“Petty Play”
A micro memoir by Abigail Pineda (9).
The ball was kicked into the cold winter air and of course came to that #8 girl, I anticipated that it was coming to her so as she got the ball I was right in her face just like she was in mine; I took the ball and ran with it, I looked behind me and saw a herd of buffalos running right after me…but most importantly I saw #8.
I was thinking “how does it feel to have a taste of your own medicine” and pridefully drove that ball up the field to the target goal. Vengefully I wanted to embarrass her the same way she did me, I knew it was risky to try to fake her but I did it anyway and the crowd of boys waiting to play after me screamed with excitement; there were “uooos” and cackles from the crowd. I was on an all time high, my adrenaline was through the roofs; I couldn't imagine the amount of serotonin I released that night but I know it was a whole lot.
As I was playing with the ball I felt a sense of guilt for a split second because I noticed that the girl was struggling to get the ball, and I too was in that position in a moment of time. I go by the golden rule; treat others the way you want to be treated but I figured it obviously did not apply in soccer, I assumed that I had the power to make her look as sharp as a marble, I mercilessly continued and thought “karmas a b***ch!” Eventually I passed the ball to my teammate so that she wouldn't get so angry and try to take a jab at my clearly injured knee, with my bulky knee brace.
After I passed the ball I continued to play without that feeling of revenge weighing on me, I felt lighter now that I didn't have to prove myself to this overly prideful team. My teammate quickly read the play I was trying to create when I started running around her, I was going for the overlap. I once again ended up with the ball and checked my shoulders to make sure I didn't have the ferocious #8 girl on my back— I got the green light and bolted to the very end of the field to have a shot on goal. I didn't have that great of an angle so I passed it back to the same teammate who created the overlapping play with me, she struck the ball with such delicacy and managed to hit the camouflaged corner the goalkeeper was hiding with her slender figure.
We had scored! I exhilarated, ran up to her and gave her the biggest gratitude squeeze I could with my hypothermic hands. As we ran back I reflected back on my behavior towards #8, and realized that two wrongs don't make a right, her confidence was probably shattered. We ended the game with a well deserved tie and after the game I went up to the mysterious #8 and tapped her gently on the shoulder to tell her “good game!” She looked up in shock, and responded with a friendly smile. From that moment on I felt less guilty about what I had done, my team and I called a blaring “GOOD GAME BURLINGAME!” for them to demonstrate the good sportsmanship we started, and ended with. That night I learned that the golden rule applies on and off the field, though I didn’t regret my actions I wasn't disdainful about them either.