax momentarily, until a horrible ripping sound filled the tiny car.

  “Aye!” Tomas yelled.

  “Oh, dude,” Vee muttered to herself. Looking down, she could feel and see the giant hole she’d torn in her tube sock.

  “What the heck was that?” Lily asked, peering into the front seat.

  “I totally trashed my sock,” Vee held up her leg to show the damage. A tear, about six inches across, exposed the back of her right calf. Vee looked at the threadbare fabric. Man, those socks were really old.

  Lily started to laugh and Tomas rolled his eyes.

  “Do you have another sock?” Lily asked.

  Vee shook her head. “Who carries three socks around?”

  “Another pair of socks!” Lily yelled with a laugh.

  Vee looked at the clock again. She had to think fast. Searching her soccer bag, she found nothing but a half-eaten snack bar and an empty water bottle.

  “Mi amor, you cannot go to practice like that,” Tomas said firmly.

  “Oh man, we are so late now. Coach Chris is going to make us do like a million push ups,” Lily said. She looked at Vee’s leg. “What are you going to do? Your sock is hanging on … uh, literally, by a thread.”

  Vee expanded her search to her father’s car. She fumbled under her seat and pulled out a pile of papers and an old pair of shorts.

  “Papi, this is why it’s so cold in your car! Look!” Vee showed her father the crack in the floor of the old sedan. Icy air was flowing in like a raging river.

  “Donde?” Tomas asked.

  “Aquí, look,” Vee said. The car is old and in bad shape, Vee thought. Just another something new they can’t afford. She shrugged and watched as Tomas felt under the seat. His eyes opened wide when he felt the cold air hit his fingers. As if on cue, another gust of wind whipped through the little car.

  “Oh, look! This is perfect!” Vee exclaimed, emerging from under the driver’s seat with a small piece of fabric that looked like something from the U.S. Army.

  “What is that?” Lily asked.

  “It’s a bandana,” Vee said. “Watch this.” She took the camouflaged square and folded it into a triangle, then folded it again into a long strip. Quickly, she wrapped the bandana around the hole in her leg, folded the torn sock over the top, and tucked the ends inside. The result was a white sock with a trendy camo trim.

  “Okay, I don’t know how you did that,” Lily said, her head titled slightly. “But, that’s actually pretty cool!”

  “And it better keep you warm,” Tomas added.

  “Let’s go!” Vee exclaimed and the two giggling girls scrambled out of the car. A jumble of bags, balls and jackets rolled into the dark, icy parking lot.

  “I’ll see you two locas at the restaurant,” Tomas said with a chuckle.

  “Yes, Tabitha’s driving us, and, remember, she’s staying for dinner,” Vee reminded her father excitedly. The trio, LJ, Vee, and Tabitha, had started a new after-practice dinner tradition: dinner at Katerina’s. Katerina’s was the name of the restaurant owned by Lily’s father. It was in Brookville, where Lily and most of the Bombers lived. For as long as Vee could remember, Tomas had been the restaurant’s manager.

  Tomas nodded and waved as he pulled away. The two girls hurried toward the entrance. The girls held onto each other as their flat indoor shoes provided no traction on the super-dangerous patches of black ice.

  “Hey, wait up!” they heard a voice cry. It was their teammate Olivia. She trudged up behind Lily and Vee.

  “Hey Olivia,” Vee said, slowing down to wait for her teammate. Olivia was one of the biggest girls on the team and a really strong defender. She had brown hair and oddly dark eyebrows. “That parking lot is a mess. My mom had to drop me way back there,” Olivia said, gesturing behind her. Turning her head, she noticed Tomas’ car. “Jeez, Vee, nice ride. What a clunker.”

  Vee laughed and answered, “I know, but my father loves that old wreck for some reason.”

  “Let’s gooo already!” Lily chided, “I’m turning into a popsicle.” The three girls pushed their way through the revolving door and into the soccer dome.

