Mistakes are like when people try to pronounce my name. It never turns out the way I think it will.
2009, and it was our first basketball game of the season. We were in the third quarter, there were two minutes left and we could all practically smell the determination and desperation running through the crowd, and my teammates veins. Only I could smell and almost taste the sweat and salty water filling up all of my mouth.
I was sprinting to the opposite goal, and and as my eyes followed the action, I saw that Samantha stole the ball…dribbled it up the court…and passed it to — me? My mind cleared blank, everything slowed down. Parents and teammates were yelling, but I wasn’t listening. The only thing that I could hear was the devil and angel on my shoulders. I subconciously moved, then suddenly—
I was right in front of the basket.
It was a layup: the easiest shot in basketball (as my coach always said), but I was too afraid. Kaylee was right there, it was so easy to just shoot, yet so temping to hold the ball up to my chest, and thrust, lifting it in the air and across the room. In a wave of panic, I passed to her instead of making the shot.
The guilt. That was all I could feel. I didn’t know what my coach was thinking, and I didn’t know what my teamates felt. Dissapointment? Anger? Annoyance? I wondered if they didn’t notice. No. Probably not. But all I was really sure of knowing was that Iwas supposed to be on the other side right now. With my heart in my chest, I gathered up my courage, picked my feet up, and dragged myself away from that wretched spot.
My actions made it much harder for my team to save themselves. The enemy stole the ball, and we lost. all because of me….
To this day, I regret not having the courage to win us the game, just because I was afraid to fail. Although my coach and teammates were able to let it go, I was ashamed, and filled with self-doubt, but I learned that sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith, and when it all comes down to me, I know in my heart, next time, I will shoot the basket.
Wow! That is really really good! I love the punctuation and all the details! I could feel the dread and embarssment. I also love how you ended it!
This is really really good! I can feel your guilt through everything you said. You perfectly showed everything. You also had great punctuation, word choice, and, well, basically everything teachers tell us to use. I know next time you’re faced with this moment, you’ll do great!