Friends . . . Not Just Teammates

“Mom!” I raced downstairs to where Mom was jotting down items on her ever-growing to-do list. “Mom, I’ve earned enough money!”

“Okay,” Mom looked at me blankly. “Remind me what you’re saving up for?”

“A new soccer ball!” I cried. I already had one, but my baby sister had scribbled all over it with permanent markers. Naturally, I wanted a new ball before soccer club started again this fall.

“Oh, Madison,” sighed my mom. “We can’t go right now—your sister is sleeping. Your dad can take you after dinner, thought.”

Several hours later, Dad and I walked into the sports store . . . finally!

While Dad looked for a new bike pump, I hurried to the back of the store and surveyed the soccer balls. One leaped out at me—blue with yellow lightning bolts! As I snatched the ball off the shelf, I noticed a girl about my age looking enviously at me. I’d seen her before, but where?

She recognized me, too. “Hey, I remember you from soccer club. Remember me? I’m Olivia.”

Right . . . Olivia, the girl who was new last spring. I had felt sorry for her, because her family didn’t have much money and she couldn’t buy a soccer ball or gear like the other girls.

“Hi, Olivia,” I smiled. “I’m Madison, if you don’t remember my name. How come you’re here?”

“I’m  just looking.” Olivia sighed sadly. “I can’t afford a soccer ball.”

I recalled how I wanted a new ball, although I had a perfectly good one. There was nothing wrong with it. The way it looked didn’t matter, and Olivia needed a ball far more than I did.

“Here,” I told Olivia. “I’ll buy you a ball, Okay?”

Olivia’s eyes were wide, but they narrowed with disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

I shook my head, putting the blue ball away. “We’re teammates in soccer club. Which one do you want?”

“Wow!” Olivia grinned, studying the balls. She settled on a pink one. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem,” I assured her with a smile, happy to have made a new friend.