Angels

by Meredith Badger

  ‘Way to go, Angels!’ Annabelle said between giggles.

  Just then, the siren rang. The Super Stars had defeated the Zebras. The crowd went wild!

  Mr Paul’s voice cut through the cheers. ‘Next up, the Angels play the Devils in a soccer match on the oval,’ he boomed through the megaphone.

  There was lots more cheering and whistling. Lola watched as the Devils ran across the field with a giant banner. The background was black and there were gold flames shooting through the red writing.

  Lola sat completely still. The butterflies in her chest thumped away madly. She hardly noticed as Annabelle and Chloe put the rod of the Angels banner into her clammy hand.

  ‘Ready, Angels?’ Bonnie asked, coming through the crowd.

  Lola felt as though time was speeding up, like it does in movies. Before she knew it, they were in their uniforms and running around the oval with the banner Chloe and Annabelle had made.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, they had passed the banner to the crowd, and were standing in the middle of the field with Mr Paul and the Devils.

  ‘OK, captains. Heads or tails?’ Mr Paul asked, ready with a coin.

  Lola breathed deeply. She was the captain. She had to choose. ‘Heads!’ she said firmly.

  ‘Good, cos we want tails,’ Luke smirked.

  Lola watched as the coin rose into the air. It spun a few times, and then dropped to the ground.

  ‘Heads it is,’ Mr Paul called out.

  Lola grinned as the Angels slapped her on the back. ‘We’ll take possession,’ she said. It felt really good to be the one making decisions.

  Lucy took her place in the centre of the oval, with the soccer ball at her feet. Mr Paul blew his whistle. Lucy kicked it along the ground over towards Annabelle. She frowned as Luke intercepted the ball. Lola chased him. Luke was definitely going to be a problem!

  ‘Hey, Ice-Cream Girl,’ Luke said, while dribbling the ball. ‘Watch and learn.’

  Lola snorted. Luke was the most annoying boy she had ever met. There was only one way to deal with him!

  Lola spun around to face Luke. She concentrated. She watched the angle of his feet. She sensed he was going to pass to the left, and she was ready. As the ball flew through the air just a few centimeters off the ground, Lola stepped in. She kicked it hard, all the way over to Lucy on the other side of the field.

  The crowd roared with excitement. Lola looked up and saw Will standing up. He was waving a homemade sign.

  Lola grinned. She wanted this moment to last forever. It was the best fun!

  Suddenly, the crowd roared again. Lola blinked. She had missed seeing Lucy score a goal! She shook her head. From now on, she was going to make sure she knew exactly where the ball was. She didn’t want to miss anything else.

  The Angels were playing really well, but the Devils were pretty good, too. Lola watched in amazement as Annabelle got the ball off Sam. She kicked it towards Chloe … but Chloe wasn’t looking.

  ‘Chloe! Look!’ Lola yelled. Chloe looked up just in time. Well, just in time to protect her head. Not exactly in time to get the ball.

  Joey was quick. He trapped the ball and dribbled past Lucy, and kicked the ball off to Luke. Luke smirked at Bonnie. But Bonnie was ready. As the ball flew towards the Angels’ net, she leapt across it. Down she went, right into the dirt. When she came up, her Angels uniform was splattered with mud again. But her face was lit up with a very bright smile and she had the ball in her hands.

  ‘Great save!’ Lola yelled. She couldn’t get the smile off her face. Lola dribbled the ball back towards the Devils’ net.

  ‘Yours, Soph!’ she called out as she kicked. She kept her foot firm and touched the ball with the inside of her foot, just like Will had taught her. And the pass was good. It landed right near Sophie’s feet.

  Lola could see the concentration on Sophie’s face. She charged towards the ball. She stopped and stepped back on her left foot, ready for a big kick. But she was too slow!

  Lola groaned as Joey slid in front of Sophie and passed the ball back to Sam. Sam faked. Then he lined the ball up for a goal. Bonnie leapt across the net again. But this time, she got the direction wrong. The ball bounced into the back of the net.

  ‘GOAL! Devils! Devils! Devils! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!’

  The chant rang across the oval. Lola put her head in her hands. Only for a second, though. She knew she had to concentrate. She knew the Angels could win!

