A bit of Jace's voice

Pulled from the November newsletter…

Bouncing with excitement, Jace bounded out of the school building at the head of his group of friends. They raced for the school’s soccer field while others ran to the basketball court and the playground.

Today was tryouts for the team!

"Wait! We need a ball!" Monty gestured to the equipment bucket where a soccer ball could be seen atop the basketballs.

A coach was passing out the basketballs and soccer balls - two of them - rolled to the grass.

Could he? Would anyone remember he hadn't carried one?

While he was debating, Alfie had already run half the distance back to fetch a ball. So, Jace set aside the idea of using his magic.

When they started kicking the ball back and forth, Jace considered his skills and those of his friends. Monty was almost certainly going to make the school team. He'd been a forward in the county club for two years already. Jace wondered if his mom could get him new kicks like Monty's, the ones with the swoosh, to replace his worn tennis shoes. He'd ask for team colors, green and black.

Trapping the ball when it came to him, Jace dribbled and feinted around Alfie, who still reached out with his hands like the Pee Wee football player he'd been for two years. Maybe Alfie could be goalie. They could use their hands.

“Go, go!” encouraged Doobie, real name Doug Boyd Jr.

Jace got around Alfie and passed the ball toward Keke. There weren’t enough girls who wanted to play soccer to form a girls’ team, so this school’s team was co-ed. Long-legged, with tight black braids that flew around her head like ropes, she ran directly at him. Distracted by the excited smile on her face, he lost the ball to her faster footwork.

He only realized it, though, when he heard Monty yelp, “Man! Not again!”

When he turned around, Keke was already several yards away dribbling the ball. Jace sighed and ran after her to steal it back.

“Hey!” he shouted and threw out his leg to kick at the ball.

It jumped away from Keke’s feet and rolled toward Alfie who had come to help.

But it hadn’t bounced off Jace’s foot.

“Oh no,” he muttered. Rolling over in the grass, he pushed to his feet and looked around. No one was looking at him. Alfie had the ball and he was trying to get around Keke with it.

Let me know what you thought!