William rested his chin against the windowsill. Outside his home was the humid summer air. The street shimmered under the heat, and cicadas sang. Inside was cool; the air-conditioner made it so.

Young William wished he was outside playing football with his friends, but today was too hot. He wanted to practice his kick so that he could impress the pretty Angeline. She was a fan of the Liverpool team, or so he had heard. Mum told him not to kick the ball inside, so all he could do was hold it in his hands and stare outside longingly.

Since the start of the year, William had been part of the school’s football team. He was a rising star, with his quick running being his crowning achievement. If he ran and kicked well, then he could score every goal. Angeline will notice him, when he invites her to the game against Sacred Heart School. That was another thing that troubled William. How was he going to ask her to come to the game?

“Dad, how will I get Angeline to watch me play football?”

“There’s no secret trick. You just have to ask her.”

“But she always has her friends around.”

“That’s even better. A girl will like you more when you try to take her away.”

“How do you know she won’t get angry?”

“How do you know she will be? You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

Dad gave him a lot to think about. He decided to ask her at lunchtime on Monday. In the meantime, he was overcome with boredom. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to practice some juggling with his feet. He searched for tricks on YouTube, picked the fanciest footwork, and went to his room to practice. Angeline was sure to be impressed when he’d mastered the tricks.

The ball bounced between his feet, then it flew away and broke the window. A gust of hot air filled the bedroom.

“What was that noise?” Mum said.

William ran to the window and pulled the blinds shut. The floorboards creaked as footsteps made their way towards him. Mum stood in the doorway.

“Well? What’s the noise?”

“It’s my phone. I was watching something funny.”

“It was really loud, and isn’t it a bit hot in here?”

“I turned off the air-con.”

Mum frowned. She made towards the blinds and pulled them open.

“Oh my God. You broke the window!”

“It was an accident. I was just juggling the ball a bit and kicked it too hard.”

“I’ve told you not to play with the ball inside. You are grounded for a week!”

“What about practice! I have to go to practice!”

“No buts, mister. Being grounded means not getting what you want. Now hand over your phone and ball. You should reflect on what you did wrong today.”

William groaned. Hotness welled from within his stomach, and he flopped onto his bed, kicking his sheets. His friends were going to have an extra week’s worth of practice, and that meant less of a chance for Angeline to notice his skills.