  Soon, the ball was in play again. Lola watched proudly as the Angels dribbled and passed without a single interception. As the ball came towards her, Lola focused on the exact position inside the net where she wanted the ball to go.

  She kicked. The crowd roared.

  It was a goal! Lola had kicked a goal!

  BZZZZZZZZ.

  The siren cut in over the cheering.

  ‘Half-time, people,’ Mr Paul boomed.

  Lola beckoned to the girls to meet at the sidelines.

  Chloe was the only Angel who didn’t look exhausted and red-faced.

  Lola looked at her team. ‘OK, guys. We’re winning!’ she said, trying to catch her breath. ‘Now we just have to keep the lead.’ The Angels high-fived and wiped away their sweat.

  ‘Bonnie, remember that Luke usually shoots to the left,’ Lola continued. Bonnie nodded and swigged her water bottle.

  ‘Chloe, don’t be scared of the ball,’ Lola continued. Chloe smiled.

  ‘Soph, you’re great but you just have to be a bit quicker,’ Lola continued. ‘Get rid of the ball as soon as you can, because Joey’s really good at intercepting.’ Sophie rubbed her eyes and nodded.

  Lola put her arms around Bonnie and Lucy’s shoulders, and the rest of the Angels joined in the huddle.

  ‘Don’t forget we’re changing ends now,’ Lola said. ‘GO ANGELS!’

  ‘GO ANGELS!’ the others cheered.

  Lola took a final sip from her water bottle as the siren went again. Game on!

  Lola felt the blood pumping through her veins. She felt light and fantastic, and not even a little bit tired. The break and the drink had done wonders.

  She sneaked another look at the crowd. Just a little look at the sign Will had made. It made her feel even better.

  Joey took the kick-off this time. The ball rocketed into the air. Sam headbutted it towards Luke. Luke dribbled towards the Angels’ goal. He quickly passed it off towards Bruno. But this time Lucy intercepted. Lola punched her arm in the air.

  ‘On ya, Luce!’ she yelled. She giggled as Lucy turned back and took a little bow.

  This really is a great game, Lola thought. Even though no-one had scored in the second half yet, there had been heaps of fantastic plays. The ball would be going in one direction, then suddenly, someone would trap it and kick it the opposite way down the field. Lola had run up and down the oval about thirty thousand times!

  This next play was definitely looking good for the Angels. The passes had been terrific. Chloe had managed to get the ball to Lucy without the Devils snatching it off her. At exactly ten minutes into the second half, Lucy took an amazing kick. She made it hook, as though she had given it a special spin, so it landed at Sophie’s feet.

  But that was where it all went wrong.

  Lola saw Sophie stare at the ball. She seemed to be in her own little world as she started dribbling.

  The Angels called out to her. She was going in the wrong direction! She was going towards their own goal!

  ‘No, Sophie!’ Lola yelled. But Sophie had already kicked the ball. Everyone froze as it flew through the air. It was an amazing kick! It was huge. Bonnie was in goals with her hands outstretched, looking completely confused. Her mouth was hanging open.

  And the ball flew right past her, thwacking hard into the Angels’ own net! Lola’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground. She buried her head in her hands. This was a disaster. Sophie had scored an own goal!

  Lola looked at Sophie. Sophie had just realised what she’d done. She looked completely shoc
ked.

  Lola got up. She felt terrible for Sophie. Well, she felt terrible for the Angels. Now they had lost their lead, they were neck-and-neck with the Devils. But seeing Sophie so upset was the worst thing. Lola could just imagine how freaked out she would be if she’d made the same mistake.

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Soph!’ she called. Sophie looked back at her. Lola could tell that she was trying not to cry. Poor Sophie, Lola thought.

  Suddenly, a bundle of things ran through Lola’s head. She thought about how Sophie had tried to stick up for her in the change rooms when Annabelle was teasing her about Joey. She thought about how hard it must have been for Sophie to start at a new school, where she only knew her cousin. All of a sudden, Sophie was kind of like … well, she was kind of like Lola’s best friend at school.

  Lola took a deep breath. She had to make sure the Angels won this game. She had to make sure that Sophie’s mistake was made better!

