Double Time

by Ellyse Perry

  Every time Ellyse thought about the decision she had to make, she wanted to scream. It was like being in a hedge maze where each turn brought her up against a dead end of pointy sticks. Just give me a chainsaw and let me out of here!

  After dinner, Ellyse finished her English homework and then watched a talent show on TV with her family. Imagine being really nervous and singing in front of the cameras like that, and the judge saying you were too fat for your dress. How awful would that be? Was that what the girls in her class meant about playing sports?

  Dad glanced at her and raised his eyebrows in an Are you okay? way.

  ‘I was thinking about how Bob’s a good coach for girls,’ she said. ‘He should help us with the recruiting too.’

  ‘I’m sure he will,’ was all Dad said.

  But Ellyse kept pondering how to recruit more girls – that way she could avoid the biggest problem right in front of her.

  Ellyse worked hard to make a poster for Saturday using lots of photos of girls batting, bowling and catching in different positions. She borrowed Damien’s old bat and asked Charlie to bring her gloves in case anyone wanted a go at batting. When they arrived at the ground, she and Dad helped Bob set up two tents and tables, and someone else brought a large barbecue and eskies full of food.

  Ellyse had just finished bowling when she saw Charlie at the barbecue, sausage and bread in hand. She waved and settled down in a folding chair.

  ‘Is that Charlie?’ Jamie asked as he passed Ellyse. ‘She looks different.’

  Ellyse peered at Charlie. ‘Really? She looks the same to me.’

  At the end of their innings, the opposing team had made 92 runs, and after a short break, it was the Hoppers’ turn to bat. Jamie was one of their opening batters now that Will was no longer playing with them. He walked out to the pitch with Ali.

  Charlie was on her second sausage. ‘What happened to Jamie?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Ellyse asked.

  ‘Dunno. He’s tall all of a sudden.’

  ‘Really?’ Ellyse shrugged. ‘He looks the same to me.’

  She stayed near the tent and kept an eye out for any girls who might have come to watch, but Dad shooed her away. ‘You’re co-captain, remember? You need to focus on the game. I’ll help any girls who come to inquire.’

  ‘Okay, thanks, Dad.’ Still, it was disappointing that so far nobody except Charlie had shown up. The sausage sizzle was doing well, though. I hope there’s some left for lunch, Ellyse thought, her tummy grumbling.

  Ellyse was now batting at number four and, after two wickets fell quite quickly, she went in to join Jamie at the crease. The team they were playing had two very fast bowlers and she had to concentrate hard on every ball. It meant she forgot about the recruiting and became totally absorbed in the game. She and Jamie made a 30-run partnership before a spin bowler got him out LBW. Then Ajit came in to bat and it was her turn to face the spinner.

  He was a leg spinner, and the pitch had become a bit rough in front of the crease. Ellyse could tell he was aiming for that rough patch and started moving forward to attack the ball. She hit a solid four down the field and then managed a leg bye on the next ball. That was lucky; he nearly got me.

  Three overs later, it was one of the fast bowlers who got her out with a perfect yorker – his first – that went between her bat and pad and took out a stump.

  Ooh, I hate that umpire’s finger going up. But Ellyse managed a smile for Mitch as he came out to replace her. ‘Watch the rough patch on the pitch,’ she muttered.

  He nodded. ‘Yep, cool.’

  When she got back to the boundary, she was surprised to see Jamie and Charlie talking to a girl in jeans with a long braid down her back. She hoped they were persuading her to play, but quickly reminded herself to be a good captain and watch the game. All the same, she kept glancing over her shoulder to see what was happening. Then Charlie went off with the girl and Jamie walked over to join Ellyse.

  ‘Did you sign her up?’ Ellyse asked.

  Jamie scratched his head. ‘Not sure. Charlie’s taking her to the nets to show her how to bat.’ He watched Mitch for a minute or two. ‘I didn’t know Charlie was a spin bowler.’

  ‘Yeah, she plays for Callinan. In the Second XI. Ms Beattie is coaching her.’

  ‘Is she going to play for us?’

  His voice sounded a little strange, and Ellyse looked at him. ‘Don’t you want more girls in our team?’

  ‘Yeah, of course!’ His face was pink. ‘And we need another spinner.’

