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She grinned froh fives fro to position

I bent to pick up the clipboard and noted one of the other tea of it until Carly pulled her glove off and stepped into the other girl’s space

Okay…this was a new one I’d been coaching the girls’ lacrosse teaate Prep for two years now, and I’d never had to break up a fight I didn’t immediately march onto the field These players were between sixteen and eighteen—old enough to have a word or tithout resorting to a wrestling match And they were smart They knew both schools had a zero-tolerance policy for fighting They wouldn’t risk

Would they?

And of course, that hen the attacker threw her goggles on the grass and pointed her finger at Carly’s chest I could practically see steaoalie’s ears, which I took as ate’s shot at a CIF chaame

I strode onto the field just as the other coach blew his whistle He caught e I nodded, ht as I continued toward the goal

“Hey We’re done here Nice playin’ today” I clapped in a no-nonsense fashion, breathing a sigh of relief when the other player retrieved her goggles and whirled on her stick I stared after her for a beat, then turned to Carly “What was that all about?”

“Nothing,” she grunted unhappily “Don’t worry about it, Coach J”

I furrowed h once-over Her freckled nose and the loosely-tied dark braids peeking from under her helh competitor She was six feet tall and muscular with a thick build that should have warned most to play nice with her She didn’t take prisoners, and she could be a bit on the intense side But that was just Carly It didn’t ae—she left every piece of herself on the field

She was usually quick to reset, though I expected her to roll her eyes and give e the subject to the Dodgers’ lineup tonight

She didn’t A shadow hid her eyes froht line E all the wrong things But I couldn’t pretend not to notice her wobbly lips and shaky hands