  Suddenly, it didn’t seem to matter to Lola whether she scored the winning goal. It didn’t matter whether she was carried on the Angels’ shoulders or not. It didn’t seem important that Will be completely impressed by her. All that mattered was that she help Sophie feel better.

  Lola focused on the ball as it flew towards Lucy. Lucy faked, and then kicked it to Annabelle. Annabelle passed it onto Lola.

  Lola dribbled. She ran right beside Sophie. ‘I’m going to pass it to your right,’ she whispered.

  They were right near the Devils’ goal. Lola hoped that Sophie could score with only seconds left on the clock.

  ‘You take the shot,’ Sophie whispered back. ‘Please, Lola?’

  Lola bit her lip. Sophie’s confidence had been zapped. Lola could see it in her eyes. Sophie absolutely did not want the ball.

  Lola nodded. Then she kicked.

  She quickly covered her eyes, but peeked through her fingers. The kick was off-target.

  It was definitely off. She didn’t want to see where it landed.

  But, suddenly, Annabelle flew towards the ball, like … well, like an Angel! Her kick was firm and the ball rolled swiftly along the ground.

  Right between Bruno’s feet! Goal!

  The siren wailed. The crowd roared. The Angels had won the game!

  ‘The Angels are the best! Chuck out the rest!’ Bonnie chanted as she danced around the group. Lola giggled. Nothing in the universe seemed to tire out Bonnie!

  ‘Sshh,’ Lola said, in between giggles. ‘We should go and shake hands with the Devils now.’

  Lola had seen Will’s team doing that. It was good sportsmanship.

  Lola led the Angels up to the Devils. She put out her hand and shook Joey’s. Then she went on to Luke. Luke put out his hand to meet hers. But just when they were about to shake, he pulled his hand away and laughed.

  Lola rolled her eyes. Some people didn’t know how to be good sports!

  But Lola didn’t care. The Angels had won! They were one step closer to having their names engraved on that huge plaque outside Mrs Clarke’s office. They would be able to look at it every time they walked down the corridor.

  Lola grinned. Bonnie would probably get to see the plaque the most, she thought. Because Bonnie seemed to spend quite a lot of time in Mrs Clarke’s office!

  Lola’s hand was sore from all the highfives the Angels had given each other. But they were still going. This time, it was Sophie’s hand rising up to meet hers.

  ‘Ah, victory,’ Sophie said, looking relieved. ‘It tastes so sweet, doesn’t it?’

  Lola smiled. Victory tasted sweeter than chocolate. Sweeter than jelly beans!

  ‘That was, like, the best fun in the world!’ Chloe yelled, as the Angels ran back into the change rooms.

  Lola nodded. Winning had been incredible. Lola couldn’t believe how great it felt to have beaten the boys!

  ‘OK Angels, let’s huddle,’ Lola called when everyone had changed out of their uniforms. They gathered in a circle.

  ‘Well done out there,’ Lola said. ‘You were the best team a captain could possibly want, and there is no way we will lose any challenges from now on! We’ve got guts. We’ve got determination – ’

  ‘And we’ve got bracelets!’ Chloe sang out, jangling her bracelet in the air. Everyone laughed, and jangled their bracelets too.

  Lucy slipped out of the huddle and ran over to her bag. ‘What have you got there, Luce?’ Bonnie demanded.

  Lucy grinned and brought a package out from behind her back. ‘I found a little store that sells charms,’ she said, unwrapping the package. ‘So these are to remember our incredible victory!’

  Lola found herself squealing in a very un-captain-like way. The charms were gorgeous little soccer balls!

  The Angels helped each other attach the charms to their bracelets. Everyone all seemed close and happy. This is great! thought Lola.

  But there were still three more challenges to go.

  Sophie grinned as Bonnie ran around, doing high-fives with all the other members of the Angels team.

  It’s good that Bonnie is the leader of the Angels, thought Sophie. She’s so into it!

  Even though it had been two whole days since they beat the Devils at soccer, Bonnie still hadn’t stopped celebrating. Every recess and lunch was the same. She high-fived everyone. Then she’d chant, ‘The Angels are the best! Chuck out the rest!’

  ‘It’s like you’re floating on a cloud, Bonnie!’ laughed Lucy. ‘But you’d better come down to the ground pretty soon. We’ve got a lot of work to do before the next challenge.’

