“Time is winding down will he be able to win the game,” I say softly to myself as I play basketball in my driveway, acting as if I'm one of the pros I aspire to be. 

“Five seconds left, he is trying to get space to shoot.” 

As I try to do a crossover, it happens I twisted my ankle. All I could think about is the basketball game I had the next day. I hop on one foot crying in pain, I go through the side door of my house. My foot had felt like it was stuck. It was hurting so bad that I could barely move it without feeling like I had to scream or wincing in pain. Still wincing in pain, I hop into my room and I lay down on my bed.

When I woke up, I saw my mom had come home from work. I knew I had to tell her what had happened. Then I said, “Mom, when I was outside playing basketball earlier. When I tried to do a crossover, I planted my foot to go left and twisted my ankle."

She then asked, “Are you alright?”

I said, “It still hurts, but I should be fine.”

But I knew deep down inside, I wasn't sure if I was alright. Soon after my family and I went to go to the sports club like we did every Friday night. I went to the basketball courts with my friends and started to try to play basketball. I tried to dribble and shoot, but I couldn't. I felt so hopeless. It felt like I had never seen or even played basketball in my life. At this point I was almost certain that I wouldn't be playing in my game the next day. I left the basketball court limping towards my mom and telling her that my foot was hurting really bad and that I couldn't walk on it. She asked me if I wanted to get it checked out at an Urgent Care nearby, I said yes. My mom and I left and went to Urgent Care nearby, but it was closed. As she was searching for another Urgent Care, I asked, “Do you think I will be ok?”

My mom then says “I don't know, it is hard to tell. But you should be fine.”

I wanted to believe that I was going to be okay, but I don't think I could. Before I knew it my mom and I were at the other Urgent Care. We went inside as my mom helped me walk inside. I sat down as she went up to the front desk to get me in for an appointment. My mom filled out the papers and then I went to one of the back rooms. The Doctor asked what had happened, so I explained how this occurred. Then the Doctor poked around my foot and ankle to see where the pain was. They then decided after a little bit, that it would be best to get me an X-ray. Another Doctor came into the room to take me to get the X-ray. After I got an X-ray, they got a soft cast that was wrapped on the bottom of my foot. They also got me a pair of crutches. I had a bad feeling about this. Now I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to play in the game. Then I went home with my mom, she didn't really talk much on the way home. But when I got home I got dinner and went to sleep. 

The next day when I woke up, I still didn't know whether or not I was going to play in the game. I took off the cast and started trying to walk around the house and it felt pretty good at first, but then I started to feel the pain. I ended up deciding to play. I went to put basketball shoes on, but I was struggling to get them on. It is almost like I had never put on a pair of shoes before. After I had finally gotten them on I tried to walk. I couldn't take a step without feeling the pain. This was not a good sign, but I knew I had to deal with it if I wanted to play. To help with the pain, my mom wrapped my foot with a bandage. Then my family and I were on our way to the game. While my family and I were in the car, I started to think about the game. I didn't know how this game was going to play out. I just had to hope for the best. Once we got to the game, my family and I walked to the basketball court. I put my stuff down on the bench and tried to warm-up with my team. But then my foot was in pain once again, I went over to my mom and she tried wrapping my foot again. I went to try to warm-up, but then the game was about to start. I went to the bench to start the game. I look around the court and start to overthink about what could go wrong or right. Before I could do anything else my coach subs me in. 

This is the moment of truth, would I be able to play well. I took the ball up the court, as I heard the sound of the ball bouncing. I tried to get past the first defender, and I did. Then I dribble towards the basket, but then suddenly a defender steps up and puts his hands up. I don't know what to do, but then without hesitation I float the ball over the defender, I look at the ball and it is almost like I'm watching in slow-motion. I waited anxiously and then I heard the sound of the net as the ball went in. As soon as I heard the net I knew I had done it. I go back on defense like it was nothing, but in my head I'm thinking, how did I manage to do that. I did what I thought I would never do today, first, I played the game, then, I actually scored. I wondered why this felt like my first basket all over again.

The game continues and I manage to score four more points. We lost pretty badly, but I was still proud of myself. I didn't think I could do it, but I did and that is all that mattered. I limped out to the car in pain and my parents told me I did a good job. When we got into the car, nobody was talking and I looked out the window, and I thought to myself, I can truly do anything, I just have to believe I can. I realize it is true, at first when I twisted my ankle, I never thought once that I would even go close to the court today. But as soon as I put my basketball shoes on I knew I could do it. All I had to do was follow through with it. Just like when I'm shooting the ball if I follow through the ball has a better chance of going in. The same thing here once I followed through and committed to playing in this game, I did it and in my eyes, I had succeeded.