Kaylee Smith's Senior Year

Beep! Beep! Beep! “Ughhhhh!” moans Kaylee as her alarm goes off. It’s the first day back to school and she is not thrilled. She rolls over to check the time. “Why does 6:30 come so early?” says Kaylee. She checks her phone and responds to only a couple messages of the dozens that she has. “I guess I had better get up. I have to go turn some heads.” Says Kaylee jokingly. She pulls a brush through her long, luscious blonde hair, picks an outfit that compliments her nice summer tan, and applies her makeup. Kaylee grabs her bag and makes her way into the kitchen. She grabs a banana and a bottle of water and makes her way to her car. As she pulls into the school parking lot she searches for Scott’s truck. It is kind of hard to miss. His 2014 Chevy Silverado has a six inch lift kit with very large tires and of course, loud pipes. Scott is definitely the best-looking guy at school. He is six foot two inches with brown hair and brown eyes. Since he is an athlete, he is also really built. She parks next to him and instantly gets out of her car and into his truck. He greats her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning Kay!” “Scott are you not totally excited about our senior year?! We have so much to get done. We have to improve our GPA’s, join every campus club, attend study groups, practice outside of practice…” Scott puts his hands on her shoulders, looks at her deeply, and states, “Babe, slow down. It’s our first day and the first bell hasn’t even rang yet. Relax. Enjoy your last year of high school.” She looks at him and knows that he is right. She is just so excited to finally being able to commit to the University of her Dreams. The bell rings and Scott gets out and walks around and opens her door. They head toward to school to begin their senior year. As soon as they walk through that door, all eyes are on them. They are the hottest couple in the school. With Scott’s hand in hers they dominate the hallway, her hair bouncing as she walks. She can see the fear in the freshmen’s eyes. Kaylee worked very hard to get to be at the top of the food chain. They approach their lockers and put their unnecessary books up, then said their goodbyes and parted ways. Kaylee could already tell that this was going to be a long day. She finally saw Scott again at lunch. “Hey Scott! How were your classes?” He exclaims, “They were pretty good! I’m super psyched about after school though. Coach is letting me lead practice!” Her coach never let her lead practice. Maybe today was her chance to put her skills and knowledge to the test. She turns to him and says, “I’m very happy for you babe!” He turns to his friends and she munches on her lunch. Her mind is in a frenzy. She can’t quit day dreaming about practice and how she wants things to work out. She’s so lost in thought that when the bell sounds to signal the end of lunch she jumps out of her chair. “Two more classes. Two more classes.” She thinks to herself. Riiinnng! The bell sounds to signal the end of sixth period and the beginning of seventh. Kaylee busts through the locker room door. “ALRIGHT LADIES LETS DO THIS!” She shouts at the top of her lungs. All of her teammates begin to cheer. Kaylee changes in a matter of minutes, quickly puts on her shin guards, then her socks, and slips on her neon pink Nike cleats. She fast walks out of the locker room and onto the field. Coach Wilson already has the balls out of the bag and she runs up to one and begins to work on her footwork. “Perfect footwork is key to good ball control and having good ball control is guaranteed playing time.” Says Kaylee to herself. Kaylee becomes so focused on perfecting her footwork that she is startled when Coach Wilson says, “Kay, I want you and Samantha to be in charge of practice today. You two are the most experienced seniors and ya’ll have played together for years. It would be very beneficial for all of the girls.” She smiles with excitement, makes eye contact with Samantha, and shouts, “Alright ladies! Line up for warmups!” Kaylee and Samantha take the girls through warmups and then the team begins their footwork and touches. Kaylee looks over at the other half of the field where the boy’s team was practicing. There was Scott. He has on a cut off shirt with gym shorts and his keeper gloves. No one was better at stopping shots on goal than him. When they would practice together, Kaylee would take shots at different angles and he would block them every time. She would joke about it and say, “You have an advantage because I’m a defense player and not offense! I don’t take shots ever!” He would laugh and tell her that she is great at every position. He catches her glance and shoots her that award winning smile that she fell in love with. Kaylee is very nervous about their first game of the season, which is only a few days away. She could just see it now: “Benton High School Girl’s Soccer Team Demolished by El Dorado”. Those girls were faster, bigger, and more skilled. Kaylee and Samantha know the weaknesses of the team. At the end of practice they lead the team in a two mile run. Kaylee only hopes that these couple days of practice can prepare them for what lies ahead. Scott is waiting on her after practice. She runs up to him and jumps into his arms. He puts her down after a couple of minutes and grabs her soccer bag. Scott asks, “How was practice?” She looks at him longingly and softly says, “Scott I just don’t know. I’m so worried about this game. I just hope we’re ready for it. And number 25 will still be on their team and you know she and I have a history and its just…” “Shhh.” Scott says as he cuts her off. He continues to say, “Quit worrying about it. You all will be phenomenal, as usual. Don’t go down without a fight. I know you won’t.” She smiles at him, but is confused by his almost annoyed-sounding tone. They walk back to the parking lot, holding hands. She turns to him and says, “Homework at your place?” He gives her a half smile and nods. Her smile begins to fade and she takes a deep breath. He walks her out to her car about ten o’clock after they finish homework. “Be