Changing Strides

~Chapter 9~

  I was relieved to finally be out of a wheelchair. Last week, the doctor had deemed my back healed, with precautionary measures of course, but I found out the the pain still lingered at times. I walked out of class in a boot and climbed up the stairs with a herd of angry, hurried people behind me. Once reached the top of the stairs, I walked to my locker, in peace instead of a bitter mob behind me. I shut my locker and wandered to Sammy's. There Jordyn already wait. "Claire, ya comin' today?" I thought for a moment before realizing what she was talking about. "Well, um, I signed up, so I'll tell coach that I can't do track, I guess. So sure, I'm coming." Jordyn gave me a quick embrace and we headed off, with Sammy, down to the gym. I stood in the lobby waiting for my friends to get out of the bathroom. I looked around to see all these people, fit, healthy, and uninjured. I started to wonder whether I should've come to track after all.

My friends greeted me after changing and we all waited impatiently for coach to arrive. I heard the gym doors echo through the gym as Coach Dennis approached. He set his bag down and started to round up the high schoolers. He motioned for us to sit, going over rules and whatever before lining us up along the edge of the gym for warm ups. I stood out of line, feeling out of place. Coach Dennis came over once warm ups were underway. "Why aren't you line?" I pointed to my boot. He looked slightly taken aback. Was it because he just lost one of his best track stars? "What did you do?" I took a deep breath. "Well, I ride horses and I was in a competition and mid jump, My stirrup broke, giving me Achilles Tendinitis and my horse spooked and he clipped the pole on the top of the jump and we fell and I also strained a muscle in my back." He just looked at me. I wondered if maybe he just didn't understand my basic summary of horse talk. "How long you out?" I looked up thoughtful for a moment. "Um, I think til like July-ish." He simply nodded, and asked one final thing before going to address the team. "Are you okay?" I nodded out of instinct, whether or not it was true. And as I took a seat with the team, I wondered if that fall did more than just damage the outside of me, maybe it crushed the inside too.