Ava Sample's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Ava Sample wanted one thing at recess: to talk to the new girl. The new girl had transferred last week, and Ava had a plan. She kept a glittery pink smiley sticker in her pocket, saved for exactly this. If the new girl liked it, they could be friends, and Ava would never be alone again. She hated being alone. Her friends kept leaving her. She still had not beaten the last boss in her video game because everyone quit before the end. But the new girl was already busy. She stood in the middle of the field, kicking a soccer ball to four other kids. Ava's plan needed one thing, and the field had four things in the way. Ava walked closer. She squeezed the sticker in her fist. "Hi," she called. "Do you want to see something cool?" The ball rolled to a stop. A girl with a high black ponytail stepped in front of it. A pink ribbon bounced at the back of her head. She looked Ava up and down, slow, the way you check the bottom of your shoe. "We're playing," the girl said. "You're not on a team." "I know you," Ava said. "You're the captain. Ploy." "Then you know I pick," Ploy said. "And I don't pick you." She flicked her ponytail and turned back to the game. Ava's cheeks went hot. The other kids waited for the ball. The new girl watched from across the field, curious. Ava could feel her one chance sliding away with each second. She made a fast choice. She stepped onto the field, right where the ball sat. "Let me play. I'll be good, I promise." Ploy laughed. "You don't even know the rules." She kicked the ball hard, past Ava, straight into the group. "Go find somebody who wants you." The words landed like a slap. Ava stood frozen. But then the new girl jogged over, chasing the ball, and stopped right beside her. Up close, she was out of breath and smiling. "That was mean," the new girl whispered. "She's always like that." Ava's heart jumped. Here was her opening. She opened her fist. The glittery smiley sticker caught the sun. "I saved this," Ava said. "You can have it." The new girl's eyes went wide. She reached out. But Ploy called her name, sharp, from the field. "We need you! Come on!" The new girl froze between them. She looked at the sticker, then at her team. "I have to go," she said. "But—meet me after school? By the front gate?" Then she ran back to the game, back to Ploy. Ava closed her hand around the sticker. She had not made a friend. Not yet. But she had a meeting spot and a time, and she had learned the real problem's name. Ploy was the captain. Ploy picked the teams. And Ploy would never, ever pick Ava.