My heart was racing, even though we were winning by two. I’ve been training many years for this game. Colleges with the best soccer programs have come to see me play; I can’t ruin this opportunity to get a scholarship.

It started raining hard, but we still maintained possession. I made a diagonal run so I could get a split pass. The ball was skidding across the wet grass, which helped me get past three midfielders. I looked up and saw that there were just two more defenders to get by, and the goalie. I did a step-over to get past the first defender. As she was chasing me from behind, I could feel her warm breath on my back. As I was dribbling toward the last defender, I faked the direction I was going, but I heard something unusual happen to my shinbone. POP.

I fell to the ground, hugging my right knee into my chest, trying to ease the pain somehow. The referee blew his whistle. I saw coach sprinting across the field to help me. She picked me up into her arms and ran to her car. Suddenly, my vision blurred. I fell into an involuntary sleep.