dear highschool. i hate you. occasionally

not a fairy tale ending

she began physical therapy right away although she didn't know what she was working towards she didn't even know what she was supposed to do now. soccer was all she knew. that was it. she did her therapy in the large island of hawaii and when she finally was cleared she was put on crutches. the neck brace was off and her concussion was gone. she looked fine but on the inside she was shattered. her ankle was healing but she would still have a month before she could get off her crutches and get back on the ball. she didn't even know if that's what she wanted. she wanted more than anything to play pro buy could she even? that was a battle she would face every day. as for the team they lost. they lost to japan in penalty kicks. rowan watched the match on tv and let the tears stream down her face. she hadn't really spoken to them since. they've reached out but she needed to heal. after an eventful summer. it was time to head back. she sat on her couch watching tv when her dad came in. "ro i need to talk to you" he told her. she paused the tv before looking to him. "babe i'm so sorry but i'm getting deployed. i'll be in iraq for i don't know how long. longer than a few months" he told her sadly. she took a deep breath not letting the tears spill out of her eyes. the next day she took him to the airport. before he left he said one thing. "ro. i know he told you you were done. but listen to me. only you know your limits. and you're not like just everyone else rowan. you're extraordinary. just. only you can stop yourself okay. only you" he said.
she went back home and sobbed. she allowed herself 15 minutes of pity. then she sucked it up. took a shower and got ready for school. she was gonna have a long day. and she would have a long few days. but she knew what she wanted. she printed out a picture and tapped it on her wall. "london 2012" was written on it. that's what she wanted. she wanted to be on the olympic roster. no matter what it took.