  ‘So what’s the problem?’ Ellyse couldn’t figure it out, but she knew Jamie wasn’t being entirely truthful.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Oh no, Mitch is out.’

  ‘Who’s in at number seven?’ Ellyse went to check the batting order, but Tyler was already padded up and heading out to the middle. The Hoppers had scored 68 runs so far; they still needed 25 to win. As Tyler and Ajit conferred on the pitch, Ellyse gathered up their remaining batters and beckoned Jamie over. ‘We need to hang in there. It’s twenty-five runs and we’ve got five wickets in hand. We can do this.’

  ‘You guys are all good against the pace bowlers,’ Jamie added. ‘If you get the spinners, you can attack a bit more.’

  Ellyse told the team about the rough patch. ‘Best thing you can do if a ball hits that is block.’ She looked around. ‘Let’s go, Hoppers!’

  In the end, none of them had to bat. Ajit was having a great game and made another 20 runs, including hitting a four to win the match. Tyler made five and looked relieved when he came off. They all shook hands with the other team and then went to get their sausages at last. No Mrs Bob’s sausage rolls today!

  Charlie had come back with the girl with the braid, and they’d been joined by another girl with dark, curly hair. She was even taller than Jamie.

  ‘This is Ella,’ Charlie said, and the girl with the braid said hello. The tall girl was named Rowena.

  ‘But everyone calls me Rowie,’ she said with a grin.

  After playing in the nets with Charlie, they were both keen to come to Hoppers training and give cricket a go.

  ‘Wow, Charlie,’ Jamie said. ‘That’s brilliant. And you’re going to play too, right?’

  This time it was Charlie’s turn to blush. ‘Uh, sure, if you want me in the team.’

  ‘Absolutely!’ Jamie said before Ellyse could reply. He smiled and added, ‘Do you want another sausage? I’ll get you some more mustard if you like.’

  Charlie ducked her head and smoothed her hair. ‘Thanks.’

  Ellyse stared from Jamie to Charlie and back again. Am I imagining it or are these two being weird? Do they … like each other? Whoa.

  It was another full day at the Aztecs’ ground. Ellyse knew she couldn’t put off her decision much longer, but she’d decided to work hard with the Aztecs and then choose, no matter how tough it would be. The coaches had them do two hours of drills, mixing them around in different groups so they weren’t working with the same players all the time. Hu was there, with her usual determined frown, and Ellyse could see she was playing well. The coaches watched Hu carefully and made notes on their clipboards. There were three kids who were goalkeepers, and at one point Ellyse was in a group that was tasked with kicking at the goal to give the keepers plenty of practice.

  One of the goalkeepers was a girl who wore a thin headband like many of the W-league players did. I’m going to get one of those, Ellyse thought. Her long, fine hair was always coming adrift and sticking to her face. The girl had great hands and not many balls got past her.

  After lunch, the coaches talked to them about playing positions and strategies and what they wanted to see in the practice games. Ellyse was up first and was happy that she was playing in her favourite position, defending on the left. Out on the field, she felt confident and tackled hard, managing to take the ball away from her opposing player quite a few times. She tried to ignore the coaches’ eagle eyes and just play her best.

  In Ellyse’s se
cond practice game, Wendy told her to be more assertive. ‘Take the ball up the field if you want to, Ellyse, all the way if the opportunity is there.’

  Does she mean shoot for goal? It seemed like that was what Wendy wanted. All through the game, Ellyse searched for the opportunity, but it didn’t appear – until the final seconds. Ellyse tackled a striker who’d let the ball get too far in front of him. She took the ball and dribbled it up the field while looking for her own striker. But he was further back, and a gap had opened up. Can I keep going? Yes, I can! Go!

  She was at the edge of the penalty area when her striker called for the ball. Ellyse hesitated. Seeing the goalkeeper move to her right, Ellyse took the shot. The ball rose and kept on rising.

  No, too hard!

  At the last moment it dropped and skimmed under the crossbar. She’d scored!

  The whistle sounded, signalling the end of the match. Her teammates ran up and slapped her on the back and high-fived her, then it was her turn to sit on the sideline and watch the final game. After it was over, the coaches addressed the group.

