Chapter 3: Chapter 3

“Get forward, I can’t defend all on my own!” shouted Marcus to his defense in front of him as he began to save every single shot that came his way nervously.

“They’re doing their best!” shouted Oliver, who was in charge of defensive midfield. He, too, had been giving it his all on the football pitch that night.

Then, just when the match seemed to be drawing to a close, and it seemed to have been won and over with for Aberdeen High, there appeared to be three minutes of time added on for stoppage time.

Wellington High was pressing for one last attack when their captain Tom Brody had charged forward and tackled Oliver Peabody, subsequently taking the ball from him and passing it to his teammate Jamie Drinkwater. Oliver was playing deep in his defense and onto his side’s end of the field.

Jamie had charged forward towards goal and had a clear goal-scoring opportunity as there were no defenders on his right or left-hand side as he charged forward, only Marcus. Marcus came charging ahead to try and win the ball from Jamie, but instead of successfully doing so, he slid in an attempt to win the ball from him, but instead of winning the ball, he actually brought him down and while doing so incurred an injury and a red card! Jamie’s studs had collided with Marcus’s knee leading to a knee injury for him.

The referee had given Marcus a straight red card and awarded Wellington High a penalty as he denied Jamie a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Marcus was screaming in sheer agonizing pain when he had been stretchered off the field.

“And it looks like a reckless challenge from Marcus the Aberdeen High goalkeeper has brought his team down to ten men. It looks like they need a miracle if they’re to win this match three-two and not bring the tie to extra time after incurring a penalty so late in the game!” said the commentator who was calling the drama that this game had brought.

Aberdeen High had used up two of their substitutes, which meant that Shane would have to come on and make his first-ever appearance for Aberdeen High!

“I don’t believe it!” said Shane watching from the substitute’s bench. “Finally, the opportunity to shine!” he thought to himself.

“Just go out there and give it your all and remember just don’t fold under pressure….remember Marissa is watching!” said Kevin as he tensed the shoulders of Shane just as Shane was about to make his way on the pitch.

“I sure hope so!” said Shane feeling nervous as he was coming on.

Shane had come on in place of Benjamin Cross, a striker as they were down to ten men.

“Yesss, yes, yes, Shane finally makes his debut and first-ever appearance for Aberdeen High!” said Marissa thrilled at seeing Shane having come on the pitch to try and save a penalty from Wellington High.

“I’m just as happy as you care for him, but I just hope it goes well for him… after all, the match does go to extra time if he concedes this penalty, and who knows what could happen then!” said Sam cautiously.

“Huh?...you’re right! I just hope Shane saves this one! It’s making me nervous, just watching!” said Marissa, closely observing.

Suddenly she had an idea. She said: “Hey, I know, let’s give a special cheer for Shane to know we’re behind him!”

“That’s a good idea!” said Sam agreeing.

Shane had made his way into the six-yard box where he prepared himself to save the penalty which Wellington High’s captain Tom Brody was to take.

He felt nervous all over and thought about what Marissa would think were he to let this one go in.

“And it looks like Shane Foster the number thirteen for Aberdeen High has made his way down the pitch and is getting ready to save this penalty from an experienced Tom Brody! said the commentator.

“Shane looked on and suddenly saw that Marissa from the cheerleaders' section had prepared a special cheer just for Shane.

She said while leading her team:

“Give me a G

Give me an O

Give me an S

Give me an H

Give me an A

Give me an N

Give me an E

Go, Shane…. Go Shane!” said all the cheerleaders from Aberdeen High, showing their support.

“Huh?” said Shane, who was watching in astonishment as to the kind of support and confidence they displayed in him.

Everyone from his team and the opposition team and their supporters and Kevin watched shocked as to the kind of support Shane was receiving. No one, in particular, had ever been cheered on like that before.

“And it looks like these ladies have a special thing for Shane Foster ladies and gentlemen! They are cheering him on as he prepares himself to try and save this penalty on the ninety-third minute for his team!” said the commentator amazed by the kind of support Shane was receiving.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on Shane now who was standing there determined now more than ever to try and save the penalty from Tom. “This one’s for Marissa!” he thought to himself.