  Vee shivered when she got inside, “Oh, dude, it’s just as cold in here!”

  Lily and Olivia nodded in chilly agreement.

  “Well, at least there isn’t any wind,” Lily said, and all three girls looked up to the dome’s ceiling just as an icy gust made the lights sway in unison.

  “Yikes,” said Olivia.

  “I’ve never seen the lights move like that before,” Lily observed.

  “It’s fine,” Vee said. “Let’s go.”

  Vee scanned the fields for her team.

  “There they are,” Olivia said.

  Vee spied the Bombers gathered on the far side and noticed immediately that they had missed warm up completely. They were gathered around their long-time coach, Chris Moore, who was already in the middle of explaining the first drill. Avery, Reese, and Beth all shared annoyed looks on their faces.

  “Uh oh,” Vee muttered. “Dude, I’m sorry to make you so late again.”

  LJ just smiled and shrugged.

  “Hey, Vee, what’s that on your leg?” Olivia asked as the girls jogged over to meet their team.

  “Oh, nothing,” Vee answered as she and Lily shared a sly smile.

  “Oh, nice of you girls to join us,” Chris said, holding up his hand to stop them from coming any closer. “That’s two full laps and 20 push ups. All three of you. Get going. Practice is at six o’clock, not six-oh-eight.”

  Vee, Lily, and Olivia sighed together, then turned away from the group of girls and started their run around the field.

  “Sorry, LJ,” Vee said again.

  “Oh, forget about it already. It’s no biggie!” LJ answered. “Let’s go. At least we can get warm!”

  “Oh man, I hate running laps and I hate push ups more,” Olivia complained as soon as they rounded the first corner. “My stupid father couldn’t find his keys. It’s not my fault I was late.”

  “Well, it doesn’t bother me,” Lily answered. “I just don’t want to miss too many of the drills. Plus, I’m cold, and you know how Chris can talk.”

  Vee nodded in agreement. Coach Chris was sort of a strategist, psychologist, and a surfer dude all mixed up in one. He often made the girls suffer through his long talks and “Think Time.” Vee knew being this late was a surefire way to get a speech about commitment.

  Lily picked up the pace. “Let’s go!”

  Vee smiled at her soccer-obsessed best friend. There was nothing about soccer that Lily didn’t love. Even running a lap because they were late. Even Think Time. And there was pretty much nothing about Lily that Vee didn’t love. They were just a perfect pair. 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. The two girls had been friends since they were babies. Lily’s mom used to say they were “buddies in buckets.” Buckets being the baby car seats with a handle that loo
ked, well, like buckets. Vee and Lily had learned to love soccer together, playing behind Katerina’s from the time they could toddle. The busboys and waiters, most of them Hispanic, adored the little girls who loved fútbol. They were never without teammates. Anyone on break was ready to play with the two tiny and adorable soccer nuts.

  Vee kept pace with Lily and Olivia, but she was jogging just a few steps behind them, warming up slowly. She could hear the howl of the wind outside and feel the cold rush from the ventilation cracks in the dome’s lining. Vee was drawn to the line of lights hanging from the ceiling; she noticed that each was contained in a metal cage so that when (not if) it got hit with a ball, no glass shattered down on the players. Someone had to have thought of that, Vee mused. She really liked to observe people and things. She didn’t let on, not even to Tomas or Lily, but Vee spent a lot of her life watching and trying to figure out what made people tick.

  “Look at the lights,” Vee said, intrigued.

  Lily looked up, “It’s like a creepy, cold disco in here tonight.”

  “Speaking of disco,” Olivia said. “LJ, do you know who you are going to ask to the dance?”

  “No clue,” Lily answered while rounding the last corner. “Haven’t thought about it, and still trying to get out of it.”

  “Dance?” Vee had no idea what they were talking about.

  “Oh, this dumb Brookville thing, ‘The Snow Fairy Dance,’” Lily answered. “My mom is making me go.”