It is impossible not to root for Ceti, almost fifteen, who tells her
story of growing up in shelters, learning soccer from her Gramps, and
sleeping in her Mom's red truck where they listened over and over to
Rolling Stones discs someone left behind. Following in the steps of her
hero, Lionel Messi, Ceti is a shooting star on the field. A U.S. scout
is coming to watch her play in the State Championship; she has Ruby, her
best friend since kindergarten rooting for her, and a crush on a boy who
lives in her building, Will. But at home, she'll find a spoon in the
sink, a ball of tin foil and a needle in the trash. Her Mom, who used to
be beautiful with her long honey hair and green eyes is now wasted and
track-marked. And she is pregnant. Ceti's life goes up and down with a
mother who wants only the next high. Her Mom's menacing and goofy
boyfriend Foxface is always hounding Ceti; their junky friends start a
fire in Ceti's apartment; and on the day of the semifinals, Ceti finds
her Mom bleeding profusely. She steals a new iPhone for her Mom but is
caught and disqualified from playing in the Championship game. Then Ruby
decides on private school for next year, and Will stops hanging out with
Ceti. When her Mom promises they can start over in New Hampshire, Ceti
is hopeful. Instead, she finds her Mom has overdosed. Ceti, too, would
be one more dream slipping away if she didn't have the courage to hold
on to what she loves the most.
