The Summer I Became a Little League Coach

Do I know anything about soccer? Absolutely not. Am I still volunteering to coach a Little League soccer team for my cousin? Absolutely yes. I have no experience with soccer or sports in general, but I need the volunteer hours.

Last week, my cousin Maya asked me if I could coach her Little League. I said no immediately, but then she gave me her puppy eyes, and I couldn’t say no. So now I’m in a rundown soccer field at nine a.m. on a Sunday when I could be at home binging Abbott Elementary in my PJs.

I lift my hand, blocking the sun from my eyes. I’m sweating already just standing around. I shouldn’t have worn sweats, but it’s too late for me to run back to the house and change.

Maya comes running toward me with a smile beaming on her face. She’s ten, and brutal. I swear, one time I saw her older brother shake in his boots when she found out he took her favorite My Little Pony pen. I’ve never seen my cousin run so fast before.

Maya hugs my legs. She pushes her double Dutch braids off her shoulders. She has a missing front tooth, and she proudly showed me at family dinner two days ago. It was bloody and gross. Seriously, Maya has no sense of what is appropriate for the table and what isn’t.

“Thank you so much, Amara!” Maya exclaims.

“Of course,” I answer her. I’m totally not afraid that she will pummel me to the ground. She’s ten and I’m eighteen. No way she can take me. But just to be sure, I don’t argue.

“My friends are so excited to play this season!” Maya doesn’t stop jittering.

“Did your mom drop you off?” I ask, looking to see who is driving her precious Honda Civic.

“Jordan did,” she answers. “He got his license yesterday.”

He lowers the window and sticks out his middle finger at me. I return the favor with a disgusted look. My other cousin Jordan, seventeen years old, just got his license. He’s a brat, and he knows it. He also knows that if he doesn’t start driving away, I will rip his head off. He should’ve been the one here, being her coach. Then again, he also has no idea what sports are.

“Very mature,” Maya says.

I put my finger down, “he started it.”

“Oh, look, there’s Reign! Hi Reign!” Maya waves at another little girl. Her backpack bounces as she runs toward Maya. They hug each other and compare braids.

Soon enough, all my players will get here. I blow my whistle. I feel so professional. All the little girls look at me. I am totally not nervous thinking that this entire season is on me if we don’t win. I will crush all their little dreams of going pro. No big deal.

“Good morning, girls,” I announce, “I am Amara, and I’m your coach for the summer season. I’m also Maya’s cousin.”

“Trust me, she’s so cool,” Maya adds.

I smile. Okay, maybe I can do this. I watched so many soccer videos, so this shouldn’t be too hard. All they have to do is kick a ball. Now, where are the - I forgot the balls. I forgot the balls on the first day! I’m already failing as a coach. They’re going to hate me. They’re going to say I caused them to miss out on going pro. They’re going to end up cleaning up after pros instead of being pros. And they’re going to think back to where it started, and it would be me forgetting the balls.

A little girl, Ellie, raises her hand. I point to her.

“When are our games?” She asks.

“Great question,” I say. I touch my pockets. I have a picture of the schedule on my phone - which I left at home. Perfect. We’re off to a terrible start. “I will send the schedule to your parents. Any other questions?”

Another little girl, Anna, raises her hand. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Guys, come on,” Maya says, “without her, we wouldn’t have a coach. She’s my cousin, of course, she knows what she is doing. Right?”

I nod my head. “Yes, in fact, I think we should start with running, right?”

Another little girl, Mack, raises her hand, “Is that a question?”

“Just run the laps,” I say, “around the field, uh, two miles.”

They all groan and start running. Maya gives me a thumbs up. I remember in one of the videos saying running is good. I forgot why. I should’ve probably taken notes. Then again, I’m in my summer brain, and I really want to be stuffing my face with a burger. Oh, I think I’m going to get a burger after this.

“Alright, set up the cones, Janell,” I hear a voice say. I turn around and see a guy with a group of ten-year-old girls walking toward me. One of my girls knocks into the other girls and falls. Oh, please don’t be hurt. I rush over there.

“Hey, Vic, you alright?” I ask as I gave her my hand and lifted her. She brushes the dirt off her knees.

“Yeah, if this buttface wasn’t in my way!” She remarks.

“Who are you calling a buttface?” The little girl she bumped into questions. I had to pull Vic back before they started to brawl.

“Control the mouth in your kid,” the guy says. Damn, not gonna lie, he’s kinda hot. He’s sun-kissed tan, with a perfect, muscular body. He looks really hot with the headband on his forehead, moving his curly hair out from his eyes. I must have been ogling him because his eyebrows furrowed, “Hey, lady, I’m talking to you. Control your kids.”

“Vic, apologize to her,” I say.

“She was in my way!” Vic complains.

“Apologize for calling her the b word.”

She sighs, “Sorry for calling you a butfface.”

“Well, you're a poopyhead,” the little girl retaliates. The guy high-fives her. Never mind, he’s not hot anymore.

“Hey! Why don’t you control your kid?” I say.

“She has her parents to teach her right from wrong,” he shrugs. “Come on, girls, set up the cones.”

