To my mom, who's given me more ideas than I can count. This one's for you. :)

Claire sat down at her desk, out of breath. In two minutes, she would've been considered late. Eloise, her neighbor in first period and one of her closest friends, laughed as Claire took an enormous breath.

"Still late as ever, huh, Claire?" she asked chuckling.

Claire stuck out her tongue. "Sorry I'm not as punctual as Miss. Class Rep over here."

"If you had morning practice with that father of yours, he'd knock you upside the head," she retorted.

The two girls giggled as their homeroom teacher walked in. "Alright, everyone, take your seats. Someone's requested a schedule change and will be joining us for first period. Come on in, Tony." A boy walked in whom everyone had seen before. In fact, he was quite popular.

"Oh wow, Tony's in our first period now, eh?" Eloise observed, somewhat interested.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. He was on the soccer team back when I was still playing. He was one of the few people who could keep up with my dad," Claire added, nodding slightly.

"Oh? Oh? Claire, the Claire, is interested in a boy?"

"Knock it off, El, I talked to him maybe once or twice, that's all." Claire blew a raspberry towards Eloise and laughed.

"Miss. Evelyn and Miss. Jones, quiet back there," Mr. Jones, their teacher, and Eloise's father, said sternly.

"Sorry, da- Mr. Jones," Eloise corrected herself while smiling.

Claire held up her notebook that she had quickly scribbled on, and showed it to Eloise. Still not used to having your dad as your English teacher, are you?

Eloise scribbled back her reply. Nope. I only just got into his class in freshman year, after all.

The two girls laughed again quietly and opened up their literature novels to the page the class was reading off of.

After English class, Eloise went off to history, leaving Claire on her own for Spanish. Or so she thought. When she sat down at her seat, she was surprised to see none other than Tony sitting down in the usually vacant seat beside her.

"Hi, Claire," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Howzit goin'?"

"Oh, uh, hi, Tony," Claire replied, stuttering. This was very different from her usual self because of one thing: She felt nervous talking to boys. It wasn't from any traumatic experience. No, this was something much simpler. Since grade six, she had only surrounded herself with female friends. She hardly talked to guys because of this, and never grew familiar with the feeling. She felt as if every word they spoke, they were judging every little thing about her. How she looked, how she acted, how she talked. So now, when confronted by Tony, she wasn't sure what to say.

"Hey, you alright? You look a little pale," Tony said, frowning a little. "Need the nurse?"

"Ah, no, I'm alright. Just... need to get ready for class is all." Claire twirled her hair with her fingers nervously as she pulled out her textbook and notes.

Tony shrugged. "Alright. It's been a while, hasn't it?" he continued.

"Huh?"

"You dropped out of soccer a while back, didn'tcha?" he asked.

"Oh... yes."

Please stop talking! Claire thought frantically.

"Team's lost its shine ever since you did." Tony nodded grimly. "No worries, though. I'll bring it back."

"I... see."

"I've got the kick of a martial arts master, after all!"

Before she knew it, Claire found herself laughing at that.

"Oh dang! I made you smile!" Tony said triumphantly. "You were so tense before." He smiled softly. Claire felt the heat rise to her face.

"Class is starting! Get to your seats!" the teacher called from up front.

________________

Lunch period came around and Claire sat down with a deep sigh next to Eloise.

"Wow. That was a foreboding sigh. What's up, Claire?" Laura, another one of her friends, commented.

"It's that guy! You know the one who changed his schedule? Tony? I heard he was in every one of Claire's classes this morning," Naomi, the most informed of the group, reported.

"So? What's so bad about that?" Laura asked.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Claire wailed. "I'm so bad at socializing with boys. He even sat next to me in Spanish!"

"I suppose it is sort of odd that he's showing to have the exact same schedule as you," Eloise said, nodding curiously.

"It is odd," Naomi said, nodding with her. "But not impossible. In fact, I've heard of this happening once!"

"Leave it to Naomi," Laura said, laughing.

"No, no, it really happened! Emma from my science class told me about it! Earlier this year, some guy asked for a schedule change and ended up in all of her classes too. Turns out he confessed to her a couple days later. She turned him down, of course... too creepy." Naomi had a strange look on her face as she retold the story. Claire, however, was shaking in her seat as if she'd been told a ghost story.

"Hey, Claire? It's alright. That was just one case, after all!" Eloise tried to reassure her. "Isn't that right, Naomi?" She shot a look at Naomi like she'd just delivered the death blow.

"Oh, yeah! Of course, ahaha... just that case," Naomi said hurriedly, scratching her head nervously.

"Right... just a story... right," Claire said, attempting to convince herself.

