A Life-Changing Chance

For seventh grader, Sarah Ginger, life is hard. She has almost failed herself out of school, She barely has any friends, and her parent's marriage is falling apart.

Everyday at school, she is taunted and teased. She hates it. It really gets to her. She goes home crying because of it.

The only thing that keeps her together is her love for tennis. She plays on six different teams. She loves it. She hopes to be a famous tennis player when she grows up.

One day, she saw an ad on television that had a number to call if you want the chance to play tennis internationally. Her mom had always told her those ads were spam and all they wanted was her personal information but she deperately wanted this. So she picked up the phone and dialed the number. When it stopped ringing, a lady answered. She sounded like she was in her mid-30s or 40s. She was very sweet. she said to Sarah, "Hello, who is this?"

Sarah told her, "My name is Sarah Ginger."

"Oh well hi Sarah. Do you play tennis?", the lady asked.

"Yes, I do. I love it and wish to play in the "big leagues" someday.", said Sarah.

The Lady announced, "Well then I guess today is your lucky day because you have won! A plane will be ready for you early Sunday morning to fly you to California. Congratulations!"

Sarah was jumping with joy! She thought to herself, "Wow, finally something exciting has actually happened to me." She wondered if her mom would let her go because of her grades.

When she told her mom about it, her mom told her that she can go if she can raise one class to at least a C.

Sarah thought, "This should be easy."

The next day at school, Sarah focused on her work and nothing else. She didn't talk to anyone all day. By the end of the day, She had raised her English grade to a B and her Science grade to a C!

She was so excited! When she got home she immediately ran to her mom to tell her the great news.

Her mom had so many questions on how she was getting there, who was taking her, when she was going, and so much more.

After she answered all of her questions, she ran into her room to pack. She packed tons of clothes, about 10 pairs of shoes, her makeup, her lucky racket, and practically everything else she needed to survive.

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It was finally time to leave! She kissed her mom goodbye and told her she'd call if she wants to stay longer.

On the plane there was a flight attendant, his name was Darren. He was 14. Since his mom, Regina, owned the contest and company and his dad, Larry, drove the plane, he was forced to attend the guests that are on the plane. He had short, blonde hair and those pretty blue eyes. Sarah couldn't speak when she saw him. He thought it was going to be some like 19 year old but no, Sarah was 12. They immediately clicked. He asked her, "Can i get you anything miss?"

She replied, "No thank you. Would you like to sit down?"

He said, "Sure."

They talked for hours.

Finally, the plane ride ended. She had arrived in California! Normally, Darren and his father don't get out of the plane but Darren told his dad that he really liked Sarah so his dad let him leave the plane and head to her hotel room and out to dinner.

After dinner, Sarah was extremely tired. When she got to the hotel she passed out on the bed.

The next day she got up bright and early and headed downstairs to Regina's Mercedes. She hopped in and they drove off to a meeting with the press. Sarah had always dreamed of being interviewed. She was shocked that this contest was so big that she needed to be interviewed.

When they arrived, Darren stepped out of the car grabbed Sarah's hand and escorted her out of the car. The building was huge. Sarah's addrenaline was running like crazy. She was so nervous. Darren tried to calm her down but i didnt work. When she got up in front of all of the cameras, she was suddenly fine.

When it was over, Regina told her tomorrow was going to be a day of tennis training and practice since there was going to be an international tournament in a little over a week.

When the next day came around, she was pumped and ready to go. She walked up to a rack of rackets in the arena, grabbed a racket, and headed to the courts. When she got there, Regina and a team of coaches were standing there with tons of balls ready to train Sarah.

During her session, she missed a couple of balls and different things. The coaches expected her to be flawless. She had a lot of experience but she still needed some help.

As it neared the end of the session, the coaches lost almost all confidence. They almost made her go home, but she told them she swore to do better tomorrow.

After two more days of practice, the coaches were finally satisfied. They contacted the hosts of the tournament and told them that their client was ready and properly trained.

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When it was time for the tournament, she was more nervous than ever. This time Darren's pep talk worked. She grabbed her lucky racket and headed to the court. She won the first set. It was time for the final set to start. It was Sarah v.s Austrailian world champion Aussia Rocker. She was still nervous but confident. She knew she was good enough to beat Aussia. After the first set, Aussia was winning. She perked up her confidence more and went full speed at Aussia. After two more long sets, Sarah had defeated Aussia! Confetti blasted in the air, Fans cheered, and she was brought her trophy. Darren ran out into the courts, picked her up, and kissed her.

She was so excited about her victory and she was sure her mom was proud of her. Sure, she wanted to stay but she now loved her life and was happy to walk back into school.

She was right. Someone wonderful had happened to her.

The end.