“There are only 10 seconds left in this Middle School championship soccer game. We have a tie between the Waterford Warriors and the Eastside Eagles. There are many injuries in this hard-fought game. Waterford has only one player left on the field: goalie Tyler Jackson. 

“Here come the Eagles! Diaz passes the ball to Arnez on the left. Jackson moves to cover that side. A pass back over to Martin. He boots a bullet straight at the goal. 

“AMAZING! Jackson somersaults in mid-air and blocks the shot. The ball falls to the ground. Jackson takes control of the ball and leaves the goal. He kicks it straight at Eastside’s Smith. Jackson moves around him. Smith falls. Still sprinting forward, Jackson drives between two Eastside players… 

“Only two seconds left. The remaining Eastside players surround the goal. There’s no way Jackson can score… but wait! Jackson kicks the soccer ball up over his head. He leaps up, twists in midair, and kicks the ball again. Look at that ball spin!  

“The ball is curving around all the Eastside players. Eastside goalie Murphy leaps for it. He catches it, but Jackson’s shot was so powerful it sends Murphy and the ball into the goal. The horn sounds. 

“Jackson did it! He scored. The crowd goes wild! Waterford’s student representative, Lily Franklin, looks ecstatic. She is about to present the Most Valuable Player trophy to Jackson…” 

“We’re all waiting, Mr. Jackson,” repeated Mr. Scales. 

“Seven,” whispered Greg Keaty from behind Tyler. 

“Seven,” repeated Tyler, with no idea what it meant. 

“Seven is correct. Thank you, Mr. Keaty,” said Mr. Scales. His reply was far too slow to be kind. “Mr. Keaty, Mr. Jackson. Two extra Algebra chapters, due tomorrow.” 

“I should have whispered softer,” said Greg, once he and Tyler were walking down the Waterford Middle School hallway to their sixth-grade study hall. 

“I shouldn’t have been daydreaming,” mumbled Tyler. 

Greg was Tyler’s best friend. He knew Tyler was distracted by something. Greg followed Tyler’s gaze. Of course it ended at Lily Franklin. She was standing down the hall talking to a group of her friends.  

“Sure you’re not daydreaming now?” 

Tyler’s face turned every shade of red. Then he sighed. 

“You should go talk to her,” said Greg. “I hear she’s nice. She won’t bite.” 

“She’s always with a group of friends. Besides…” 

“Besides what?” 

“I’m just not that impressive. Lots of guys are smarter, better looking, better athletes…” 

“Well, you gotta try. What’s the worst that can happen?” 

They ambled down to study hall, their last period of the day. Tyler sat in his chair and looked past his homework. His imagination started to take over once more…  

What’s the worst that can happen? Tyler asks himself as he drops back to pass the ball. He’s still in the game, despite the cast wrapped around his broken foot.  

There are only thirty seconds left. Waterford is down by four points to the Millbridge Mustangs. This could be the last play of the game. The entire Waterford home crowd holds its breath as Jackson runs with the ball. He glances into the stands. Even Lily Franklin has turned away, too afraid to watch.  

None of Tyler’s receivers are open. He ignores his broken foot and runs toward the sidelines. His usual blazing speed is hampered by his cast, but his natural athleticism allows him to avoid each would-be tackler. He’s just two feet from the goal line. Jackson musters all his strength and dives over the Millbridge defenders. He seems to hang in the air… 

“The bus won’t wait forever, Mr. Jackson,” said Mrs. Klitz, who supervised the study hall session. “Study hall is over. Most students can’t wait for the final bell. Are you spending the night here?” 

Tyler said nothing as he gathered his books and rushed out to his waiting bus. At the back of the school grounds, he saw Lily Franklin. She was walking with Samara Noorani toward the neighborhood behind the school. 

So, she lives in walking distance of Waterford... 

On the bus ride home, Tyler tried to come up with a plan to impress Lily. His schoolwork was only average. He wasn’t a sports star. He’d have to think some more before he talked to her.  

Tyler’s mother met him as he got off the bus in front of his house. “Remember, you promised to mow the lawn after school today,” said his mom. “It won’t take you very long. I need to run down to the market to get a few things. I’ll be back shortly.” 

Tyler sighed and went inside his house to change his clothes. Then he walked to the garage and pulled out the old push mower.  

He started it up and began mowing the front yard. How boring! thought Tyler. Oh well, just one foot after the other… 

“What endurance! Each foot is just flying after the other. This boy was born to run. Jane, how often do you see a boy this age sprint a marathon?” 

“Well, John, he doesn’t hold the marathon world record for nothing. Here we are today at the Boston Marathon. Tyler Jackson is already a half mile ahead of his nearest competitor.” 

“Look at that, Jane! He doesn’t even slow down to grab water!” 

“And that hill, John. I think he’s running faster going up it! He truly is a finely-tuned running machine… 

“What are you doing with that machine?” yelled his dad. 

Mr. Jackson had just come home from work to find a winding path cut randomly across the lawn. 

Tyler stopped and looked around him. Oops, he thought. Guess I wasn’t paying attention. 

There wasn’t a straight line to be found. There were areas of lawn that had never even met the mower’s blades. 

“Should I start over?” asked Tyler sheepishly. 

His dad sighed. “We’ll be eating dinner soon. Most of the lawn is mowed. Maybe we’ll fix it after we eat. Go inside and wash up.” 

Today was the day. Today he would do it. Her friends would just have to wait. 

Should I introduce myself? Should I ask her out on a date? Too fast! Maybe I can walk her home? Still too fast. I could suggest that we sit together at lunch? 

Whoa! There she is. With three of her friends. Why is my heart pounding so hard? Breathe. I’ll just walk over, excuse myself, and ask to speak to her briefly… 

Suddenly, Tyler’s books flew out of his arms. They went scattering all over the hall floor. Gil Stanton walked past him without acknowledging that he had knocked into Tyler from behind. He kept walking… right toward Lily!

What? 

Tyler ignored his books on the floor and stared in horror as Gil began speaking to her. 

He’s speaking to her. She’s answering him. I thought Gil was seeing Holly Cunningham. They’re walking together, alone, down the hall… 

“Relax, Tyler,” said Greg, as he walked over from his locker. He bent over and helped Tyler collect his books. “I saw the whole thing. They’re on the student council committee together. Gil’s too much of a jerk for Lily to be interested in him.” 

“Thanks,” said Tyler, as Greg handed him his last book. “Did she smile at him? Because if she did, that means…” 

“Will you relax? Yes, she smiled at him. She smiles at everyone. I told you, she’s a nice person. That doesn’t mean they’re getting married.” 

Tyler closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed a plan, an excellent plan, to break the ice with Lily.