“And this will be the last kick of the game if Shane Foster saves this one!” said the commentator announcing to everyone in the stadium.

Tom Brody, while making his run-up was coming slowly and calmly. Shane was watching his run-up, and after carefully studying and observing the movement of his feet decided to stay exactly where he was and try and block the shot. He agreed that by seeing that Tom’s run-up indicated that he was going to hit it to his left, but the way his foot had come forward for the shot meant he would run it to his right. So he decided to stay exactly where he was!

And luckily for Shane, he had managed to guess right as the ball was coming towards his left-hand side very near to his hands and since it came with a lot of power and pace, Shane had merely decided to jump and block the shot away as hard as he could with his fists.

The match was over with that, and Shane Foster had managed to save a ninety-third-minute penalty meaning his team had run out three-two victors on the night!!!

The Aberdeen High supporters had gone wild with excitement and joy as after witnessing such late drama, their team had still progressed to the next round of sixteen!

“And he saves it, he saves it, ladies and gentlemen, he saves it! He denies Wellington High a chance to go to extra time and secures progression for his team after a heroic display! Surely Shane Foster is our man of the match for this evening!” said the commentator thrilled with the kind of display at hand.

“Oh, boy! I just knew Shane would save it, and we would win!” said Marissa, who couldn’t control her excitement after what she had just witnessed.

“Shane Foster is now the hero of Aberdeen High!” remarked Sam.

“Way to go dude!” said Kevin giving Shane the thumbs up after Shane could spot Kevin past the sea of teammates who came forward to congratulate him on his heroic performance.

“You were terrific Shane, way to go!” said Oliver hugging him

“No, we were all terrific, especially you guys!” said Oliver modestly.

“And that’s all we have for you from this evening folks, join us in our next game when Aberdeen High take on Cashville High in our next round of sixteen matches next week!” said the commentator bringing the evening’s football to an end.

Soon Shane picked up his man of the match award from a representative reporter of the ‘Inter-State High School Tournament’. He was asked, “How did it feel when you were going up there to try and save that penalty, were you nervous?”

Shane honestly replied, “When I went up there, I felt extremely nervous, and I knew that I had to save the penalty for my team to secure progression into the next round. Thankfully I guessed correctly and managed to save the penalty. A lot of credit deserves to my teammates without whom none of this would have been possible!”

“Well, aren’t you a modest one!” replied the representative reporter handing him his man of the match accolade.

“Thank you!” said Shane receiving.

The college scout from Manchester University had viewed this entire football match with much observation and was undoubtedly impressed by Shane’s performance

Soon, when they were outside and ready to make their way home, Kevin, Marissa, and Sam came forward to congratulate Shane personally.

“Dude, you were awesome!” said Kevin hugging and congratulating Shane.

“Yeah, you did put up a tremendous performance out there!” said Marissa congratulating.

“Way to go, Shane!” said Sam adding her bit of congratulations as well.

“Thanks, guys, but I couldn’t have done it without you! Marissa, I can’t thank you enough for the cheer you and your team gave me. It boosted my confidence and gave me the confidence to save the penalty. And Kevin, thanks for always being there for me, man; I owe you a lot always!”

“Don’t mention it!” said Marissa graciously and modestly slowly blushing in front of Shane now.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry. How about we go for some tacos right now?” suggested Sam.

“Let’s go for Tacos, everyone!” agreed to Shane as they all went for a meal together after their hectic, tiring yet thrilling and enjoyable evening.

Living The Dream

The next morning, at the breakfast table, Shane’s mum Gertrude had asked Shane about his match from the previous night.

“How was your game, honey? Did you enjoy yourself?”

Shane replied with a lot of enthusiasm. “Game was wonderful, mum! I came on and saved a penalty and was awarded the man of the match award for my heroic display. I saved the penalty on the ninety-third minute for my team. We now play Cashville High in our match next Saturday!”

“Well, I wish you the very best of luck, but in the meantime, do keep your eyes open for those college scholarships and admission requirements that are so important for you at this time.” said his Mum wishing him the very best but also carefully looking out for him.

“Will do mum!” said Shane chomping down the eggs she made for his breakfast. He was hungry that morning!