safe driving home and remember to let me know when you get there.” He gives her a hug and opens her door for her. Scott seems to have something on his mind, even though he said that he was just worried about his grades. She thinks to herself, “He should be worried about his grades. Scouts look at academics just as much as they do talent. If he wants a scholarship then he needs to work hard in school.” This was their dream…or is it just hers? When she gets home there is a letter waiting for her. Kaylee eagerly rips open the letter, only to find a scholarship offer from the University of Central Arkansas. She hastily threw it onto the pile of other scholarship offers, disappointed it was not from the University of Arkansas, her “University of Dreams”. School seems to drags on the next day. She is so excited about practice. It’s the second day of school and practice has been better than ever. The team is really improving and they’re scrimmaging with the guy’s team. The bell rings ending sixth period and she runs to the locker room. Forty minutes later the coaches signal the end of the scrimmage. The score was 2-0. The boy’s had won. She was ashamed and upset. Scott walks up to her and pulls her in for a hug. Kaylee starts crying softly. Scott says, “Kay, it’s okay. You played so great. I watched you the whole time. Both goals weren’t your fault. They came down your left side. There were two defenders to your left. It was their fault. Actually no, it was Casey’s fault. She was on the far outside. Haley had nothing to do with it either.” She looks at him and his eyes are comforting like always. She gives him a half smile and he grabs her bag. As they walk to the parking lot she says, “What if you get a scholarship to U of A and I don’t? What if the scouts don’t like me as much as they like you?” He looks at her and begins to say something but stops himself. He pulls her in for a hug and says, “Babe, go home and relax. Take a shower. I’ll be over about eight, okay?” Kaylee nods her head yes and smiles at him. On her way home she can’t help but think, “What was he going to say? He has never not said what was on his mind. What on earth could he be hiding from me?” College ball was all they had been talking about since their freshman year of high school. She had to get to the bottom of this. At eight o’clock on the dot her doorbell rings and when she opens it Scott is standing there holding a dozen roses, a box of chocolate, and her favorite movie. He gives her a quick kiss and comes inside. He pops in “The Fault in our Stars” and pulls her onto the couch next to him. She is so lucky to have him. When the movie is over she walks with him out to his truck. “Keep your head up beautiful. You’re a kickass soccer player. Any coach will be lucky to have you on their team.” She looks him in the eyes, trying to find her way into his brain. Without success she states, “I’m so lucky to have you as my boyfriend, Scott.” Scott looks down at her. He really looks at her and he says, “Kaylee, always remember that I love you.” There was a look in his eyes like he wanted to say more. He hugs her and gets in his truck to go home. As she watches him drive away she thinks, “What was he going to say?” Kaylee’s alarm goes off on a crisp August morning at 5:45. It’s the third day of school. She jumps out of bed and rushes to get ready. It is game day. She puts on her soccer pullover, jeans, and Ugg boots. Her makeup is done and she pulls her blonde hair into a high ponytail. She walks downstairs and her mom hands her a water bottle, a banana, and a nutri-grain bar. Kaylee parks beside Scott at school. He has been acting a little different the past couple of days but she thinks it’s just because of stress. Scott greets her normally and they walk to class. It’s a long four periods before lunch. The bell finally rings to signal the end of fourth period and the beginning of lunch. Lunch is back to the way it was before he started acting weird. “Scott, how do you feel about the last first game of your high school career?” Kaylee says to him. “I’m nervous but totally stoked! I’m ready to cheer my girl on and then look up in the stands and see her there rooting for me!” He leans over and gives her a kiss on the cheek and puts his arm around her. Kaylee thinks to herself, “He is definitely acting normal now.” After school Kaylee and Samantha prepare the girls for the first game of the season. “Sammie, you take your offense and I’ll take my defense. Let’s do pep-talks.” Samantha gives her a smile and nods. “Gotcha Kay.” Kaylee takes the defense to the end zone on the field and Samantha takes the offense to the fifty yard line. They take this time to stretch. Kaylee begins her talk. “Okay ladies. We have to be a tight group tonight. Haley, I need you to help me keep the middle covered. Watch my back and I’ll watch yours. Casey, don’t let them take the line. If there is more than one break away on your line then you’re going to run all of next practice. Sarah, same goes for you. We have to watch each other’s back. If one steps up then we shift over. It’s an accordion.” The girls make their way off the field to get ready for kickoff. The first step onto the field right before a game is one of the biggest adrenaline rushes she has ever encountered. There was no clean cut grass smell from the fake Astroturf. Instead, it reeked of the greasy rubber tires from the tiny bits of black rubber mixed in with the turf. She finds these little black rubber pieces everywhere. This field is her second home. She was about to share her home with one of the toughest and meanest teams in their conference. Her team takes formation and prepares themselves for the blood bath they know it will be. She stands on the twenty-five yard line, takes a deep breath, and focuses her mind. The whistle sounds and the crowd begins to go wild. She sees the girl coming towards her. The girl is approaching faster and faster. She knows what she has to do. Just as the girl is about to cut around her she sticks her foot out. Her foot impales the ball with such great of a force that she knocks the girl off of her