-No Doubt, 'Home Now'
The late May skies held none of the mild and sunny spring weather that its earlier weeks had, but the steady drizzling of rain did not prevent Koby from attending 6 soccer practices and 7 training sessions a week. Often she would walk through the front door of her house covered in mud, soaking and exhausted, much to her mother�s chagrin.
�I don�t know how you managed to get so filthy, but if you so much as leave a trace of that much anywhere in this house you will be scrubbing that room until it shines,� her mother would warn her upon her entrance into the front hall.
Her mother was true to her word as well. No matter how careful Koby was, or how hard she tried to get the mud out of her clothes and off of her skin, Koby always wound up cleaning one room or another.
Koby had eventually gotten sick of scrubbing until her muscles ached, so she had began to stop at Haruka and Michiru�s house everyday to shower and change before heading home. It had been their idea, and Koby had accepted their offer immediately. She relished the opportunity to spend time with the people she now considered her adoptive parents.
Today the rain was coming down exceptionally hard, and Koby, shivering in her t-shirt and soccer shorts, could not wait for her practice to end so that she could escape to the warmth of Haruka�s car, but she didn�t let it show. This was the last soccer practice for the J.V. team, as their last game was the next day, and Koby wanted to leave a lasting impression on the Varsity coach, Mike. He had hinted to the J.V. team earlier in the season that if he wanted to move any of them up to Varsity for the state championship games, he would be letting them know today or tomorrow.
Currently Koby was playing in goal as the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams scrimmaged each other. As usual she was covered from head to toe in mud and grass, and the J.V. team was losing. Of course the Varsity team was much older and talented than the younger JV players, but Koby didn�t feel that that was a good excuse for a loss at all. In fact, she hated losing in any situation, no matter what the odds were.
�Watch left guys!� she called to her defense, becoming increasingly aggravated at their slow response. �Just because it�s the last practice doesn�t mean you can slack off,� Koby thought bitterly as the left defender retreated slowly to cover the Varsity striker. Satisfied that she had at least listened to her, Koby looked back at where the action was happening and let out a small groan. Instead of rushing up and charging the Varsity player with the ball, her teammates were hanging back, intimidated. �Charge her someone! Don�t just let her run through you!� Koby ordered.
Five minutes later, after several more screamed directions from Koby, the coach blew his whistle and said, �Okay, that wraps up practice for today. I expect you all here tomorrow at 4:00 sharp. J.V. plays first at 5:00, Varsity follows at 7:30, but all of you will be here at 4:00.�
Gratefully Koby pulled off her goalie gloves and began to walk off of the field, aware that she was going to head straight for another grueling training session after this. �This hasn�t been a great day,� she grumbled as she vainly tried to wipe a large patch of mud off her knee.
�Poor Koby. You look wasted,� Jane sympathized from behind her. �Bad day?�
�The worst.� Koby agreed without looking back. �Three tests, a pop quiz in Algebra, a pile of homework, I�m freezing and I feel like shit.� As if to prove her last point, Koby sneezed three times in a row suddenly. �Ugh.�
�Bless you,� Jane said, tenderly patting Koby�s mud covered shoulder. �Do you know if Mike wants you on Varsity yet?�
�Nope. But I sure hope he tells me soon. The waiting is driving me crazy.�
Before Jane could say anything else, Koby heard Bill calling her name.
�Better go,� Koby told Jane as her stomach lurched nervously. �This is probably it.�
�I�ll wait for you,� Jane said as Koby trotted off to where Bill and Mike were talking in the middle of the field.
�You called?� Koby asked as she approached.
�I did. Koby, Mike would like you to play up on Varsity for tomorrow�s game. How would you feel about that?�
Koby allowed herself a grin before answering. �I�d love to, but, who�d play goal for J.V.?�
�You�ll play half of J.V. and Bill will put Kelly in for the second half. She�s had some keeper experience before,� Mike told her, his brown eyes studying her. �Erin will start in the Varsity game, and you�ll play the second half. It shouldn�t be much of a challenge. It�s only B.M.A. we�re playing after all. If you do well in both games I�m going to keep you on as a back up goalie for the tournament.�
Koby�s heart leapt. She could barely believe what she was hearing. �Okay, that sounds good to me. Should I just wear my J.V. shorts and socks in the Varsity game?�
�We�ll have a uniform here for you tomorrow, don�t worry,� Mike told her. �You�ve had quite an impressive season so far � I�m pleased with your leadership and with your skills in goal. You�ll be a valuable asset to the team.� With one of his rare smiles on his face, Mike reached out and clasped Koby�s shoulder in a fatherly fashion. �Now go home and get some rest. You look like you could use it.�
Koby allowed herself a tired grin. �Thank you so much for this opportunity. I�ll see you tomorrow!� She gave her coaches a wave and jogged off the field and began gathering up her equipment.
