Back On My Tippy Toes

Chapter 1 :

I took off my helmet and wiped the sweat off my forehead. Today's game was great. We played against the Tigers , and we crushed them by 20 points. At the rate we're going, we might actually have a chance at winning the championship this year.

"Great game today, Hernandez." My coach sat down on the metal benches in the girls' locker room (which was empty like every Friday night during football season). 

"Thanks, coach," I replied as I put my helmet in my gym locker.

"You know, you're one of best players, Maya. I appreciate all the hard work you do to make this team successful," Coach Benson said.

I was taken back since Coach Benson usually only calls us by our last names. When he does call you by your first name, you know Coach is deadly serious. Coach Benson was a rather short middle-aged man with bushy dark eyebrows and a gleaming bald head (I'm convinced he waxes his head every morning before going to school).

"Thanks again. I always try to do my best. The team is like a big hairy family to me," I said truthfully. The team were nice and respectful about me being a girl football player. They're very supporting of each other but at the same time they have "friendly" competitions from time to time (I'm not sure if punching fits in that category). 

"I know you do, Maya. I'll leave you be," said Coach Benson. He pats me on the back and leaves with the sounds of tennis shoes scuffing the hard floor trailing after him.

I went to the showers to take a quick wash. As I took my shower, I couldn't help but think about how after living here for six years nobody truly knows why we moved here. They don't even know that I had a twin sister named Petra. As for my dad, they knew that he died in a car accident. It was something we were force to explain. Most people start to wonder when they never see your dad and when your mom works very hard on two jobs and raising kids. 

After the accident, the whole family was filled with pain and grief. I took it harder. It hit me like thousands and thousands of cars ramming into and running over me into all at once. It keep hitting me as if they enjoying every little pain that came off of me. It left a permanent scar.

Everyone thought it was best for us to move somewhere else. Somewhere perfect where the whole family can forget the sting of the accident and a place my mom and my older brother, Tomas (now is 19 and attends a local community college) , could find jobs to help support the family. I was to young at the time but pretty soon I'll have to find a job too.

Six years ago, a job popped up in the newspaper for carpentry in Gladeview, Kansas. So my mom found it as a great opportunity,and we all packed our bags to the road of recovery. That is how we came to move here. 

I finished drying myself, and I quickly put on my clothes. I grabbed my stuff and left.

I walked through the field. It was dark outside, and it looked about 10:00 p.m. There was actually a quite a lot people left from the game, probably celebrating the victory. I reached my bicycle and pedal down the road (while avoiding a few potholes). My house wasn't too far from my school, only three block away.

I reached my house in less than five minutes and soon found myself digging through my duffel for the house key. Then right before my eyes, the door was swung wide open, and  soon after I was tackled by a beast. There stood my 12 year old sister, Valentina, giggling at my shocked face.

"Aye, Valentina, me asustaste!"

Once I said that, she started to have a giggling fit. Between breaths all I manged to hear her say was "Lo siento!" Sometimes, I forget how much my little sister has grown. She stands at shoulder length to me with longs leg and a short torso. Her black hair has grown to mid-back since the last time she got a haircut (which was a year ago).

After hearing the continuous shrieks of later for a consecutive 10 minutes, It quickly got old, and it started irritating me. I stepped inside the house and closed the great oak door behind me, and I locked it for the night. My sister finally got to her senses and stopped laughing enough to be able to talk.

"Lo siento, Maya. Pero tu cara miro divertida!"

"Gracias Valentina," I said sarcastically.

I entered the kitchen, and my mom was already serving me rice, chicken, and my favorite, beans. "Gracias Mama," I said as I grabbed the bowl and went to sit down at the dinner table.

Most of the family already ate so it was just me in the table scarfing down my meal.

"Maya, I want to ask you a favor," my mom said nervously. From my past years of experience, my mom usually talks in English if she's nervous or up to something. This can't be good.

"Go ahead Mama, you can tell me," I said with mouthfuls of chicken.

"Umm, Valentina has something to say to you," She said. Mama grabbed Valentina and put her in front.

"Mama!" Valentina didn't look too happy.

"Is anybody going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Umm.... MamasignedmeupfordanceclassYouhavetopickmeupanddropmeoff.

I heard dance class and I nearly chocked on my food.

"Dance class? You mean hip-hop right?"

"No, um. ballet."

They all looked at me like I was about to blow up into a bunch of millions of fireworks.

"Okay."

"But you know you have to go in and wait for me in the studio right?"

"Can't mom do it?'

"I'm sorry but my hours are longer at work so I won't be able too." Why haven't I found a job yet? I knew something bad was going to happen.

"But I have football practices."

"It's on Wednesdays." Great, Just Great.

My brother can't do it because he has work too. My  twin little brothers ,Sergio and Fernado, are too young and would probably find a way to blow up the studio.

"I'll just wait in the car then."

"You can't. I want you to watch Valentina."

"Maybe.."

My mom cut me off.  

"Look, I know how much you hate ballet. But you have to just once deal with it for your sister. She is the only sister you have left, and you can have some bonding time. Just this once. Please?"

There is no way of getting out of this situation.

"Fine."

Valentina started jumping up and down while doing shrieks of joy.

This is not something I look forward to, and suddenly my late dinner didn't seem so appetizing anymore. 

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Lo siento = I'm sorry

Gracias = Thank you

Pero tu cara miro divertida = But your face looked funny.

Me asustaste = You scared me.