The following Monday at school, Shane and Kevin quickly came forward to meet each other with the thrill and excitement of the previous Saturday night still blazing within them.

“I’ll never forget that night! The way Marissa looked at me and supported me when I was about to take the penalty, she made my evening and my day after as well!” said Shane dazed with love in his eyes looking up at the sky above him.

“You dreamer you!” said Kevin, who found Shane’s childish behavior rather amusing.

“I hope I’m able to win that scholarship! It would be so much fun being able to spend four years in college together with Marissa!” said Shane talking seriously all of a sudden.

“Well dude, for that you’re gonna have to keep your performances like Saturday night’s consistent and you better hope that Marcus stays injured for the rest of the tournament period!” replied Kevin

“What do you mean?” asked Shane, who was listening intently what Kevin had to say.

“What I mean is, is that I checked on the tournament website again, and the college scout was thoroughly impressed by your performance on Saturday night and gave you the highest rating and the most favorable review, more than anyone else. Also, Marcus is expected to be injured for a long time, probably even the rest of the tournament campaign! If he stays injured and in bed rest, then you’ll be starting for the team throughout the tournament!” said Kevin explaining.

“Whoa! I could be in the starting line-up for the rest of the tournament, and Marcus wouldn’t even be there to bully me or be mean to me! Then I’d surely have a chance of winning Marissa over and even possibly getting a scholarship to Manchester University!” said Shane getting excited.

“Just remember, Marissa likes you for who you are as a person, not for your performances on the pitch, and also that college scholarship is going to be based on your performances, so you have to give it your absolute all on the pitch against Cashville High on Saturday evening. And don’t get too carried away, it’s just one brilliant individual display, you’ll be playing an entire match on Saturday evening, which means no room for error or bloopers of any sort!” warned Kevin.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right!” said Shane acknowledging his friend’s words.

“Oh, and one other thing!” said Kevin.

“Yeah?” asked Shane.

Kevin answered, “On the website based on the heroic performance they’ve nicknamed you…The Good Keeper!”

“Wow…that’s amazing!” said Shane, who suddenly felt honored of being given that title.

They headed to class, and there they met Oliver Peabody, who greeted them warmly.

“How are you, bro?” asked Oliver to Shane while giving him a knuckle touch.

“I’m great, you tell? Also, how is Marcus’s condition? Have you heard from him yet?” asked Shane

“I’m fine as well, still a bit exhausted from Saturday night and Marcus is in a severe position, he might miss a lot of school work and is on strict bed rest. He’s not gonna be coming to school for a while, and so is likely to miss the rest of the season! It looks like we’re not going to be seeing him for a while!” answered Oliver.

“Well, that’s just great, I guess! It looks like we won’t be seeing him for a while!” said Marissa entering the classroom from behind them.

The three young men looked behind them and saw Marissa and Sam entering the classroom. They had overheard about Marcus’s condition.

“Oh, Marissa!” said Shane with a small chuckle after greeting her. He seemed to enjoy her sense of humor due to obvious reasons.

Kevin and Sam greeted each other. Those two had slowly started growing fond of each other as well.

“And how is ‘The Good Keeper’ of Aberdeen High doing this morning!?” asked Marissa rather warm and friendly.

“He’s good, I guess!” said Shane modestly. He enjoyed talking to and spending time with Marissa at whatever chance he got.

“Well, I guess I’ll be leaving you guys to yourselves now!” said Oliver as he departed to his seat in the classroom.

The four of them, Shane, Kevin, Marissa, and Sam would sit in class together every day and would spend as much time as possible with each other. They enjoyed each other’s company in their group and started becoming terrific friends.

“Well, do you guys wanna meet up after football and cheerleading practice today?” Marissa asked Shane and Kevin.

“You bet!” said Shane eagerly.

That afternoon, during football practice, Shane continued to soak up praise for his performance on Saturday night, but he took football practice very seriously since he knew he would be starting for his team on the coming Saturday evening. He would not let one heroic display get to his head and trained very hard and very rigorously.

