This catches me off guard. I know she hates the pressure her dad puts on her but never once has she mentioned doing anything to derail her goals.

“Tell me what’s up.”

She reaches her hand up to smooth the wrinkle between my eyebrows. “I’m not gonna do it. I’m gonna kill it, like you said. But for a minute there, I thought about how satisfying it would be to see my dad’s face if all his hard work went up in smoke.”

“It’s not his hard work. It’s yours. He can’t take it from you.”

She lets out a whimsical sigh before leaning in to kiss me, then jumping into the conversation with our friends.

After school, I make my way to the bleachers so I can be front and center for my girl. Her friends have their own practices to attend so they can’t be here, but my boys are here with me to support. I look across the bleachers and scowl when I see her dad watching the field with his arms crossed. Parents don’t normally come to tryouts but of course he’s made the time to come watch and criticize his daughter. I consider going over to him to tell him he needs to leave but then Olivia and a bunch of other girls run out to the field and she smiles brightly at me.

She sees her dad but barely spares him a glance before she starts her warm-ups, so I know I don’t have to worry about her.

Olivia is murdering tryouts. She’s a beast on the field, lightning fast and creating space between defenders where there shouldn’t be one, but she’s also methodical in her movements. Opponents try to use her momentum against her, but she’s prepared for that, pivoting and transferring the ball before they even realize she’s moved.

She’s magnificent to watch but she also understands the importance of teamwork. I’ve seen a lot of players only rely on their team when they can’t get out of a bind, but Olivia brings her team into the fold without pressure. She anticipates not only her opponents’ next moves but her teammates’ as well, passing the ball flawlessly to where it needs to go, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their skill and strong offense.

It’s clear the team respects her judgment, looking to her for silent guidance as they fly down the field. She’s somehow able to be both an encouraging teammate and ruthless opponent in the same breath.

Her teammate comes out and swings the ball over to Olivia who has all the time and space in the world because her opponents have failed to mark up, and she launches the ball into the far corner and scores.

Olivia celebrates by pretending to strum a guitar and then her teammates lift her up in congratulatory hugs before the game resumes.

That varsity seat is hers for the taking.