Chapter 1

The sun was already warm on Saturday morning, and the sound of kids laughing and shouting filled the street. Tom was the first one out the door, his skinny legs pumping as he ran across the front lawn. He loved Saturday. No school. Just play. And attention. He spotted Sally doing cartwheels on the footpath and grinned. "Hey, Sally! Watch this!" He tried to do a cartwheel too, but his arms gave out halfway and he landed in a heap on the grass. Sally stopped mid-cartwheel and laughed. "That was rubbish, Tom! You look like a wobbly jelly!" Tom scrambled up, his cheeks pink. He shoved his hands in his pockets, then quickly pulled one out to grab at the front of his shorts. He did that when he was embarrassed. Or when he needed the toilet. No one ever knew which. "I was just warming up," he said loudly. "I can do a real one. Watch." But before he could try again, Bella came walking down the path with Billy trailing behind her. Billy was holding Bella's hand, his little legs taking two steps for every one of hers. He looked nervous, his eyes big and round. "Tom, don't do anything silly," Bella said calmly. "Billy wants to play too." Tom looked at Billy. Billy was only five. He was small and clumsy and cried a lot. Tom sometimes thought Billy was a bit babyish. But Emma always said to be nice, so Tom just shrugged. "Fine. He can be on my team." Billy smiled a tiny smile and squeezed Bella's hand. Sally snorted. "Your team? We don't even have a game yet, Tom." "We will," Tom said. He grabbed at his shorts again. "Emma and Jake are coming. And Maya and Ethan. We can play footy." He said footy like it was the most important thing in the world. Just then, the screen door slammed and Emma came out, her long wavy brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing her old volleyball shorts and a faded T-shirt. "Morning, everyone," she said, her voice bright. "Who's ready for a big day?" "Me!" Tom shouted, jumping up and down. "I'm ready! I'm the fastest!" "You are not," Sally said, hands on her hips. "I'm faster." "Are not!" "Am too!" "Kids," Emma said gently, but she was laughing. She looked down the street and saw two figures walking toward them. Jake and Ethan. Jake was tall and athletic, his dark hair messy from the wind. He was already grinning. Ethan was beside him, tripping over his own feet as he tried to do some kind of dance move. He stumbled into Jake, who shoved him back. "Watch it, mate," Jake said, laughing. "You're going to break something." "Only your ego," Ethan shot back, and they both laughed. Maya came from the other direction, her long dark hair perfect even in the morning heat. She was on her phone, but she looked up and waved when she saw everyone. "Hey, guys!" she called. "What's the plan?" "Footy!" Tom shouted again, grabbing his shorts. "I'm on Emma's team." Emma smiled and ruffled his hair. "We'll see, little man." Jake's eyes landed on Emma, and his grin softened into something warmer. "Hey, Em," he said, his voice casual, but everyone except Emma noticed the slight pink on his ears. "You playing?" "Of course," Emma said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll destroy you." "Big talk," Ethan said, nudging Jake. "You going to let her talk to you like that?" Jake shrugged, trying to look cool. "She's probably right. She's got a good arm." Maya raised an eyebrow at Emma, and Emma shot her a look that said don't you dare say anything. Maya just smirked. Billy tugged on Bella's sleeve. "Can I play?" he whispered. Bella knelt down. "Of course you can. You can be the goal umpire. You get to stand in the goals and wave your arms when someone scores." Billy's face lit up. "Really?" "Really," Bella said. "I'll show you how." Tom bounced over. "Billy, you can be on my team! We're going to win!" Sally grabbed Tom's arm. "No, he's on my team! I called it first!" "You didn't call anything!" "Did too!" Emma clapped her hands. "Alright, enough. We'll pick teams properly. Jake and I will be captains." Jake nodded, and his grin got wider. "I pick Emma," he said quickly. Ethan burst out laughing. "Mate, you can't pick her first. She's the other captain." "Oh," Jake said, his ears going red. "Right. I pick... Ethan." "Good choice," Ethan said, slapping him on the back. "I'm the best player here." "You tripped over a garden hose on the way here," Maya said dryly. "That was on purpose," Ethan said, winking at her. Maya rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. Emma picked Tom, which made him puff out his chest and grab his shorts proudly. Then she picked Bella, because Bella was good at keeping everyone calm. Sally got picked by Jake, and she immediately started bossing Ethan around. Billy stood quietly, not sure if anyone would want him. Emma noticed. "Billy, you're on my team too," she said. "You're our secret weapon." Billy beamed. And then they were off, running toward the oval at the end of the street, the morning sun warm on their backs, laughter trailing behind them like a kite string. Jake fell into step beside Emma. "So," he said, trying to sound casual, "you ready to lose?" Emma laughed. "You wish." And she ran ahead, leaving Jake watching her go, a soft smile on his face. Maya caught up to him. "You're not very subtle, you know," she whispered. Jake's face went red. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Sure you don't," Maya said, and she ran after Emma. Tom was already at the oval, spinning in circles, grabbing his shorts and shouting, "I'm going to kick the winning goal! I'm going to be a hero!" Sally was trying to do a handstand. Billy was holding Bella's hand, watching the big kids with wide eyes. And Ethan was running full speed toward the goalposts, tripped over nothing, and landed flat on his face. Everyone laughed. Even Maya. Especially Maya. And Jake looked at Emma, who was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes, and he thought that maybe this was the best Saturday ever.