“Now Shane, you’re gonna start on Saturday evening and play a full ninety minutes, whatever you do, just don’t do anything stupid against Cashville High and for heaven’s sake just don’t commit any bloopers!” said their coach warning Shane beforehand.

Marissa and Sam could overhear in the near distance and snicker after remembering his comical blooper last week!

“Don’t worry, coach! I won’t make the same mistake again!” said Shane positively, not letting the coach’s words bother him.

Kevin smiled at Shane. He was pleased to see that his friend’s recent success didn’t go directly to his head.

After training, when the four of them were making their way home, Marissa asked Shane, “Are you excited about making your first-ever start against Cashville High on Saturday?”

“You bet I am! I’m hoping to give it my absolute all on Saturday!” answered Shane, eagerly anticipating his team’s clash on Saturday night against Cashville High.

“Well, they’re gonna prove to be formidable opponents, they’ve won every single one of their matches this tournament!” announced Kevin

“Wait, aren’t they the team where all those rich kids play? The school for the very rich?” asked Sam

Kevin answered, “Yeah, by their school’s very name, Cashville High is where all super rich kids go for their High schooling. It’s rumored that at times they’ve even bribed the opposition team into letting them win! They’re that wealthy of a school and a football team!”

“Well, they can’t bribe us! We’re going to give it our all on Saturday night! Right, Shane?” said Marissa determined more than ever to beat them.

“Right, we’re not going to go down without a fight!” said Shane agreeing with Marissa, himself being more determined than ever.

“Well gang, let’s start walking home already!” said Kevin indicating they get a move on.

The four walked into the sunset that day with Shane and Marissa walking by close to each other growing fonder and fonder of each other’s presence and company with Kevin and Sam doing the same.

Much of that week was spent exactly like Monday with the boys busy with their football practice and the girls busy with their cheerleading performances. They spent whatever free time they had with each other as much as possible. Their ties of friendship were growing stronger with each coming day. The four of them bonded with each other well, and it made the senior year very enjoyable for them. They each now had what they didn’t have in the previous school years, a group of friends with which they could hang out with at any free time that came their way and that they could afford. They now also had fond memories with close friends of their senior year before heading off to college that they could each cherish for the rest of their lives! And for Shane, he felt he was ‘living his dream’! He finally got to spend time with Marissa Walker like how he had always fantasized about, and he was finally playing as the first choice goalkeeper for Aberdeen High, much like he had ever imagined. “I’m finally living the dream!” he thought.

The Temptation

Come Saturday night, Shane was busy getting ready for his match against Cashville High, he got his gloves, shins, team kit and everything else in his sports bag ready to go and play.

“Best of luck, sweetie, give it your all and have fun!” said his mum Gertrude wishing him luck as he got ready to leave.

“Thanks, mum, bye!” said Shane waving goodbye while going off in a hurry to the stadium to play his match.

“Hey man, glad to see you here early!” said Kevin greeting Shane.

“Had to be here early, getting my first start, you know!” said Shane explaining.

“Well, it looks like you came at the right time because the Cashville High players also made their way here early. They look pretty determined for today’s fixture!” explained Kevin.

“I’m sure they are!” said Shane

Just then, as Shane and Kevin were outside their dressing rooms not yet having entered, they were approached by two players from Cashville High.

“Hey there, we just want to speak for a second that’s all, come listen to us!” were the words uttered by one of those two as they approached Shane and Kevin.

“What is it?” asked Kevin suspiciously

They talked in a low, quiet voice displaying their suspicious character.

One of them went on “Well, you see the thing is, we really wanna progress to the quarter-finals of this competition, and to do that, we must first defeat you in our game tonight; so how about we make it worth your while and offer you something in exchange for letting us purposely win tonight!”

He said this while taking out two Hundred pounds from his pocket.

The other one explained, “This in exchange for a guaranteed victory tonight!”

Those two were trying to bribe Shane and Kevin!

Shane suddenly became furious and said, “Forget it, I’m fighting for that scholarship to Manchester University, you can keep your two hundred pounds with you, it’ll never be enough to pay for my College tuition fees anyways!”

“Ah, but what if we can arrange a scholarship to Manchester University for you from our principal. He’d be more than happy to give you a free scholarship to the college of your choice just so as long as it would see us progressing to the next round!” said the same one of them who had taken out the money from his pocket.