  ‘Great training and games today from all of you,’ Mike said. ‘Wendy and I have been watching and making notes, and we’ve decided to name the first invitation game squad today. The game is against an Under 15s team from Japan, in two weeks’ time. Those chosen for this team will have an extra training session as well as the two regular ones.’

  Excitement fizzed through Ellyse. An international game! That’s amazing! I hope, hope, hope I get picked.

  Mike looked around with a stern expression. ‘If you have other commitments, now is the time to decide – we want a hundred and ten per cent from you. No missing training for any reason, understood?’

  Ellyse swallowed hard. Not that hundred-and-ten thing again. As Mike began to read out the list, she held her breath and closed her eyes. She recognised some of the names, including that of the girl goalkeeper. Then Mike said, ‘Hu Sun.’

  Wow, way to go, Hu!

  More names. Ellyse hunched down, dejected. Then, finally, when she’d almost given up, she heard ‘Ellyse Perry’.

  Ellyse thought her heart was going to jump right out of her chest. Me! I’m going to play against Japan! I can’t believe it. She looked across at Hu, whose face was bright with happiness, and they exchanged big grins.

  ‘There’ll be more opportunities,’ Mike said. ‘Those whose names I read out, stay behind. The rest of you, be here at five o’clock on Wednesday.’

  The selected players gathered around the coaches, along with their parents, and listened as Mike went through what would be expected.

  ‘The game will be here at three o’clock on Saturday. It will be televised in Japan but not in Australia.’ There were more forms to sign and explanations about training, uniforms and behaviour before they were allowed to go home.

  As Ellyse listened, her thoughts were in an excited whirl. Soccer, Aztecs, Japan, international team, me! Gradually, her mind settled and cleared, and it was as if little light bulbs had turned on. I’ve been picked for an international game. I’m not giving up the Aztecs. So I have to give up Callinan cricket. I have to be brave and tell Maddy. I have to get off the fence. At that moment, Ellyse knew it was the right decision. That made her feel stronger and more calm than she’d felt in weeks.

  ‘This has helped me make up my mind,’ Ellyse said as she and Dad walked to the car.

  ‘I thought it might,’ Dad replied. ‘You have to talk to Maddy now.’

  ‘I know,’ she said glumly. All the way home, she rehearsed imaginary conversations with Maddy in her head. But each time she thought she’d come up with the best way to tell her, all she could see was the disappointment and anger in Maddy’s face. It’s not even about the state team. I don’t want her thinking I’m letting the school team down.

  At home, Ellyse trudged into the kitchen, still worrying about it. A blaze of colour stopped her short. The dining table had candles glowing in gold holders, streamers and paper lanterns festooned the ceiling, and gold and red paper fish fluttered in the doorway and around the windows.

  ‘What’s this?’ Ellyse gasped.

  ‘Konnichiwa!’ Mum said, waving a little Japanese flag. ‘Congratulations.’

  Damien joined her, waving his own flag. ‘Subarashii!’

  ‘What does that mean?’ Ellyse said.

  ‘Awesome, I think,’ Damien replied. ‘Good on ya, sis. Your first international game.’

  ‘How did you know I got picked?’

  Mum smiled at Dad. ‘A little chirpy bird called as soon as he heard. It was a bit of a rush and probably half this stuff is Chinese, but who cares? It’s in the right spirit.’ She gave Ellyse a hug. ‘I’m very proud of you. Well done.’

  Ellyse blinked back tears. ‘Thanks, Mum. This is amazing. But …’

  ‘But what?’ Mum said, concerned.

  ‘We’re not having raw fish for dinner, are we?’ Ellyse asked, and everyone laughed.

  ‘You’re safe,’ Damien said. ‘Roast beef.’

  ‘Phew!’ Ellyse ran to shower and get changed, then sat down to eat. It’d been a long day and she was starving. Even more than that, she loved the decorations and how her family were so happy for her. She was determined to have a great time and celebrate.

  On Monday morning at school assembly, the principal called Ellyse and Hu up to the stage and made an announcement. ‘Not only have these two girls won a place in the Aztecs Youth Football Academy, they’ve now been chosen for the team to play Japan!’

  Hu’s face was bright red and she kept blinking a lot, but at least she was smiling. Ellyse felt petrified standing there in front of the whole school as loud applause and cheering broke out. She could see Nicola waving and cheering, and she grinned back. Then a horrible thought struck her. She desperately scanned the hall for Maddy. I shouldn’t have waited. I should have told her. What if she thinks I’ve lied to her?