Just then, someone plopped down into the chair across from Claire's.

"What the-? What do you want, Tony?" Laura couldn't help the disgust hidden in her voice after hearing that story. Eloise glared slightly as well.

"Whoa, my presence is unwanted, observed and noted," Tony said defensively.

"Sorry about them, Tony," Naomi jumped in to start a conversation. "Must've been their lunch, y'know? Puts people in a bad mood sometimes, right?"

"I guess?" he responded, confused.

"Anyways, what did you need?" she asked to keep him from leaving.

"Just wanted to ask Claire something," he replied. Claire felt her heart crawl into her throat as it beat furiously. "But, uh... guess I forgot. Huh. Oh well. See you all around, I guess." Tony shrugged and got up from his place.

He began to walk away, but suddenly turned around. "Ah! Right! Just remembered. Hey, Claire, you should come to practice today! Don't even have to play. Just shank the balls, maybe. It'd make your dad happy, I bet." And with that, he turned around once more and walked away.

When he was out of sight, everyone at the table let out the breath they'd been holding since he'd come. "Oh, wow, I really thought he'd ask that, you know?" Laura said laughing nervously.

"I know what you mean, I was thinking that same thing after Naomi told us that story," Eloise said. She was laughing too, but it seemed more genuine.

"But, you know. He did just technically invite her to something," Naomi noted off-handedly.

Eloise hit Naomi on the head. "Oh, shut up, she was just calming down!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

Claire's heart thumped wildly in her chest. She grabbed Eloise's arm and turned to her. "El, what do I do?" she asked frantically.

Eloise took a deep breath. "That depends, C. Do you want the honest truth, or what you want to hear?" When Claire didn't respond, Eloise sighed. "I'll just tell you what I think. I think you should go."

"Whoa, for real, Eloise?" Laura asked.

She nodded. "It'll be a good time for you to break out of your shell. You're not in middle school anymore, after all."

"There goes El, mature as usual," Naomi teased. "But... I agree with her, Claire. You should go for it."

"Hmm. Yep, I guess I think so too. You can do it, Claire!" Laura exclaimed happily.

Claire thought about what they said, and she nodded. "Okay. Guess I'll give it a try. Just..."

"Ah, I suppose there is that," Eloise stated, seeming to read Claire's mind. "The reason why you quit in the first place."

"Oh, there was a reason?" Naomi asked, looking for any new information she could get.

"Mhm," Claire answered. "Though it's not one to be proud of, really. I used to love soccer. But with my dad being the coach and all, well, long story short, people thought I was only on the team because he was coach. They didn't think I had any real skill. So I quit. I joined basketball instead."

"So that's the story, eh?" A voice sounded behind Claire, causing her to jump.

"Tony, what are you doing back here?!" Laura asked exasperatedly.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just coming over to throw away my trash. You guys do know the trash can's right behind your table, right?"

"I know just what to throw in there next if you don't scram," she continued in a warning tone.

"Right, gotcha, leaving now," Tony said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I don't understand girls..." he muttered as he walked away once again.

"On second thought, maybe I shouldn't go," Claire said, laughing worriedly.

"No, come on, Claire! It'll be fine! Fight through the nerves!" Naomi cheered.

________________

The rest of Claire's periods zipped past, and sure enough, Tony was in every one of them. On her way out of her last teacher's classroom, Tony sprinted out the door.

"See you at practice, Claire, gotta go!" he yelled as Claire's face went pink. She walked to her locker, debating furiously in her head whether she should go or not. That's why she didn't see the tall girl in front of her before they collided.

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!" Claire exclaimed, then stopped when she saw who it was.

"Haha, thinking pretty hard there, aren't you, Claire?" It was Belle, her former teammate. She had been one of the few who thought Claire was a valuable part of the team.

"Ahah. I suppose," Claire answered, embarrassed. Maybe I should ask her... she thought to herself. "Oh, Belle, I was sort of wondering if I could get your thoughts on something."

"Sure, what's up?" Belle answered as she placed her notebooks into her locker.

"I was thinking of going to practice today, but I'm not sure..."

"Soccer practice?!" Belle asked excitedly.

"Mmm. Yes," Claire muttered.

"Of course you should come, silly! Oh, this is so exciting! It's been so long! Do you know how annoying it gets dealing with those pack of boys every day? Most of the girls on the team up and left!"

"Oh... okay. Thanks, Belle." Claire smiled. "I think I will!"