“What? A free scholarship to Manchester University?” inquired Shane, who suddenly didn’t know whether to cave in or stick to his morals.

“Yes, a free scholarship to the college of your choice, but you’ll have to let us win purposely, and our principal will do the rest for you!” he answered, pressurizing Shane to cave into their proposal!

“Don’t do it, Shane! You don’t know what’s at stake!” cautioned Kevin.

“But a free scholarship would be something fantastic, and I’d have a chance to spend all my college years with Marissa, who will also be attending Manchester University!” said Shane, slowly losing control over his morals and self-esteem.

In one last gasp attempt, Kevin slapped him across his face and shouted “But will Marissa ever forgive you if she found out you caved in and knocked Aberdeen High out of the tournament just because you could spend four years of your life with her! Is that the kind of loyalty Aberdeen High’s ‘good keeper’ has within him?”

Suddenly, Shane quickly shook his head, and after finally realizing what a big mistake he was about to commit furiously and rapidly said, coming forward, “Forget it! I’m not going to go to Manchester University like this! I’m going to earn my way there! And you can tell your principal that no amount of money or scholarships are ever going to be enough to bribe this team and its players!”

“Woohoo, attaboy Shane!” said Kevin jumping up and down in excitement, clinching his fists.

“Darn it, let’s just try to win by fair means!” said one of them while walking away after their unsuccessful attempt to bribe those two.

“But that’s so hard and not to mention boring!” said the other one as they made their way to their team’s dressing room.

Meanwhile, “You were awesome dude, way to stick up for Aberdeen High!” said Kevin slapping Shane on the back while congratulating his good conduct and excellent character.

“Nuh-uh, I wouldn’t be here without you! I owe my not caving into you for slapping some sense into me in the first place!” said Shane modestly and thankfully.

Kevin snickered. “Yeah, slapping sense into you!”

“Come on, let’s get ready. I wanna be dressed up and ready to hit the field!” said Shane changing the topic.

They entered their dressing rooms once more, this time for them to change into the kit and get ready to step on the pitch and for the other to sit on the bench, respectively.

Shane carefully looked at his jersey just as he was about to wear it. He carefully looked at the number thirteen that was his team number and saw his surname Foster on the back of his jersey.

He thought to himself, “Shane Foster, you had better give it you're all on the pitch today if you want to make count today!”

The two teams made their way out of the tunnel and into the football field, where they had to begin playing for their High School’s honor and pride.

While coming down the tunnel, those two taunted Shane and Kevin with one of them saying, “Now we’ll cream you and then you’ll lose everything!”

“We’ll see about that!” said Shane, not caring about what they had to say. But in reality, Shane knew that he had to do his absolute best to secure qualification to the quarter-finals because now he needed that scholarship more than ever and had just passed up a golden opportunity on taking it.

The players from both sides looked up at the stands to see the college scout who was there to observe the game at hand. He had his brown coat and his brown hat on him, and his pointy nose pointed towards the pitch where he was to observe the game.

Once the match had started, there were coming from the Cashville High supporters whistles and boos towards the Aberdeen High players. Even their cheerleaders were booing them. Their side was not displaying the most sports worthy of behaviors, which was an understatement. However, there were plenty of cheers for the Aberdeen High players from the Aberdeen High supporters, and they displayed worthy behavior towards the opposition team and their supporters. They did not once jeer or boo anyone.

“And it looks like the Aberdeen High football players are not receiving much cheer and support from Cashville High folks! Their supporters, however, seem to be giving them the respect they deserve after their performances so far in this tournament!” said the commentator acknowledging the situation at hand.

Everyone also took notice that Marcus wasn’t starting this one and that Shane Foster had made his first start for Aberdeen High.

“And it seems that Aberdeen High’s prolific goalkeeper Marcus is not starting for Aberdeen High today, folks! He’s been out injured, which means that second-choice goalkeeper Shane Foster is starting for Aberdeen High today; he’ll be hoping to replicate his heroics from his previous match against Wellington High, in today’s match as well!” said the commentator noticing.

