Don't Go Through Life Without Field Goals

The Last Game

~ Connie's Point Of View ~

It was going to be weird to play this last game without Austin. I had always relied on him when someone broke free of an early tackle. He has always been there for me, on and off the field. He was a good friend. I had grown to like him more than a friend, actually.

I finished getting ready, trying to keep the thought of Austin out of my mind and the thought of football on my mind. It was a difficult task, but I tried.

I joined my mom, dad, Matt, Austin, and Nicole at the door.

"Well, are you ready?" Dad asked, a huge smile on his face. I faked a grin and shrugged.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I told him. We started walking out the door as Austin gave me a knowing look. I should have known he'd see the truth behind my fake smile. I gave him a nod.

Me and Austin sat in the very back of our van, Nicole and Matt sat in the middle, and mom and dad were up front.

When we were all buckled in, Austin held onto my hand.

"You'll do great, Connie." He told me. I looked down. He took his thumb and lifted my chin so my eyes met his. "Do your best." He ordered. I smiled, nodded, and held on to his hand as we made our way to the field.

~

It was the second half, fourth quarter and we were down by two points. We couldn't loose this game. I swore to myself we would win. For Austin.

I went out to the field and got down on the line. Suddenly, everything went quiet. It was like I was the only one on the field. I was relaxed.

When the ball was snapped, I ran after a receiver that went long past me. I saw the way the quarterback looked at him, and I knew he would throw it my way.

When the ball was in the air, I leaped up, along with the other boy, and knocked the ball on the ground, my body following it's movement.

When I fell to the ground, pain shot through my neck, back, and lower spine. After that, I blacked out.

~

When I woke, there was a doctor in the room, reviewing some papers. I waited until he looked up at me to speak.

"What happened?" I wondered. He sighed and stood at the foot of the bed.

"Connie, I have some good news and some bad news. Good news is your team won the game. The bad news is that you sprained your right arm." He waited for my response, but I kept my face straight.

"Also," he said, "you have a narrow spine."

"My spine is narrow?" I asked.

"Yes." He told me. "It's not very common for someone of the age 13 to have a narrow spine. It's not a problem, however, with your normal life. You can still do anything you want to do. Except sports. You could become paralyzed is you played a contact sport with this situation."

"So, when can I get back to football?" I questioned. He looked confused.

"I don't think you understand." He shook his head.

"Then explain it to me." I growled. He sighed and looked at me, straight in the eyes.

"You can never play football again, Connie."