�So,� Jane�s voice came from behind her, �what�s the news?�
Koby quickly filled her in on the details while putting on a dry sweatshirt overtop of her dirty t-shirt.
�That�s great! Congratulations! Think this will get your mom to actually come see her daughter play?�
�Nah,� Koby said as the two started walking to the parking lot to meet their rides. �I hope you�re using the term �daughter� loosely. I�m afraid I�m not much more than a trophy for her. She won�t come to the game, but she�ll do her fare share of bragging.�
By this time the two had reached Haruka�s convertible. Koby noted that the top was up � a rare occurrence for Haruka�s car. The tall woman loved the feel of the wind in her hair too much to close it off when it rained.
�Well, my family will be there to watch,� Jane told Koby reassuringly. �And you have two avid fans in that car there.� Jane gestured to Haruka and Michiru with one hand. �You�re with them so much that they�re as good as immediate family.� Jane was under the impression that Haruka and Michiru were long lost second cousins three times removed (or some such jargon) from Koby�s father�s side of the family.
�You�re right.� Koby smiled warmly at Jane. �Thanks for cheering me up. I�ll see you tomorrow.�
�Bye!� Jane darted off to the warmth of her mother�s car and Koby threw her equipment into the trunk of the convertible, then crawled into the backseat after Michiru got out to give her room.
�Tough practice?� Haruka asked as she maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.
�Isn�t it always?� Koby replied good-naturedly. Another succession of sneezes followed her question.
�Ara,� Michiru said, slightly concerned. �You seem to be getting sick Koby.�
�It�s nothing,� Koby insisted, ignoring the mental and physical pain in her body. �I got moved up to Varsity today,� she said in an effort to change the subject.
�That�s wonderful!� Michiru exclaimed, turning around in her seat to beam at Koby. �I told you that you would.�
�Yes, congratulations,� Haruka added, her pride obvious in her voice. �This calls for a celebration I think. We�ll skip training tonight and go out for dinner, just the three of us.�
�But�� Koby protested. �I need to train. I�m not even close enough to being ready!�
Haruka, however, continued on, ignoring Koby�s objections. �You can shower at our place while I go t your house and pick you up some clothes. When I get back you can get changed and then we�ll go out.�
�Sounds like a fine plan to me,� Michiru said.
Koby could do nothing but gape.
�Let me call my mom really quick before you go rushing off to my house,� Koby told Haruka once they had arrived and Michiru had excused herself to go use the bathroom before Koby�s shower.
�Okay, but be quick.�
Koby ran into the kitchen and phoned her mother at work.
�Diana Simmons,� came the normal greeting.
�Hey mom, guess what?�
�Make it quick, I�ve got to leave in a few minutes to catch my plane.�
�Plane?� Koby asked, incredulous.
�Emergency business trip to Canada,� was all the explanation her mother gave. �I�ll be gone for a week. I�ve already made arrangements for you to stay with Jane. Now was there something you had to tell me?�
Koby was speechless. �Oh, nothing,� she muttered. �Mike moved me up to Varsity, that�s all.�
�Good for you,� her mother said with a complete lack of enthusiasm. �Wish I could talk longer, but I�ve got to run. Be back in a week.�
Before Koby could say goodbye to her mother, she had hung up.
Haruka watched Koby with a puzzled expression from the doorway to the garage. �Everything okay?�
Koby nodded. �Mom�s going away for a week. I�m staying with Jane until she gets back.�
�Of course you won�t, you�ll stay with us. Get on that phone and call Jane. I�ll bring you back extra clothes and your textbooks. And no protesting. I can see you formulating some kind of protest. Now give me your keys and I�ll be off.�
Koby stared at Haruka, mouth slightly ajar, eyes wide open. After a moment of standing there dumbfounded she finally managed to croak out a, �Who me? Protest?�
Haruka chuckled. �Yes you. You�re one of the most stubborn people I know.�
�I don�t doubt it,� Koby muttered. �Keys are in the side pocket of my soccer bag � which is still in your car. I�ll see you soon.�
Haruka gave a small wave then turned and walked out to her car.
Koby turned back to the phone to call Jane before Michiru came back downstairs. She hadn�t told her friend everything about the Japanese couple, but Jane didn�t ask questions about their mysterious appearance and Koby�s strong attachment to them. She merely assumed that they were visiting family members. After all, they didn�t look too foreign.
�Hey Jane,� Koby said when her friend answered. �You know how I�m supposed to be staying with you for a week��
Chapter 11
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