Shane never lost his focus from the game at hand for even a second and remained alert throughout were he ever to need to pull off a save or make a clearance.

The match immediately from the start had featured Aberdeen High playing aggressive, counter-attacking football with them seeming to dominate the first half as Cashville High couldn’t get the ball back from them once they had it. They were dominating possession as much as they were allowed.

The cheerleaders of Aberdeen High were also getting behind their team with endless cheers to rally them on.

“Give me a G

Give me an O

Give me an A

Give me a B

Give me an E

Give me an R

Give me a D

Give me an E

Give me another E

Give me an N

GO Aberdeen High!” said Marissa leading the cheer for her cheerleading team.

“And it looks like these girls are getting behind their team! Let’s just hope their hard work pays off, and Aberdeen High finally scores one folk!” said the commentator taking notice of them.

Their hard work had paid off as the deadlock was broken in the twenty-fifth minute when Oliver Peabody chased down the right-hand flank with the ball in his feet, he found a teammate Jerome Castle and sent a powerful cross into the penalty area where Jerome was lurking. Two defenders from Cashville High marked Jerome, yet he managed to tower himself above them and send a powerful header that went sailing into the right-hand corner beating the goalkeeper to make it one-nil for Aberdeen High!

“And it looks like the score is one-nil to Aberdeen High folks! Aberdeen High has dominated possession and worked hard to create chances. It looks like their hard work has finally paid off!!” said the commentator thrilled after the first goal had just gone in.

“Yay! I’m so happy!” said Marissa thrilled after watching the first goal go in for Aberdeen High.

“It was a good team performance from everyone!” remarked Sam.

“Yayyy! Way to go team!” shouted Shane to his teammates in the far distance, giving them a thumbs-up. His teammates took notice and gave him a thumbs-up as well.

The match was going in Aberdeen High’s favor with them seeming to dominate possession and attack, unsurprisingly the whistles, jeers, and boos from Cashville High supporters seemed to increase as well towards them.

Just then, in the thirty-seventh minute of the game, a Cashville High player by the name Shawn Patterson found his teammate Ian Wilson and sent a long through ball to him. Ian charged forward with the ball at his feet and seemed to charge past the Aberdeen High defense. He managed to strike a powerful shot straight at goal. But fortunately for Aberdeen High, Shane was there to save it! He dove forward and blocked the ball, sending it straight ahead for one of Aberdeen High’s defenders to clear it away to safety. Shane Foster finally made a save in this entire match!

“And just when Cashville High got an opening, they couldn’t convert folks! It’s an easy save for Shane Foster the number thirteen, who all he had to do was dive forward and block the shot! The score remains one-nil to Aberdeen High’s favor!” said the commentator acknowledging.

“Yay, Shane made a save…he made a save!” said Marissa jumping up and down giddily as she was thrilled that Shane had made his first save of the match.

“Girl, you do have something for Shane Foster!” said Sam acknowledging after observing her recent behavior lately.

“Oh, stop it!” said Marissa giggling and blushing.

Shane gave his team high-fives after his most recent save.

“Way to go, Shane!” said Kevin signaling a thumbs-up from the substitute bench. Shane saw him and signaled a thumbs-up back.

Soon after that, Aberdeen High started passing to each other within their own-half and started to draw out the clock to finish the first half leading by one goal to nil.

The score remained one-nil to Aberdeen High’s favor after the referee blew the whistle for half-time. The players headed into the dressing rooms at half-time. Shane felt particularly good about himself after making that save feeling he had contributed something to his team’s performance in the match.

“And the referee blows the whistle for half-time folks! It looks like Aberdeen High takes a contented one-nil lead with them into half-time, and Cashville High is going to have to sort things out at half-time if they hope of pulling anything back from this game!” said the commentator at half-time.

“Yay, we’re leading at half-time!” said Marissa overjoyed.

Sam smiled at her realizing her friend’s emotions and feelings within for Shane Foster.

Those two characters that had approached Shane and Kevin from before approached Shane and Kevin like before and said, “Just you wait and see! In the second half, we’ll cream you!”

“Right and didn’t you say that to us before the first half as well!” reminded Shane, who had had just about enough of their nailing.