It’s the first day of soccer practice. The field is big and the kids are noisy. Sasha gets out of the car and walks to the sideline. Her stomach feels fluttery.

“Welcome!” booms the coach. He has a big voice. “We’re just playing around today,” he says.

Sasha doesn’t want to play around. She wants to sit quietly and listen to the directions. But today there are no directions.

Sasha stands by the bench and watches the girls running back and forth. There are a lot of soccer balls and a lot of feet. There are a lot of shouts carrying through the air.

“Over here!”

“Kick it to me!”

“I’m open!”

Sasha has kicked the ball in the yard with Dad. But it was nothing like this. What should she do? How can she join in?

Suddenly, Sasha hears a quiet voice right beside her.

“Hello,” the voice says. “I’m Mari. This is kind of scary.”

Sasha nods. “Want to kick with me over there?”

Sasha and Mari find an empty corner of the field to play together. They kick the ball back and forth. When the whistle blows they carry their ball back to the bench.

“See you tomorrow?” Mari asks.

Sasha nods. Her stomach feels fluttery again. She can’t wait.