Suddenly

Suddenly Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Underdog August 96

Meehan kept our goal secure and safe, whilst Len and Eric played both offensively and defensively for us. Miller was an amazing passer of the ball and as soon as the ball touched my feet I shimmied left and right and scored a goal.

The Candy Boys were undefeated after three months of games and everyone appeared to be talking about us. We weren't the usual popular footballers of the school, we were a new breed of talent and we were getting better in every game.

Before long we found ourselves in the semi final against a team with an unbeatable record as well. Every game has its own fears and set of challenges, it all depends on how we view these challenges that determines whether or not we win or lose. The chatter around school was that this group of guys were too skillful and too strong for us, they had seasoned players in their team who played for local football clubs. Doubt began to knock at our door.

If we look at opposition microscopically, it gives us a different angle to seeing things. In sports when teams and sportsman face off on the field, there are battles taking place all the time during the match or duel. Life is similar as well, we face different types of opponents but we have to keep fighting and pushing ourselves to win. No matter what our lives throw at us on a daily basis it's up to us as individuals to face every opposition head on and treat every opposition as an opportunity for us to get to a higher level and to get something we didn't have before.

Every battle has its prize, and these prizes for our challenges usually turn out to be our next challenge. Sometimes to be the best we have to beat the best, the only way to do that is to go out there and face the opposition head on. Fear will always have its place in anything and so will faith and hope, it's a continuous battle between faith, hope and fear. If we had everything we've ever wanted without any effort than there would be no need for faith and hope.

I remember reading that faith the size of a tiny mustard seed is able to move mountains. The funny thing about seeds is that sometimes the tiniest of seeds produced the biggest of trees. I think the writer used the word seed because it's significant of growth.

Scientifically for a plant to grow the seed must first die and remain within the darkest parts of the soil for a specific period before the seed germinates and gives rise to the plant. Again some plants have a longer gestation period within that dark soil than others.

As people we're often like those seeds and just like those seeds we must die too, we've got to kill a part of ourselves that stops us or holds us back from getting to that next level in life. The only thing holding us back from reaching success is ourselves. The fear of the unknown, whether it's a thought of failure or what people may say if we fall, these thoughts stall us and sometimes stops us completely from even taking a shot. Nothing will come easy of course, but we have to be willing to spend time in those dark places just like the seed spends time in the darkness of the soil.

Darkness isn't all that bad, in fact it does a lot of good. The dark places that we face sometimes act as training grounds for us, preparing us and strengthening us for the next big thing that we're about to face in life.

We see our enemies and sometimes friends getting more out of life than us and we begin to wonder if we're doing the right thing or if we're on the right path for us to find success. The truth is that hard work always pays off, but it's our hopeful mentality and faith that eventually guides us through those dark days under the soil.

We listen to the outside world and we hear their opinions of who we are and we agree with them. People will always see you for who you are and who you were, you will always be that little boy or girl that they carried or the person that they helped when you needed it the most. Unfortunately people remember you for who you were at your worst point and they're eager to say it to you to remind you of your place on the food chain. But that's not how it has to be, running a race isn't determined by your falls or how slow you get off the starting line, it's all about how you finish and finishing strong is all about mental strength.

As a boy I was a winner on the track, I was invincible and I felt that there was nobody that could challenge me in anything. But the track was a completely different ball game literally a different ball game. Yes I was scared, I was very afraid of the team that we were about to face but I wasn't willing to let my fears get the best of me. I had bagged nine goals in eight games thus far and I was the leading goal scorer so I had to act the fearless part and not let my class and the Candy Boys down.

Karol rallied the rest of our class whilst Mickayla, Cherlene, Charlena, and Annie got banners, pom-poms and posters made for the game. It was autumn yet the day felt as hot as a summer day, the sun shone down onto the ground and lit up the whole field like flood lights at a night match. The game started and within a few minutes Miller passed the perfect through ball and I scored the first goal. That first goal settled our nerves and it gave us freedom to play our game. We were feeling calm now, now that we were back to our winning ways.

The other team seemed ruffled and on the back foot, it was almost like they were afraid of us. We smelt blood in the water and we played a high press, it wasn't long until I scored the second. The rest of the game was a breeze; we held our lead and ran down the clock until the final whistle. We were in the final! The final was a few weeks away which gave us time to rest and gloat a little.

During this time off I was starting to develop puppy love feelings for my dear friend Karol, but I kept these feelings locked down, even my big mouth won't let out. I began to shy away from her when she came over to me, I didn't want her to notice that I had been feeling weirdly about her.

On weekends when Manchester United would win their games she would call me to gloat over the telephone, I can't say that I didn't like the attention she gave me but it seemed pretty far-fetched that Karol would care about me more than just a guy friend. I enjoyed the banter between us and it kept things interesting in class. She was the popular girl who all the boys wanted to be with and all the girls wanted to be. She had a bubbly personality, a loud obnoxious voice and a smile that could light up New York City after dark.

I wasn't anybody that she'd be interested in; I was just a normal boy with very average looks and nothing to offer the opposite sex. I was always the underdog. She challenged me academically and I wanted to show her that I was an intellect and not just an athlete. I raced her in every task given to us even tests, I'd finish first yet I'd still get a grade or so less than her, it was okay though, we were having fun and getting closer to each other in these meaningless games.

I was a ticking time bomb that would do anything for a laugh, this daring behavior pattern lead me to do things which often got me into a lot of trouble. Karol would always be there to bail me out. She had my back every time I messed up especially when I was summoned to the principal's office. My list of mischievous deeds was long, I'd steal exam papers before the exam, break windows, glue the pages of other students' books together and I played the part of the class of the beloved clown impeccably well. Karol didn't seem to mind my boyish naughtiness.

Two other girls had filtered messages to me telling me that they thought I was cute and that they'd want to date me. Kristin and Jen were a welcomed distraction at the time and it proved entertaining to see Karol's reactions to their advances. Of course I wasn't in any position to date anyone but I was planning to tell Karol how I felt about her, I was going to do it after we had won the final