  Sophie smiled as Bonnie plonked herself down beside Lucy. Bonnie’s thick brown fringe flopped in her eyes.

  ‘What’s next again?’ Bonnie asked, pushing her hair away.

  ‘It’s the Use Your Brain challenge,’ said Annabelle. ‘I reckon this is going to be the hardest of all the Team Terrific challenges. Sophie thinks so too.’

  Sophie sighed quietly. She’d been at this school for a couple of weeks now, but she still didn’t feel like she fit in. She had thought that changing schools wouldn’t be so hard with her cousin Annabelle here. But she still had new kids and teachers to get used to.

  Actually, Sophie really liked her new teacher, Mr Stavros. And the kids here seemed great too. Especially the Angels! She knew Lola the best so far. They had become close during the Get Active challenge the week before. But Sophie was also starting to feel close to the others.

  Bonnie was the loud, funny one. Lucy was smart and she always seemed to know exactly what was going on around school. And then there was Chloe. Chloe was definitely the best-dressed Angel!

  In fact, Sophie had to admit that her biggest problem was her cousin Annabelle.

  It was weird. She and Annabelle had always been super close. In fact, they were almost like sisters. So when Sophie found out she was transferring to Annabelle’s school, she had been really excited. And in some ways it was good. Annabelle had shown Sophie around and made sure she didn’t get left out of things.

  But there was a bad side, too. Since Sophie had started at her new school, it was like Annabelle thought she’d forgotten how to talk! Annabelle kept telling the others what Sophie was thinking. And sometimes, Sophie would be about to say something and Annabelle would jump in first. Sophie had even started speaking really quickly, hoping that she could sneak in a few words!

  She didn’t know what to do about it. Annabelle was the best cousin ever. But Sophie didn’t get a chance to speak for herself when Annabelle was around.

  The Angels probably think I’m really shy, thought Sophie, fiddling with her silver charm bracelet.

  ‘I’ll read out the instructions,’ said Lucy, interrupting Sophie’s thoughts.

  USE YOUR BRAIN CHALLENGE!

  INSTRUCTIONS

  Teams must build a raft sturdy enough to travel 25 metres. Rafts must be made almost entirely out of recycled materials, and teams will be given a list of other non-recycled materials to use.

  On Friday there will be a race at the local
swimming pool to see which team has built the strongest, fastest raft.

  ‘This is going to be tough!’ said Chloe, shaking her head. ‘The last challenge was easy because we’re good at sport.’ Then she nudged Sophie, with a teasing smile. ‘Even though someone started playing for the Devils halfway through the match!’

  Sophie knew Chloe was just teasing, but she felt her face go hot anyway. She’d made a mistake and the Angels had almost lost the game. The most embarrassing thing was that Sophie had told everyone she was good at soccer!

  ‘Hey leave her alone!’ said Bonnie, pushing Chloe playfully.

  ‘Yeah, Soph’s really sorry about that,’ Annabelle said, putting her arm around Sophie. ‘But we won anyway! So let’s just concentrate on the next challenge.’

  Sophie sighed.

  ‘Does anyone know anything about making rafts?’ asked Lucy. The Angels looked at each other, shaking their heads.

  ‘Well, we probably need to do a design first,’ decided Lola. ‘Is anyone good at drawing?’

  Sophie’s heart leapt. I’m good at drawing! she thought. But just as she was about to say something, she stopped. They probably won’t believe I can do it, she realised sadly. I said I was good at soccer and then I messed up.

  Then Annabelle spoke. ‘Sophie should do the designs. She’s totally the best drawer ever. Look!’

  Annabelle picked up Sophie’s special drawing notebook and showed it to the others. On one of the pages was a drawing of a girl with wings, and underneath it said Go Angels!

  ‘Wow!’ said Lola, leaning over. ‘That is such a cool drawing!’

  ‘It’s excellent,’ agreed Bonnie. ‘Sophie, you’re definitely doing the raft designs.’

  ‘It’s not that good,’ said Sophie, feeling embarrassed. But all the same she was excited. She was sure she could do a great design. And it was nice that the other Angels seemed to think so too!