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25/04/2011 written & updated

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Soccer is her life. It is Sheewa Ayooma’s life. She lives and breathes for the sport. She’d do anything for it and that was one thing that worried Yuma Askiwa, her best friend.

One day on her last soccor match of the season... Sheewa was awaiting that sound of the whistle, its piercing cries. She looked on the sideline and saw her dad, her soccer coach, her brother and her best friend. They smiled and waved at her as she glanced over at them screaming words of encouragement. Sheewa smiled in response and then returned to neutral position.

Beep. The whistle sounded.

Sheewa took the ball without hassle, she dribbled it passed one of the opposing team members in their stripy black and gold uniform and then saw the image of one of her team mates and endeavoured to pass it to her.

She lightly kicked it though flying a meter across. The girl screamed, her hands flying into the air and then she began swearing at Sheewa as though it was an attack. The opposition took it and began going over to their goal. Sheewa rolled her eyes and then followed them. The rest of the members were now sitting on the floor, doing their nails and even teasing the seriousness of the other players.

The whistle sounded. "GOAL!"

*I guess I have to do this myself...*

Sheewa then returned to neutral position and when the whistle sounded again she grabbed the ball, and without halting any limitations ran towards the other side like a bullet. Upon reaching the goal, she hastily moved her legs to the left in which the goalie followed then to her right and kicked it in.

“GOAL!” the man screamed and she could hear her friend, Ayuma practically screaming from the top of her lungs again and again. She turned over to her and saw the image of her best friend doing this weird sort of dance which sent her brother and her father in mere astonishment. Sheewa then returned to neutral position...

 

“3-10!” yelled the referee by the end of the two halves.

Sheewa ran off the grounds to where her father and her brother sat. Her father was smiling, his very usual smile and her brother was smiling as well clearly impressed and her friend who was practically beaming couldn’t restrain her happiness any longer at the sight of her. She jumped on her and then began twirling her round in  jagged circles, holding onto both hands.

“okay okay... my dad and brother is going to think I’m crazy.” She stopped her motions and then looked over to her dad, still with that smile. There was something about the way he usually smiled at her that told her that he wasn’t exactly interested in the fact that she had won, it was more of an ‘of course she would win they but she’s my daughter so I should smile’ smile but it was that sort of desire of a change of expression that motivated her.

“That was great... you got all the points Sheewa...” her brother said without looking at her (as usual) as he smiled and then opened his arms out for her. She hugged him.

“Um, father...” Ayuumi said to Sheewas father. She usually called him father because they were that close as friends. “Can I take Sheewa out somewhere, just for a while?”

“okay.” Her father said. He looked sort of angry, as usual. “be back by 6 okay?”

“I promise.” She replied and then wrapped her arms around Sheewas and practically dragged her all the way... away from the soccer field. “Oh Sheewa you smell! So horrible, so gross!” Sheewa laughed and then looked over at her friend’s face which was depicted with sadness. “Why are you sad Sheewa...?” she said, her eyes edged in sadness even worse. “didn’t you win...?”

“No Ayuumi... don’t act as though you didn’t see it. My team mates are--"she didn't know how to describe it nicely. "pointless... they are bad at soccer. The other team was bad too...”

“No—no...” said Sheewa trying to think of an escape.

“no what?”

“At least you tried?”

“No Ayuumi...” she said and then she removed her arm from hers. “I want a challenge. I can’t stand this anymore. I’ve been in the same team for 6 years! It’s time I joined a team with my level of skill... I’m wasting it all like this!”

Ayuumi looked around in despair for some sign of support but saw none. “okay, but you know that I can’t do anything about it right?”

“I’m not asking you to...” said Sheewa. But her mind was too enraptured by something to apologise for her past words that might not have meant anything offensive like she would’ve usually done. She was serious. “I want to join the boy’s team.”

“What?!” said Ayuumi. “you—you can’t!”

“well I can try.” She said. “I’m asking my dad—tonight.”

“but you know how the districts are...? you can’t join another team if you are not in their local! This is the only team that will allow you--“ she was now chasing after Sheewa’s fast moving steps. “Sheewa!”

“well then I’m moving schools!” Sheewa replied bluntly and then Ayuumi ran in front of her and rapidly shook her shoulders.

“but you have to be a boy! You really—really! Don’t think about it Sheewa please!”

“why?”
Ayuumi wore a serious expression. “Because whenever you think that you want of something you immediately do anything to get it and you can’t wait another day...”

“that’s right, I can’t.”

Ayuumi exhaled a gulp of air *oh no... what can I do now?* “Sheewa did you not hear me?! you have to be a boy!”

“we’ll then I’ll pose as one. I will pose as Shoowa Ayooma.”

“No—“said Ayuumi. “you will not!”

“You saw them... they ! They are making me lose my motivation for the sport I live for. That’s the least I want... if they act as though soccer means nothing then I’ll start to think hat way.”

“no you won’t because I’ll be there.”

Sheewa groaned and then took her head in her hands. “They act as though soccer is some sort of reputation they can just wear on their shoulders and seduce with guys! I need CHALLENGE!”

“You know your fathers never going to let you?”

