Off the Field

Chapter Sixteen

Hooooboy...hey. Today was super rough...my second semester just started so all my classes are switched around and I'm not really with my friends and teachers keep putting me in the front of the room ughh but yeah. I leave tomorrow evening for the March for Life in Washington, DC, which is always an INCREDIBLE experience, so I can't wait for that. Anyway, on the subject of this book - I'm not TOO sure about this chapter. I meant for it to be better than this...I hope you all can catch the gist of what's happening. Please comment - this chapter is very important and I need to know what your thought process is.

Gracias! <3 vb123321

Chapter Sixteen

Time flew too fast for me to keep up, and before I knew it, October 16 rolled around and I found myself standing in front of Paul Revere High’s goal, short of breath with sweat dripping into my eyes. Between that and the glare of the setting sun, I’d had difficulty seeing throughout the second half, but I didn’t miss the flash of black and white as the ball shot into the net.

That, I thought with satisfaction, was a goal.

And as Ray threw himself on me in a bone-crushing hug and as the other guys swarmed around me, my eyes focused on the scoreboard that showed what had been a tie until seconds before. Now the score flashed in our favor, up by one point, and the ref’s whistle blew for the end of the game.

The Districts championship game.

“We did it!” Ray was shouting in my ear, still all over me. “We’re going to Semis!”

My legs shook from the weight of him leaning on me and from everyone else thumping my back, but I couldn’t stop grinning as I shoved Ray away playfully. The contagious excitement flooded through my exhausted body like the sweat rolling down my face, and as we jogged as a team back to where Coach stood, I felt on fire with adrenaline.

“Good job, guys,” said my dad as we gathered around him. He wasn’t exactly jumping up and down in joy, but his eyes sparked with approval and his jaw was set proudly, which was about as close as he got.

“Coop saved us from overtime!” Joey Walters enthused, clapping me on the back as he grinned like a maniac. “Could you see that goal from this end of the field? It was amazing!”

I shrugged casually while the guys chimed in agreement, pushing me around affably as I tried to hide my spreading smile behind my water bottle. The image of the ball flying into the net replayed itself over and over in my mind – finally I’d made that goal, the one that decided the game for us, even if was only for Districts. Still, one step closer.

“It was a good shot,” Coach agreed, but when I looked over at him eagerly, he was looking around at the entire team. “And also some great assists from our midfields. You all played extremely well today, boys. I have no doubt that if we continue to play with this spirit, we’ll have the championship in the bag.”

Amid the fresh whooping and cheering that this set off, I capped my water and swiped beads of sweat off my mouth, trying to ignore the slight sink of my stomach. One glance backwards at the scoreboard again sent me soaring: That score was mine.