________________

Claire opened her locker and began to put away her textbooks and folders. As she did so, her eyes fell upon an old gym bag that she'd never bothered to bring home. A foreboding feeling washed over her as she began to unzip it. Sure enough, it was her old soccer bag. And inside it, alongside her clothes, were a couple of handwritten notes. Each one contained nasty words from girls who didn't think she deserved a place on the soccer team. Saddened by these, she began to second guess, once again, her decision to go to practice.

She slung the bag across her shoulders along with her backpack and made her way down the steps to the backside of the school. She exited the building but stopped before turning the corner. Beyond there was the soccer field. She sighed heavily and shook her head, sliding down the wall of the school and hugging her knees to her chest.

Before she knew it, she had opened one of the letters.

Do you think just because your dad's the coach that means you don't have to practice? Some of us work hard for this sport, while you just get a spot thanks to some connections? What a load of crap. Why don't you go do some community service or something? At least then you'll learn how to work for once in your life.

"I practiced with you every day, though..." Claire said quietly as a tear slipped down her cheek. She opened another.

What makes you think you can look down on us?! Just because you're favored that makes you better than us? What a nice way to live, free from all worries. I stayed up all night worrying if I'd get a spot on the team. Don't get all high and mighty because you can get in without any concern for failure!

"I wasn't guaranteed a spot, I took the entrance test just like you." More tears fell down her cheeks. She began to take out another one, but just then a hand grabbed the letter and tore it in half. Surprised, Claire looked up.

"You know... that's not the best way to psyche yourself up before practice." The boy standing before her gave her a sad smile. "I was wondering where you were." He sat down beside her. Claire sniffled, trying to gain her composure but failing horribly.

Tony reached out his hand and wiped the tears from one of her eyes. Claire was surprised, but didn't say anything. "I've always felt bad, did you know? I was sort of aware back then. Of the things those girls said behind your back. I always wanted to do something, but..." He shook his head sadly. "I could never muster the courage. I knew how hard you worked for the sport. You were always practicing before anyone else got there, even your own dad. I guess it wasn't easy for those girls to see that. All they knew was that your dad was the coach. And that probably led some rumors to start. But there were people who believed in you... I believed in you. And... I still do, Claire. You're an incredible player." He smiled. "I wasn't lying when I said the team lost their spark without you."

Claire was quiet. She didn't know what to say. It was the first time she had heard such encouraging words. Tony had been the first person to tell her she was a good player. Despite herself, she began to cry once again.

"Oh man, did I say something wrong? Ah geez, I'm no good at this kind of thing," Tony said frantically.

Claire shook her head and smiled through her tears. "No... that was just exactly what I've always wished for. For someone to tell me... I did well." She choked over her words. Tony's eyes widened, and he pulled her into an unexpected, but comforting, hug.

________________

Claire and Tony joined practice soon after. Tony was punished for being late, and he laughed as he ran his laps around the field.

Meanwhile, people were greeting Claire and welcoming her back. Belle gave her a huge hug, causing everyone else to laugh cheerfully. The girls who had written the notes had actually left soon after Claire did. They didn't say anything before they left. Apparently, they had just vanished.

The rest had admitted that they had felt bad about Claire's dropping out, but were overjoyed that she had come back.

That is, until Claire started kicking the ball around. She had dropped out of the club, but she had still practiced at home. By the end, everyone was on the ground panting while Claire and her father went at it. But the atmosphere at this practice was much different than any other Claire had experienced. Everyone was laughing and having a great time. She really felt like these people accepted her.

When practice was over, and everyone had begun heading home, Tony walked over and gave Claire a giant smile. He held his hand up for a high-five, and Claire laughed as she returned it.

"Thank you, Tony," Claire said happily. "I never knew... this feeling."

"The club was definitely a lot more fun with you around." Tony winked. "Hey, I was wondering..."

"Hm?"

"There's a new sports store opening near the school. Would you want to go with me...? To check it out and stuff?" He was blushing slightly, his previous smirk turning into a sheepish grin.

"D-do you mean like... a date?" Claire asked, her voice on the verge of cracking.

"Well, uh, yes?" His face grew into a deeper shade of red.

"Oh, um... yes," she replied as quietly as possible. "I'd like that..."

"You would?" His eyes lit up. "W-well okay, then! How does Friday sound?"

"Friday will work," she said, smiling softly.

"Right, Friday. Then, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Right."

The two turned away from each other. When they were sure that they had gotten far enough away, they each began running and laughing, Claire to her father, and Tony to his ride home.

When Claire told her father, he gaped at her. "My daughter... has a date?" Claire laughed nervously as the heat rose to her face once more. "I remember when you were in kindergarten," her father sobbed as he hugged her tightly.

"I'll be okay, dad," Claire said, smiling. "I believe in him."

Fin