“My father wouldn’t care if I had to move to a boy’s school and dress up as one if it meant for sport.”

When Sheewa returned home at 6pm sharp she went up into her room and got changed into her pyjamas. She then looked at her reflection in the mirror and began rehearsing her lines of persuasion for one of the biggest most dangerous requests of her life.

She cupped her hands into balls and then stared up at the ceiling, putting it into the air in victory. Then she slammed open the door and entered the kitchen where the smoke that circulated the area warmed her and passed off the smell of creamy chicken. Sheewa could see her father conversing with her mother as he sat on a stool, reading a newspaper, his reading spectacles on totally a different scene from when he was out on the court... totally different. Her mother wore an apron with her hair tied up. She mixed with a wooden spoon the contents of their future meal. Sheewa sat on her own stool and then said to her father;

“Father, I need to ask you something, very very important.”

“what is it?” her father said, not looking over from his newspaper.
She took another deep breath. She somehow felt this was suicide. The look of her father’s strong build made her have sceptical thoughts on whether or not she was doing was totally safe. “I want to move schools.”

“why?”

“Because of the soccer team.”

“okay.” her father said neutrally. If it was sport, it didn’t matter what it was.

Sheewa breathed a sigh. She thought that she was going to get yelled at instantly but seeing that this was a success... her heart felt almost relieved. But then the worst asking was to come. She looked over at her mother, who didn’t really seem interested. Usually, she would be out at work doing her business schedules. Her father and mother would usually fight because of their different belief systems: that sport and work shouldn’t collide together but since her mother wasn’t usually home, sport always got the best of her and now it was irreversible.

“okay...” she said, almost smiling. “now... can I ask something else?”

Her father now had an uncomfortable expression on his face. He looked up at her and placed the newspaper away.

She suddenly wished that she had just said it all in one go.

“can I move to your school?”

“it’s an all boys school... how is that possible?” he said. Her father was one of the soccer coaches for the champion soccer school of the state.

“yea...” said Sheewa, hinting where this was going.

Sheewa’s fathers face turned pale, then green. His nose was screwed up from anger by then and he shook his head continuously. He then looked up at his daughter, who looked frightened at the prospect and her mother who had stopped cooking and had turned to where they were both sitting, as she waited the verdict.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” he yelled.

Her heart tore to pieces.

*since he’s angry, might as well say it* “but dad!” she complained. “All the girls’ schools don’t meet my standard. My love for soccer is being washed away but their lack of motivation dad! I need a challenge! You saw them today right...? they—they !”

Her father said nothing.

“you know I’m not improving you know that’s why I haven’t improved as much as I could’ve. I want to improve dad but there’s no one up to my standard to allow me to improve. If I move into a boys school... I’ll become tons better! I’m just as good too! Dad, I promise I won’t let you down!”

“go to your room. That was a stupid thought.” He said. “do you know what you are saying? You are requesting to be enrolled in a school infested with incredible amounts of testosterone!”
“but they won’t know I’m a boy!” she complained.

“go into your room before I smack you!” he said and then pointed to the opposite of the room where her door sat.

She got up from her stool and then walked towards it, her head turned down but then she looked up *there’s no way...*. Venturing, she turned around and said from the hall way, her voice clearly audible enough for anyone evident in the house to hear. “Then I quit soccer... I’d rather quit while I still love it. Then quit when I’ve lost all love for it.”

And she opened the door then closed it. A silence followed throughout the house and her mother looked at her father and shook her head at the sight of him.

“what? You can’t expect our daughter to be in a boy’s school!”

“But you know she’s only doing it for soccer. She hasn’t seemed interested in a boy since she was 5. You know, I’m worried that she might not even be interested in boys... yes it might be dangerous but maybe if she goes to this school she would have more respect and love for boys and discover her uality there... this is a very confusing stage for her. Soccer has always been in her life. Waking up, sleeping... she dosen’t even have a friend. Ayuumi is her only friend.”

“I don’t care. Boys is bad. And she’s not gay.”

Her mother tilted her head at him with dangerous eyes.

“okay... maybe that is something we have to worry about but...—“

When Sheewa closed the door, she began crying. The worst thing was, she had declared that she was going to quit... and her father was sure to make her feel embarrassed if she began playing again after making a statement and second of all, they were discussing her uality of all things when she could clearly hear it as though it was practically normal!
She flung herself on her bed and then buried the covers over her. Then she closed her eyes and just allowed herself to cry as she fell asleep.

 

At night. Her father opened the door and left a note beside her cupboard. When Sheewa awoke, she saw it lying there, beside her cupboard. She knew it must’ve been dropped from earlier because she would’ve noticed anything misplaced considering how tidy and ‘in order’ her room was (because of her father).

She took it into her palm and then opened it. She read the contents...

I am sorry for yesterday. I don’t want you to quit soccer and I see your talent. If you really want to play soccer, I will allow you to go to a boy’s school in condition that it will be your brothers school, Saeranheiog Boy's high school instead... that is, if you can prove to me that you can qualify as one.

She practically jumped at those words and flopped herself onto her bed. *Saeranheiog Boy's... one of the worst soccer groups in the state... but oh well, I’ll take it.*