Burr! It really is freezing at 6:45 a.m. on a January morning. I shiver as I stand there in the wet grass waiting for soccer practice to start. “What time is it anyway,” I wonder out loud. Of course, I am super early to practice so I can stretch out the knee I injured last season. At least that’s the reason I give my mom, but in reality, it helps my nerves to be there before anyone else. Alright, knee is loose, but my chest still feels tight like a wrench is squeezing it. One by one, the other older, taller girls show up and the coach’s whistle starts us off on the run. My mind whirls with anxiety, my knee throbs, and I ask myself, “What was I thinking by joining the high school soccer team?” Rounding around the first orange cone, I
…show more content…
I can read it in her face, her posture, and her white knuckles on the steering wheel. I stare out the window at the passing trees and houses, trying to avoid the “life lesson lecture” that usually comes when she is upset about my sister. I don’t need that right now. I am actually looking forward to hanging out with Audrey, Haley, and the rest of the team at our first soccer game today. That afternoon parents cheer and balls fly at our first game. To my great relief, we’re winning 5-0 so I can’t mess anything up if I play. With a few minutes left, I get put in, run hard, and try to keep up with the game strategy. I kick a huge cross to the far wing player. I hear the coach yell, “Who kicked that? Was that little Lyndsay?” I turn to see a surprised yet knowing look on his face. Four weeks and four games have passed by and the game of the season is upon us. My team, the Hawks, are undefeated. Our opponents, the Cougars, are undefeated. More importantly, we have never beaten them, ever. Everyone at school is talking about the game. It is loud, confident talk. While smiling and laughing on the outside, my mind replays that morning before
I can read it in her face, her posture, and her white knuckles on the steering wheel. I stare out the window at the passing trees and houses, trying to avoid the “life lesson lecture” that usually comes when she is upset about my sister. I don’t need that right now. I am actually looking forward to hanging out with Audrey, Haley, and the rest of the team at our first soccer game today. That afternoon parents cheer and balls fly at our first game. To my great relief, we’re winning 5-0 so I can’t mess anything up if I play. With a few minutes left, I get put in, run hard, and try to keep up with the game strategy. I kick a huge cross to the far wing player. I hear the coach yell, “Who kicked that? Was that little Lyndsay?” I turn to see a surprised yet knowing look on his face. Four weeks and four games have passed by and the game of the season is upon us. My team, the Hawks, are undefeated. Our opponents, the Cougars, are undefeated. More importantly, we have never beaten them, ever. Everyone at school is talking about the game. It is loud, confident talk. While smiling and laughing on the outside, my mind replays that morning before