He then demonstrates a rainbow kick. He grabs the ball with his left foot and rolls it along the back of his right foot. Leaning forward, he pushes the ball into the air and kicks it over his head.
“Whoa,” Kai breathes beside me.
“In motion, you want to push the ball forward first,” Coach Lyle says, and then repeats the demonstration. He kicks the ball forward, runs on it, grabbing it and flicking it on the back of his foot. The ball becomes easily airborne and moves over his head.
I smile at Kai’s eagerness to try the move. Happiness flutters inside me. My coach already taught me the move when I had excelled at the other drills he was teaching our team.
Kai dribbles his ball away from the group, finding space to work on the new move. I watch him recreate what Coach Lyle did. His tongue pokes out as he tries to get his footing correct.
“Uh, Kai,” I say coyly. He looks up. “I think it’s something like this.”
I master the rainbow kick like it’s the most basic of moves.
“What?” Kai asks, almost mad. “You can already do it?”
I flick my ponytail and roll my right foot over the ball without touching it, and then redirect with my left foot, passing it to him.
“Okay, you don’t need to keep showing off your fancy footwork,” Kai says, stopping the ball. He then flicks it onto the top of his foot, lifts it into the air, and then hits the ball with the inside of his foot. When the ball lands on the ground in front of him, he grabs it with his foot, rolling it under and keeping it locked under his foot.
“It’s easy,” I say, dribbling my ball up to him. I demonstrate the move again, reexplaining everything Coach Lyle already said.
“Okay, okay,” he says, signalling for me to back off. “I got it.”
Kai positions himself again and works out the mechanics of the move. The scar below his eye becomes more prominent as his focus narrows. Slowly, he rolls the ball up the back of his foot, anticipating the best time to kick it up and over. I cup a hand over my mouth, masking my silent giggle. I can’t help remembering my time with Milo and teaching him the basics of the game. How are Kai and Milo identical twins? It makes no sense.
Kai has the right technique for rolling the ball up the back of his foot. He kicks the ball a few times, but not at the right trajectory to get it over his head. His expression is purposeful as he feels out the move. His next try, the ball successfully goes over his head. He cheers, “Whoop,” as he runs onto the ball in front of him.
“Geez,” I comment. “You picked that up fast.”
He kicks the ball up, bounces it on his knee, and then onto his head. When he headbutts the ball, he replies, “Because I’m the best.”
I’m not admitting it. I un-grit my teeth so it doesn’t show on my face.
Kai continues practicing the rainbow kick until a truly satisfied smile graces his face.
“You wanna move onto something else?” Kai asks me. When I give a nod, Kai calls out to Tyler, “Hey Ty! Grab your gloves and we’ll head down to the goal circle.”
Tyler gives him a thumbs up and dashes to the sidelines for his gear. Tyler is their team’s keeper, and he’s exceptional at it. I can’t wait to get a ball past him.
“You want to be defender?” Kai asks as we dribble down toward the goal posts.
I laugh. “Why? Do you need a challenge?”
“Oh, it’s on,” Kai teases.
When Tyler lands in front of the net, I position myself in front of him, ready to defend. Kai approaches with caution. At least that’s how it appears. Kai loves a fake-out just as much as I do. His speed increases and he darts side to side with the ball. It’s a simple trick to pull off, but defenders have tricks too.
I guess his moves correctly and manage to steal the ball. I flick the ball behind my foot and spin around to retake control, dribbling away from Kai. With enough space, I throw all my power behind a kick, shooting the ball out of the goal circle.
“Dang,” Kai whines, chasing after the ball.
“Better luck next time,” I tease, watching him collect the ball.
Kai rocks his jaw, locking eyes with me as he returns to the goal circle. I watch him intently, working out his next move. Kai goes again but passes the ball backward with his right foot. He rotates, angling his body to receive the ball with his left.
As he spins and circles around me to the right, I say, “So much for not showing off with fancy footwork.”
He puffs a laugh as I press my body against his back. I jut out my foot to steal the ball, but he clips it and surges into a powerful midair kick.
