Somewhere in Between

The Injury

My blood is rushing through my veins, I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. We are two goals up, but so much can happen in the final ten minutes of a game. It's the worst kind of thing to think under pressure, I never could control my thoughts at times like this. Especially now, when it's my first game as captain.

"Alexa," Gabby screams at me as the ball flies towards me.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

I start running as soon as the ball hit my foot, I have to concentrate on staying upright as I make my way to the center line. I look around for someone to pass to, but there is no opening.

We're still in our half of the field and the adrenaline makes it feel like I have been running for miles. I can see the other players gaining on me out of the corner of my eye. Finally I see the opening I need, partway across the field Jamie has no one on her tail as she runs up field with me. With a kick I'm watching the ball fly across the field, until suddenly I'm not.

I'm on the floor, the sound of the referee's whistle going right through me. I know nothing's broken, I would be in much more pain, but I can't stand, my knee keeps buckling every time I try.

Players from both teams come rushing towards me, presu!ably to see if I'm okay. The girl who knocked me to the ground in a late tackle looks as if she is panicking so I try to reassure her with a smile, but all i can do is suck air through my teeth as the school nurse checks out my knee, only to announce what I already knew. It's not broken.

After from some assistance from my teammates I manage to make it over to the benches thanking the gods that none of my family came today. The nurse, I can never remember his name, no matter how many times he fixes me up, starts to bandage my knee. He tries to talk to me, but all my attention goes back to the game. After our free kick for my injury we're still two goals up with mere minutes left until the final whistle.

The substitute player doesn't help the team much, she almost let's the other team score once and I almost have to cover my eyes. The team won't survive the first round of the championships if I'm out of play too long. Not like this. Suddenly shouts errupt from the bleachers behind me as the ref blows the final whistle.

Once the handshakes are over and the other team have started to leave the field the rest of my team rushes over to the bench, our coach not far behind.

"How bad is it?" Coach asks, getting straight to the point as always.

"Not too bad," I answer leaving the 'I think' to myself. "Right Doc?"

"You'll need to see a doctor at the hospital, I'm pretty sure your knee is sprained, it will he a few weeks at the very least until you get back on the field. There shouldn't be too much damage." He assures.

Luckily my mom was already picking me up today, so as soon as coach assisted me to her car we could head straight to the hospital. Once she starts driving I stare at the white gauze covering my knee dejected. I finally make captain, something I have been working at for years, and now j can't play. Great.

My mother just sighs when I tell her about what happened, it's not exactly my first soccer injury. She called it as soon as I started playing. 'Soccer is just going to tether injured,' she pleaded with my dad as he drove us to my first tryouts when I was ten. It was my dream though, and my dad refused to let anything take my dreams from me.

"I was looking forward to spending the evening with you tonight, I even had it planned for once. We were going to watch movies and pig out on homemade chilli," my mother tells me wistfully as sh runs her fingers through my hair. We've been waiting for two hours already and my knee is swollen and beginning to throb.

"Sorry," I tell her sincerely. I don't get to see my mom as much since she moved out, it's ever rarer to see her without my little brothers.

"It's okay, sweetie," she sighs. "I just miss you sometimes. You've grown up so fast. You'll be eighteen soon, off to college. At least we still get to talk." I sit up a little and peck her cheek before laying my head back on her shoulder.

Mom and dad split up over five years ago, but she didn't move out until about eight months ago and I'm still not used to having her gone. She used to come to my room sometimes, just to see how I was, and we'd end up talking for hours on end. Sure we have our differences and we argue - a lot - but that doesn't mean I don't love her.

It's another hour before a doctor can see us, that's the problem with emergency appointments, they rarely see you quickly.

"It's sprained," the doctor announced after she had finished poking and prodding my knee. "You'll need to be on crutches for a few weeks so that you don't put too much pressure on you knee. I'll give you some painkillers too, they should also help with the swelling."

"How long until I can play soccer again?" I ask sitting up on the room's cot.

"At least four weeks, but I will let you know for certain when I see you in three weeks for your follow up."

Wonderful. There was no way we'd make finals now.