Hard Coach Stevens yells from the sideline I’ve got to pour it on now Footfalls pound behind me gaining on me The other team is close but I’m closer With a final surge I cross the try line I stumble and feel the rough embrace of my pursuer on the back of my jersey We fall in a tumble of knees and elbows and cleats but it’s too late for the other team I’ve scored the winning points of the game with only seconds to spare I’d jump up and celebrate with my screaming teammates but I’m too gassed out to move I lie on the soaking-wet grass feeling alive sucking air covered in mud and grime and sweat I taste blood on my lower lip I must have bitten it but it doesn’t matter The pain is worth it It’s always worth it Watching the video I can see just how close I had been to being taken down Half a second slower and I would have been toast I could have passed the ball during my charge several times but I was too 6 Brooke Carter
focused on myself When I’m in the zone I just can’t help it I had to run to the try line I had to win TOP FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RUGBY 1 The contact I love to get tackled and I love how rough it is 2 Running nothing makes me feel more alive 3 Scoring what can I say I live for the glory 4 Outsmarting the other team so satisfying satisfying 5 The temporary calm I feel after a match the only time I feel calm The Blue Mountain Eagles the girls rugby team at my high school is one of the best in the district but the Riverside Grizzlies have us beat in the size department by a wide margin The last time we played them was not pretty We won barely and we were hurting for weeks 7 Lucky Break
As I absentmindedly palm the trusty and tattered rugby ball I carry with me everywhere everywhere I search the video footage for some clue some weakness we can exploit It’s up to me as team captain to call the plays on the field and I don’t know if I can find a way to beat them Not without all of us getting getting maimed anyway My name is Lucy Graves and I am a rugby player I can feel my stomach starting to burn and I wonder how much Pepto-Bismol I’ll have to chug before going out on the field so I don’t barf up stomach acid Who am I I’m seventeen and I’m pretty sure I have an ulcer My mostly uneaten snack sits on the library table it’s the same disgusting-slash-amazing Graves family secret recipe potato-salad sandwich my mom makes me on game days because she knows how I like to keep everything the same And also CARBS But today the first bite of the sandwich got stuck going down and ever since then I’ve felt like I have a rock lodged in my throat It’s getting 8 Brooke Carter
hard to breathe It’s hot in here Can you die from being nervous Who am I I say out loud as I stare at the pile of papers on the table I lean back pull my earbuds from my ears and toss my rugby ball high in the air Uh I believe your name is Lucy Graves and you’re a rugby player says a voice from behind me I whirl around in my chair as my ball lands on the table with a loud thud It’s a boy Red hair Freckles Adorable Smiling at me Excuse me while I curl up and die 9 Lucky Break