  Thankfully, Maddy was nowhere in sight, but Ellyse knew she’d hear the news very soon. There was no time to waste. At recess, Ellyse ran to the gym to find Ms Beattie, praying the PE teacher would have Maddy’s phone number.

  ‘Well, yes,’ Ms Beattie said. ‘But why do you need to tell her? Maybe Maddy already knows.’

  ‘Knows what?’ Maddy said, leaning against the doorway. Her eyes crinkled. ‘Is there a secret?’

  Ellyse felt herself going hot and cold all at once. ‘I … I … it’s about cricket. I mean, me playing cricket. I mean …’

  Maddy straightened and frowned. ‘Sounds serious.’

  It is! But I don’t want you to look at me like that!

  ‘I’ve got to see someone in the gym,’ Ms Beattie said hastily. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’ She gave Ellyse’s shoulder a squeeze as she went past.

  ‘Sit down, Ellyse,’ Maddy said. ‘You look very pale.’

  ‘I’m fine.’ Ellyse swallowed hard. ‘I need to tell you something.’ She knew she should just come right out and say it, but the words were stuck behind the lump in her throat. I am not going to cry. I need to be a grown-up about this. But it felt impossible.

  Maddy reached out her hand for a second and then withdrew it. ‘Hmm, maybe I’m the one who should sit down, then.’ She moved behind Ms Beattie’s desk and sat in her squeaky chair. The springs made a weird errrmmm sound and Maddy laughed. ‘Hope I’m not that heavy.’

  It made Ellyse smile too, and suddenly she was okay. I can do this. ‘I’ve been selected for a special youth pathway program with the Aztecs club.’

  ‘Well done,’ Maddy said, her eyes lighting up. ‘That’s fantastic. But … there is a but, I guess?’

  Ellyse nodded. ‘It’s an eight-week program, and you can’t miss any training sessions – not one.’ She took a breath. ‘And I’m also in their invitation team to play Japan.’

  Maddy’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘That is just amazing. You must be really happy.’

  ‘I am. The thing is, the weekday training is on Wednesday afternoons.’ Ellyse bit her
lip and waited.

  ‘Oh no,’ Maddy said, catching on. ‘That’s a real pain, isn’t it?’

  Now she’s going to kick me out of the Callinan team for only giving it fifty per cent. Ellyse gripped her hands together so hard that her knuckles ached. I can take it. Just say it!

  ‘How many games will you miss? Eight?’

  Ellyse nodded again, miserably. Here it comes.

  ‘I guess we’ll just have to do without you. It can’t be helped,’ Maddy said. She clapped her hands. ‘Hey, maybe we can use it as an opportunity to give some of the Second XI a tougher game.’

  Ellyse gaped at her. ‘You’re not angry with me?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Maddy said, surprised. ‘It’s such a wonderful opportunity, you’d be mad to give it up.’

  ‘Oh, good … I just … Wow, thanks,’ Ellyse said weakly as relief washed over her. Now she really did need to sit down. She plonked herself onto a handy chair.

  ‘It won’t be the last time, you know,’ Maddy went on. ‘I had to choose between cricket and basketball eventually. Some players I know try to juggle two or three sports all the time. It’s really hard.’

  ‘It’s horrible,’ Ellyse said. ‘I still feel like I’m letting you down. Like I’m letting down the whole team.’

  Maddy smiled. ‘You’re not. But you’ll have to work hard to earn back your place after eight weeks away. There are some really keen players in our Seconds. I hope you’ve managed to stay in your club team. You’ll need to keep up your training and match playing to be eligible for the state team selection.’

  ‘I can still try out for that?’

  Maddy nodded. ‘Of course. Now, I just heard the bell go. You’d better make a run for your next class.’

  ‘I will. I … Thanks a million, Maddy.’

  ‘See you at training,’ Maddy said.

  ‘You bet.’ Ellyse raced across the quadrangle to her classroom, her feet flying and her heart like a singing bird. She’d faced her biggest fear and it had all turned out okay. She could hardly believe it. Maddy really did understand – she’d been there herself and she knew how hard it was.