I clench my jaw. “What do you think you’re doing? We have the field.”

“Actually, no, we do,” he says, taking out his phone and showing me an email from the league. “This is our home turf.”

“Nuh uh,” I reach for the pocket and remember I don’t have my phone.

He bends down to my height, “Bye.”

“I have the field. I have the same email. I have the nine a.m. slot.”

“Oh, really?” He crosses his arms, “Show it to me and we’ll leave. Right, girls?”

I bite my lower lip.

A smirk forms on his face. “Girls, keep putting the cones.”

I walk away from him. Damn it, I messed up on my first day. Maya touches my back.

“What’s his problem?” She says, out of breath.

“Apparently, we don’t have the field at nine a.m.,” I answer her. I grab my bag. “Everyone, call your parents and tell them practice is cancelled.”

“We don’t have phones,” Reign says.

“You’re all ten, your parents let you out of the house without communication?” I gasp.

“Where is your phone?” Ellie questions.

I shut my mouth. Touché. They don’t all fit in my car. Our only other option is watching the other team and maybe learn -

“Hey!” The guy shouts. He cups his hands over his mouth to make a megaphone. “Stop stealing our plays and get out!”

“It’s a public park,” I shout back.

“Get out!” He emphasizes.

“Make us!” I stick out my tongue at him. He walks over to us. Wow, he’s tall. Or maybe I’m just short. Nah, not but really I need like extra padding in my shoes to increase my height. We’re standing five inches away from each other.

“What is your problem?” He asks.

“You’re my problem,” I answer.

“Get off the field,” he repeats, “Now!”

“Like I said,” I cross my arms, “make us.”

He picks me up with one arm and swings me over his shoulder. Man, if this wasn’t a fantasy of mine, I would so enjoy this. He’s so strong and so hot, and he’s carrying me. Get it together, Amara.

“Put me down!” I demand. He sets my feet on the ground.

“As you wish,” he bows, “now get out.”

“Are you seriously kicking my girls out because of a stupid email we both got?”

“No, I am kicking you guys out because it’s my time with my girls.”

“My girls need to practice.”

I look over at them, grabbing their bags and heading toward us. I move closer to him and lower my voice.

“Look, I don’t have my phone, and they’re here for an hour. Could you please just let them practice here until ten?” I kindly ask. I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something that will make this guy -

“Not my problem,” he laughs.

I don’t know what came over me. I punched him. I immediately brought my hands to my mouth. What did I just do? Maya walks around and looks at me, smiling.

“Nice swing!” She compliments. The guy grabs his jaw. I pull Maya closer to me. I count my girls. All nine of them.

“Run!” I yell. We bolt for my car. I unlock all my doors. As soon as I heard the last door slam, I locked the door. I counted. Maya and Reign are in the front. I look at my back seat. Six girls in the back. Some are sitting on each other's laps. This is definitely a safety violation that I am not willing to cover.

I hear a tap on my window, and we all yelp. The guy taps my window again. Damn it, he’s going to want to punch me back. I turn on my car.

“You’re missing one,” I hear him say through the car. I count my girls again. Eight. Who did I leave behind?

He picks up Heather to show her in my window. She waves and smiles with her crooked teeth. I slam my head on the horn. I have to open the door.

I unlock my car, and he opens the back door. Heather joins the back, squishing in with the other girls. He closes the door. He taps on my window again. He motions his finger downward. I roll down my window.

“You know that’s a safety violation?” He says.

“It wouldn’t be if we could practice,” Maya shouts at him.

He smiles. Damn it, he has perfect teeth. “Well, aren’t you cute sticking up for your coach?”

“Don’t call her cute, she bites your finger off,” I say, “literally, my siste has no pinky because of her.”

He curls his fist and brings it to his side. He looks at me. “Well, Coach…”

“Amara,” I say.

“Amara, see you in the field on Friday.”

“What do you mean?”

“My girls versus your girls. We have a game.” He takes out his phone and shows me the list. My girls, fireflies, going against his girls, the devils? What? What kind of organization lets a soccer team of ten-year-old girls name themselves the devils? I see his name directly under his team. I try not to laugh.

“Cornelius?” I hold in my laughter.

He turns off his phone and puts it back in his pocket. My girls start laughing. His face turns red.

“No!” He defends, “I mean, yes, but it’s Cory. I go by Cory.”

I rest my arm on the window, “Well, Cornelius.” He rolls his eyes, “My girls are strong players, and your team is going to eat our shit.”

A couple of “oo’s” erupt in the car, and I know I did a good job. He rests his elbows on my car, “We’ll see about that, Amara.”

The way he says my name is so hot. But I stand my ground. I roll up my window and drive away. I’m so proud of myself. I did not give in to his beautiful, mesmerizing -

“Uh, Mara?” Maya says.

“Yes?”

“Not to bring down your spirits,” Reign continues.

“Or your hopes,” Vic adds.

“But we suck,” Ellie finishes.

Great. I have a team of girls who suck and a coach who knows nothing about soccer. What a brilliant way to start the season.

Aw, man, and now Cornelius is going to win on Friday. And I still have to drop off the girls at their houses.