Carter
I made it to tryouts. And it was all because I was so determined. Not really I threatened to sue the school and used the fact that my dad is a millionaire as leverage that I could get the best lawyers and that this was discrimination.
The coach was very reluctant to allow me because she used the fact that I could have a heat stroke. I told her I know my limits and I know what I'm getting myself into.
So here I am. On this track after school. If I can fully finish the mile on the track I make the team. Sure that doesn't seem to hard. I could finish the mile if I had a certain amount of time. But you see I have a deadline. I have to do this in 12 minutes.
I've never even done a full mile. Of course the coach made sure everything was as safe as can be. I had to carry a small backpack with water bottles in it. Just in case it gets too hot.
And now I'm on the track. Just a couple laps around and I'm done. I make the team. Within the span of 12 minutes.
"On your mark, get set, go!" The coach said and she started the timer.
I broke into a run. That only lasted about halfway down the track and then I couldn't. I grabbed a water bottle and began drinking and running at the same time. Soon enough I was on my second lap. And then slowly my third.
I was so close to my fourth lap. But it was getting so hot. I could feel everything heightened. My breathing became rapid it was like my lungs were being squeezed and then let go. I grabbed a water bottle and poured the water on myself in a desperate attempt to stay cool.
And then I was so close to my fourth lap. My final lap. I couldn't run anymore. I walked. I walked the rest of the way and I knew I might have already went on longer than 12 minutes. But I just wanted to prove something to someone at this point.
I didn't quite know to who but I was still determined. Perhaps it was only myself I wanted to prove something to.
Maybe I just needed to know that I could do this. Maybe I just thought that if I could get through this maybe I had the tragically beautiful idea in my head that if I could fight past this if I could make it through this mile despite my condition just maybe Ash could make it out of his coma despite every test they're running on him saying that the chances of him waking up by now is little to none.
By now I was crying. A lot. I was so close to finishing my fourth lap. I broke into a sprint. I ran. Faster than I ever had. I ran as fast as I could because I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if I had a heat stroke.
I was just so tired of people telling me the things I couldn't do and the things I can.
And then I was breathing so heavy. I began seeing black spots. Everything felt so hot. But I was so close. I heard the coach screaming as if I were under water.
She was only background scenery. I heard her on the phone with an ambulance. And then finally. I was only a few more feet to the finish line. I was so close to finishing. Just a few more feet. I saw the coach running to me. I ran around her. I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to stop me. She knew what was bound to happen if I finished this. But I had to. And by now everything was slowly turning black.
And then I was past the mark on the track. I had finished my fourth lap. And almost immediately I collapsed. Everything went black and my body was doing things that I couldn't control. I hadn't the energy to fight off the feeling to close my eyes. I was too tired.
The last thing I heard were the sirens before I drifted to a place where I felt at peace.