feet. She has successfully tackled the ball. As the girl is sliding across the ground, she gets the ball under control beneath her feet and sees her window of opportunity. “Eyes off the ball. Eyes up.” She thinks to herself. She can taste the salty sweat that is rolling down her face as she runs like she has never run before. She felt like she was flying because she was running so fast. She could see the white yard line markers zooming past her as she travels the ball up the field. Her eyes begin to burn from the sweat as well. She is instilled with fear as she sees a girl twice her size prepare to tackle her. She looks to her left and has no one. She looks to her right and sees a potential play. She is approaching the fifty yard line and as soon as she sees the big “50” on the field, she passes it. She gets closer to the big girl on the other team. Her teammate is still running into a play formation. Her window of opportunity is closing at a rapid pace. She signals to her player and yells, “THROUGH”. As soon as the ball leaves her right foot at the other teams thirty-five yard line, the big girl slams into the side of her. It felt like the longest fall she had ever experienced. Her face hits the ground and she slides. She can smell the rubber pieces of the turf. It was a smell that was always so comforting to her, because it is her second home after all. All she could do was lay there. The wind was knocked out of her and she could barely breathe, but oh was she grinning from ear to ear. That play gave her one of the biggest adrenaline rushes she had ever experienced. She didn’t even feel any pain. The whistle sounds to signal that a foul has been made. Her teammates help her up. They brush the pieces of turf off of her face and she sets up to start the free kick play. The referee tells her, “You’re bleeding. You have to sit on the bench until it stops.” She looks down and sees that her right knee and her thigh are indeed as red as a rose from the blood. The blood is gushing from her knee and it is also trickling down the side of her leg. As she hobbles over to the bench she can feel her turf burns tingling from the pain. This was something she hadn’t noticed before due to the adrenaline pumping through her body. She smiles as the referee pulls out that bright yellow card and holds it over the bigger girl’s head. She finally makes it to the bench and her other teammates are clapping for her. She gets quite a bit of high fives and pats on the shoulder. She takes a seat on the bench and waits for the athletic trainer to approach her. The trainer comes over to her and bends down to examine her injuries. He picks hidden rubber turf pieces from both her burns. She winces from the pain. Tears begin to well up in her eyes, but she will not allow them to fall down her face. It is a good kind of pain. The trainer wraps her knee and makes sure she can still bend it. He then bandages her thigh to stop the bleeding. He gives her some Tylenol for the pain. She is cleared by the trainer and jogs to the fifty yard line so she can go back into the game. She stands at the fifty yard line, waiting to go back into the game, until the ball goes out of bounds and the referee blows his whistle that signals she can come onto the field. The referee then blows his whistle and signals for her to come back onto the field. As she trots to her zone the crowd grows wild with excitement. This is not just some sport to her. She will fight thorough the pain if it means that she can experience happiness again. It is her passion. They put forth all of their hard work and pulled out a win. Kaylee goes up into the stands to cheer on her boyfriend. Scott looks so tiny compared to the big white goal, but he protects it so well. He didn’t let a single ball go into the goal. It’s like he has magnets in his hands that are attracted to the ball. The ball just magically makes it into his extra-large hands every single time. When he punts to ball it goes to the other team’s thirty yard line every time. Kaylee has never seen a punt go so far. He will make a college coach, and maybe even a professional coach, very happy one day. After the game she runs down the bleachers, onto the field, and jumps into his arms. Kaylee proclaims, “Congrats babe! You had a great game! I just know that your scouts are so impressed with you!” Scott replies with, “Kay, let’s go on a drive. We need to talk.” He grabs her bag like usual and they walk to his truck. He opens her door, helps her get in, and closes the door after she gets in. They drive around the block and not a word is said. He drives to the town pond, parks, and turns his truck off. He turns to her. Kaylee is absolutely terrified. “Kay, I’m not playing soccer in college. That has always been your dream. It’s not mine. I decided that I’m going to go into the Marines. That’s why I’ve been acting weird lately. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted and when I figured it out I wasn’t sure how to tell you.” She looks at him with tears in her eyes. She isn’t upset that he isn’t going to play soccer after this. Okay, maybe she is a little upset. She thought this had been their dream, not just hers. She is upset because she is afraid of losing him. Scott looks at her with his comforting big, brown eyes and whispers, “Kaylee don’t cry. I’m not leaving you and I never will.” “Scott, I’m worried about something happening to you. It won’t be easy but we will make it work. I love you with all of my heart.” Scott grabs her hand and squeezes it. He is tearing up now. Scott calmly says, “And I love you to the moon and back. This is something I want to do with my life.” “Then you will do it and I will support you. I will support you no matter what” proclaims Kaylee. He gets out of his truck and walks around to her side. Scott opens her door and leads her to the bed of his truck. They lay there looking at the stars for hours. The pond has always been a place where they could talk. It frees her imagination almost as much as the field does. They talk about everything and anything. She thinks to herself, “He is my absolute best friend.”