Moments of Magic

What's Wrong with being Confident?

The basketball season went along as usual, and by that, I mean there was always one basketball game every week or two. Each time, I became more and more confident in my abilities, but there was one game where it really took off.

"It seems like Coach Eddy has been sidelining most of us because he thinks we're the weak ones." Luna said one February morning. Coach Eddy had a tendency to pick the same girls to play with the boys, and this really ticked the others off, especially me. Just hearing this very statement made me determined to give it my all during the basketball game that afternoon.

Give it your all, Mia. Give it your all. I kept repeating this mantra inside my head, even as the basketball teams were headed to the site of that day's game. I was so pissed off at Coach Eddy that I couldn't even look him in the eye. Luckily, he couldn't go, so I didn't have to keep this up the whole day. Taking his place was Mr. M, a tall and lanky brunet. He taught third grade.

We arrived at the game site around 3:30 pm. The girls did their warm-ups as usual. After the warm-up, Coach Tony assigned positions to some girls. As always, I took my seat on the sidelines.

I vowed to myself that I would show Coach Eddy that I was no delicate princess. In fact, I won my first Tae Kwon Do tournament way back in fifth grade. If that wasn't enough, I beat thirteen guys, and I was the only girl. So why should Coach Eddy be sidelining me when he clearly knew that I used to take Tae Kwon Do? He probably thinks I'm not skilled enough, but I don't take offense in that. Leah could crush me in a basketball game any day.

Soon, it was my turn to be on the field. I made my way to where Brittany used to be and got in the zone. When the game resumed, every single person on the court was going after the ball. Emma, a sixth grade tomboy, chucked the ball at Kirsten, who immediately began dribbling.

"Yo, Mia!" Kirsten said before passing the ball to me. I dribbled my way to the hoop and before I knew it, I was cornered by the opposite team.

"Shoot, Mia!" Emma shouted. Without hesitating, I tried to make a shot but missed terribly.

I don't understand why I've been acting like this. At school, I could shoot five baskets, but in a game, I was as good as a Stormtrooper. I've always feared being teased for not being good enough, but hey, everybody's gotta start somewhere. Must've been the pressure.

"Mia, come here." Coach Tony instructed. I made my way to the sidelines and sat down next to Mr. M.

"I'm not that good at basketball, honestly." I told Mr. M.

"You nuts, Mia? You're really good!" Randy complimented.

"You totally rocked it!" Randy's friend added.

"You're doing just fine!" Brittany's brother, Adam, said.

I don't know if I've been brainwashed by stereotypes, but I thought these boys were going to mock me for my poor performance. This one kid from my Tae Kwon Do always said that he was better than me, but sometime after, he ended up quitting. I quit, too, but I was really close to becoming a black belt. Since then, I feared that boys would mock me if I didn't do well. They all say do your best, and if I gave it my all, then that's all that matters.

Soon, the game was over, and our team won by an avalanche. Then, it was the boys' turn to play.

"Hey, good luck!" I shouted as I made my way over to the bleachers and sat down next to Mr. M. I got out my drawing and began to work on it. I was in a really good mood that day and tight on time, so I got a lot done. If there's one thing I learned from this experience, it's that people sometimes support you even when you don't think so.

And what was that drawing for and why was it important? You'll find out.

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Author's Note: Ah, one more basketball one, but before this, I'm gonna tell you about a disastrous science experiment. I felt it was worth sharing, so...yeah.