Sophie

//BZZZZZZ!// Again, the buzzer rang. 3 - 3, 4 - 4, and now 5 - 5. I'm the St. Sebastian's soccer team captain, and I've lead my team up to the top. We were number one in the league, but the Spartans were two. "I'm open!" I yelled to Carrie. She passed the ball, and it landed right at my feet. I dribbled down the field, faking left, faking right. There was only 1 defender left between me and the goal. This girl was HUGE. I tried to fake left but she knew what I was doing. She stepped to the left with me, and tripped me. For 1 second I was air born. Then I hit the ground. __HARD__. I looked up at my coach. She was staring at my throbbing right ankle. "Sprained ankle hon. You're out for the season." Her eyes were emotionless as she said this. "But..." She walked away. "Carrie! You're substituting for Valdez! Now... Be captan!" That's me. Anne Marie Valdez. And I was out for the season. I was out of the soccer season. Soccer. M-my whole life. I thought. I glanced up to see my mom running towards me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a girl I felt like I should know... Never mind. Later on in the car, once we were driving away from the field, we got stuck at a stop sign, on Gibb Street. I took a quick glance out the window, into the Gibb Street Garden. You'd think a private schooler like me wouldn't live in a place as... Interesting as Cleveland Heights, but I like my home. And the truth is I'm in private school on a scholarship. My family ain't rich like some of the snobs at my school. I saw a pregnant girl hunched over a plant I couldn't see. The girl was about my age, 16 or 17. Why does she look familiar? I thought to myself. My soccer game! I saw her at my soccer game!!! She was the person I saw lurking on the side lines... But why was she their? My mom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Gibb Street garden... Been meaning to start a garden there. Just haven't had the time. It would be good for you too ." she looked at me. "Oh," I said. //I want to talk to that girl.// I thought. We pulled away from the garden, leaving it behind us. When we got home, (which by the way is only two blocks from the garden,) I grabbed $20, my crutches and I limped out the door. "Sweetie, where do you think you're going?" asked my mom suspiciously. " You might be right. Starting a garden could be... Good. " Before my mom could say another word I was limping down the sidewalk to the farmers market. I got there and bought a pack of daisy seeds. I limped out and crossed the deserted street to the busy garden. I hesitated at the edge. What if they don't... Except me there... Sure I was popular at school but what if here is different? Before I lost the tiny amount of courage I'd mustered up, I walked into the garden and headed toward the first friendly face I saw, a woman I recognized from my block. "Hi Leona!" I sad as I hobbled over. "My my, Anne Marie, what have you done to your ankle?" she asked. "Soccer... A HUGE defender..." I said bitterly. "Oooooo-k honey. So I guess you're looking for a place to plant those seeds." she looked pointedly at the daisy seeds in my hand. "Yeah." I smiled at her. "Well, right next to that girl over there is a patch of land right over there, next to that girl." She pointed at the girl I'd seen earlier. I really felt like I should no her... But I didn't, which really bugged me. __"Ok. Thanks Leona. Nice talking to you." "Bye sweetie."__ She waved at me as I walked over next to the girl. She looked up at me. "__Hi," she said. "Hi," I said, trying to make my smile look friendly__. "I was wondering... I feel like I know you... So... Do I?" She nodded. "Yeah. My name is Maricella. I used to go to St. Sebs... But I dropped out after I became pregnant." She said with regret in her voice. __"You're probably gonna' want some help with that, right?"__ She pointed at the seed packet, then my bandaged foot. __"Yeah..." I said, my voice trailing off.__ She walked over to the piece of land in front of me, and bent down. "Can I see the seeds?" She stuck her hand back, waiting for me to give them to her. I handed her them to her. She opened the pack and poured some of the seeds in her hand, and gave them back to me. "Now dig a hole in the ground." she demanded. I did as she said, and dug the hole and put the seeds in. She picked up her watering can. "Now water the seeds. Water them at least once every week." "Ok. Thanks Maricella." Later on that week, I walked down to the garden. Little green sprouts were sticking out of the soil and I poured water on them. Like usual, Maricella was bent over her plants, which earlier on that week I had found out were radishes. Months passed, and every day Maricella was their to help me with my plants. I invited her to the mall, she took us out for fast food. Over the course of months, my foot healed, and my plants grew. During my fall season, Maricella was at all of my soccer games. After all of them we would drive to the garden to care for our plants. Now that Maricella taught me how impotant friends are compared to soccer, I had plans almost every night. And I had new daisies every season. I still play soccer, but now that's not the most important thing in the world to me. As I stood in the garden one night, the only thought that came to my mind was... //Yay for the garden.// media type="custom" key="7574253"