Silent Repost

A difficult decision

I really took my time getting to the conference room so that I could take a deep breath and collect myself. There I stood, waiting in front of the teachers' lounge. I just wanted to wait for him, when a teacher asked me who I needed. Mr. Hunter only responded to me when she asked about him; she didn't even have to mention my name, and I just heard a nice, "Yes, I know, I'll be right there." There I was waiting, when suddenly the door opened and Mr. Hunter came out.

He greeted me with a smile and welcomed me. Then he asked me where I would like to go. I said that I didn't care as long as it was somewhere in private. We walked down the hallway when he asked me if it was okay if we just stayed by the chairs in front of the office. I found this to be appropriate. He also asked if I didn't want to sit down, to which I declined. He sat down, and that put us on the same level.

In the hallway, there were suddenly two students who greeted him. Mr. Hunter called out to them that we needed peace and that they should leave. My heart truly opened up in that moment, as I was very pleased by this action and I saw that he was taking the conversation very seriously.

Then he asked me what was going on. I wasn't quite sure how to start. I tried to feel my way around by saying that I needed some advice. Finally, I asked him directly how it is when switching branches, whether one has to switch completely or if it works partially. He confirmed my first suspicion that I would have to change completely. And so we talked for about 20 minutes about the sports branch regarding the switch.

To understand why I wanted to switch and where to. I just didn't feel good at the moment and simply wasn't having fun playing volleyball anymore. Since I used to play soccer passionately, I often missed it, and that's why I considered starting again at school. I have thought about this for several months and have finally reached out to Mr. Hunter.

I could tell from Mr. Hunter that he also didn't know what to do with me. He then gave me his honest opinion that he thinks changing is not the solution. And he would even recommend the Future branch to me, as I would probably just do too much sports. He also related this to my current state, as I simply always look drained and exhausted.

That's why he asked me how many hours I do sports in total during the week. I thought for a moment and then said around 14 hours, and on the weekend, of course, some games. Mr. Hunter only said that not even he has that much with his soccer training. Because 14 hours is already a lot, and then to fit in school and studying as well. He can see how exhausted I always look and actually am, since taking a break is not an option for me.

I wasn't quite sure what to say anymore. Mr. Hunter just said that I probably have a psychological problem. The only thing he could recommend to me in the end was the Future branch. I made it clear to him right away that this was absolutely out of the question. He questioned my answer, and I explained to him that it would only make me feel more exhausted, and that the circumstances of not having anyone wouldn't change.

We then slowly made our way together towards the school exit, as he was done for the day and I still had afternoon classes. We exchanged a few more words until he said goodbye with a smile and a "see you in the evening." We actually had winter training in the evening, which is why I was lucky enough to see him again after that conversation. The whole afternoon I was completely absent and lost in thought.

On the Sunday after Tuesday, it was time again; we were heading to a training camp in Croatia. But this year everything was different...