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have scored.
    Another ten minutes passed before Brunswick Valley managed to attack again. This time Julie scrambled the ball out of the goal area to Shay, who kept possession while Edison ran upfield. Shay looped the ball high over the two defenders who were marking Edison. As they watched the ball, Edison slipped away from them. He gauged where the ball would fall and caught it on his foot. Something — someone — loomed beside him. From the corner of his eye he saw it was Lily. Without thinking he flipped the ball over her, at the same time jumping clear of her lunge at him. She stumbled past him and fell, leaving Edison with an open goal except for the keeper, who slipped and fell as he raced forward to cut down Edison’s shooting angle.
    From the bench, Steve shouted, “Chip it over him!”
    The goalkeeper scrambled to his feet and backpedalled frantically toward the net.
    Steve shouted again, “Chip it over him!”
    Edison considered chipping the ball. If he didn’t kick it hard enough, it would land in the goalkeeper’s arms, making Edison look foolish. On the other hand, if he kicked it too hard, it would sail over the crossbar, making Edison look like a complete idiot for missing an open goal.
    Steve screamed, “Kick the freakin’ ball!”
    Something slammed into Edison’s back and he crashed to the ground on his face. Lily stepped over him and poked the ball back to the goalkeeper, who sent it high into Brunswick Valley’s end of the pitch.
    Centreville’s goal, when it came late in the game, caught Edison by surprise. It caught his teammates, and even Centreville, by surprise too. Only a few minutes were left to play, and it seemed the game was at a goalless stalemate. The defences had prevailed throughout, and neither side had come close to scoring, apart from Edison’s two missed chances.
    He watched as a mighty kick by Lily sent the ball from the Centreville goal area toward the Brunswick Valley end, high over the heads of all the defenders except Toby and Linh-Mai. The Centreville striker met the ball with his forehead, sending it back into the air over Toby and Linh-Mai. The striker ran between them and headed the ball on again. Amy rushed from her goalmouth and jumped for it, but couldn’t reach it before he headed it one more time — over her outstretched arms and into the net.
    The referee whistled for the end of the game.
    Mr. Field greeted his team with, “Hard luck,” and, “Well played” as they left the field. He said quietly to Edison, “You played a good game. Don’t get uptight about pulling out of that shot. Things like that happen.”
    Edison mumbled, “Thanks,” at the same time thinking, But things like that don’t happen to me. Or they never used to . And don’t get uptight about it? Right — like Mr. Field knew what it was like to screw up in front of crowds of people .
    Edison and his teammates boarded the van in gloomy silence.

6
    The Dorchester All Stars
    They were still silent as Mr. Grease drove out of Centreville, heading north.
    Suddenly Julie burst out, “We were pathetic.”
    â€œWe were just unlucky,” Shay protested.
    â€œLike heck, we were unlucky,” said Steve. He looked across Linh-Mai at Edison. “You should have scored at least once.”
    Edison had been gazing out the window at a bleak landscape of clearcut forest. He started. “Me?”
    â€œOf course, you.”
    Linh-Mai, tense and wide-eyed, looked from Steve to Edison.
    â€œThat’s not fair,” said Shay. “Edison played a good game. He got round Lily lots of times …”
    â€œOnly because I wore her down in the first half.”
    â€œâ€¦ And he did that great long shot that hit the bar.”
    â€œAnd he missed an open goal.” Steve glared at Edison. “All you had to do was kick the ball over the keeper.”
    â€œAnyone can miss an open