Still Kicking by Katie Hnida

Author:Katie Hnida
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2006-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

9

The Night That Changed My Life Forever

EIGHT… NINE… TEN! Whew. The dumbbells clanged as I heaved them back into the rack and breathed a sigh of exhaustion. Thank God we had the next day off. My throat was beginning to feel raw again, and the last thing I needed was another bout of tonsillitis. My body hadn’t felt 100 percent since I’d had mono.

I picked up my water bottle and began to walk across the weight room toward the massive windows that overlooked our game field. It was a sort of ritual for me; after every weight workout I’d gaze out at the field. The placid field always had a calming effect on me—the green grass, the black turf behind the south goalpost that boldly proclaimed “Colorado.” The stillness in the air. It was beautiful.

I was walking toward the windows when I heard his voice.

“Hey.”

I stopped and turned around. There he was, a few feet away, spotting another teammate on the bench press.

“Hang on,” he said to his partner and walked over to me.

“What’s up? You done?” he asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding.

“What are you doing later? You wanna hang out or something?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” I responded. “I still haven’t been feeling that great.… I’m so tired.”

“Come on… we can just chill. Ball game tonight.”

I hesitated.

“It’s an early game and we haven’t hung out in forever. Come on, you’ll be in bed early,” he coaxed.

“Well… okay. Maybe,” I relented.

“Great. You need to get out more. I’ll call you when I’m done here.” He gave me a goofy smile, then walked back to his bench.

I shook my head, smiling. Maybe he was right. All my life had consisted of in the past month was training, eating, and sleeping. My body felt so lethargic I never wanted to do anything else. Maybe I should get out, even if it was just to watch a game.

I stepped up to the window and stared out. There it was—the unblemished field, the stadium, and the sense of peace. You’ll be out there someday, I told myself. You are going to do this. I laid my head on the cool glass and closed my eyes. For that moment, the serene look of the field made it into my body. You’re going to be okay. You’ll make it. I exhaled and opened my eyes.

Little did I know that that would be the last peaceful feeling I would have for a long time.

Hours later, my life changed forever.

* * *

I knocked twice.

“Come in, it’s open,” a voice called.

I turned the knob and stepped inside. The room was dark and small. I’d been there quite a few times before, to watch games, movies, or just hang out and shoot the breeze. He was one of my closer friends on the team, and we talked easily—and a lot. We discussed everything from football, movies, and school, to our families to religion. I considered him a confidant, a big-brother type—I was even able to talk to him about the harassment I faced from guys on the team and my kicking struggles.

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