R8+Group+1

Main Characters = Timmy Johnson Setting = Virginia at home, school, and on the lacrosse field. He go to 12th grade at a middle school in Virginia where he is a new student coming from Pennsylvania. Timmy plays lacrosse. He think he is the best and he really is not good and his team mates all hate him.

My head rested against the cool window as rain pelted the car, and my father drove on through the fierce winds. The streets were vacant as we drove through the night, soft snoring coming from the seat my mother occupied in front of me. I began to drift into an disturbed sleep, a memory coming over me as a flash of lightening illuminated the car.

//I was back on the lacrosse field with my team and all of my close friends, who also played lacrosse. The game was tied with only a few seconds left in the game. My hands were sweating and my mouth was dry as I continued to run to the opposing team's goal. A rough blow from an enemy's stick hit me in the middle of my back, and I knew that I needed to make a move quickly, if we wanted to win the game. As best as I could, I passed the ball to Jack, who knew what he had to do. Our team worked well together, and I had full confidence in all the players. Jack made his way to the goal and.... YES! IT'S GOOD! WE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP! It seemed like a dream as we ran to the middle of the field and celebrated the victory, watching as the other team hung their heads. It might4bv have been the best day of my life, until later on that day, on the way home from the game.

I remember running off the field and into my parent's car, gatorade in my hand. After admiring the game a bit, my dad said he had to tell me something. We reached a stop light and he turned around in his seat and said "We're moving to Virginia." I could feel the smile slide off my face, and shock take its place. How could we move? Time seemed to stop, and we sat there in silence until the light turned green and my dad turned back around.

I knew at that time that my life would be different. It was going to be hard leaving my friends and team. I did not think that I would ever trust or be close to anyone else like i was close to them. I did not realize at that moment that I would be a different person in Virginia, and yet I felt like there would be changes, that much I knew. But life would still go on...//

Now I was on my way to my new home, and it seemed as if that had happened ages ago. My life in Virginia seemed to be a dream, and every day it became less and less real - even before I had left the state! I had thought about that day many times, and yet no matter how much I thought about it, it would not change a single thing. The lull of the rain and the late night were making me very sleepy though, so I attempted to clear my head of those nasty thought, and I fell into a deep sleep in the backseat of the car.



A blast of thunder rattled my ear drums and awoke me from my sleep. It was still very dark, and I think I had only been sleeping for an hour or two. I could hear my mom and dad's voices in whispered tones, and I kept still to listen.

"Are we almost to the new house?" my mother asked. "We're close... It's very hard to tell in these weather conditions though..." my father said, seeming a little distracted. "How do you think Timmy will like his new school? He fit in so well in Pennsylvania, I hope he can at least give Virginia a try. I have a bad feeling about how he is going to react to this move." "I'm not so sure, but there isn't much we can do at this point. We're almost there, should we wake him up?" Dad whispered. "No, let him rest, he has a long day tomorrow unpacking and getting used to the new house." "True. And maybe he could meet some new friends too."

I felt the car slow down and turn right into what I knew was the driveway to the house. I knew at that moment that my parents were also aware that I wouldn't be able to fit in quite as well. They knew my life would not work out as well here in Virginia, but they remained hopeful for me, which is something even I had given up on. If I wasn't going to be a change in Virginia, then Virginia would not make a change on me.



We spent the whole next day unpacking. Box after box after box, it seemed like it would never end. Finally around 6:00 at night we got everything unpacked. The house was huge, just a little bigger than our old house. I dragged my self up stairs and turned on my 52 inch plasma screen and my playstation 3. I looked at my friends list to see if I should join in a game with some other people. I looked at all my old friends from Pennsylvania, their names flashing on the screen. I thought about talking to them but I decided to just play NCAA Lacrosse 09 alone. Instead of playing as my favorite college Penn State I decided to play as the University of Virgina against Penn State. I got creamed, the final score was 12-2. All of the players on UVA were terrible. None of them could shoot or pass and my only two goals were lucky shots that bounced of the defenders sticks.

Mom then called me down for dinner. The dinner was the same as always, Mom made chicken and green beans //again//. It was terrible of course, I have no idea why she keeps trying to make that dish! Dad and I where talking about getting Virginia Lacrosse tickets, but all mom wanted was for us to clean our plates and watch Dancing with the Stars with her. As i saw Warren Sapp tango with Kyme Johnson I was thinking about school the next day. Who will I hang out with? How good is the lacrosse team at Charlotteville High? How will public school be? Back at Pittsburgh Academy we won the State Championship 3 years in a //row//. This year is very big for me because in 11th grade i was offered a lot of scholarships to different colleges for lacrosse. Penn State and Virginia are at the top of my list and both of them are considering me. But i have to have a great season if i want to play for either of them. I also wouldn't mind going somewhere like John Hopkins or Duke, but they aren't my favorites. If i want to play lacrosse anywhere this year i have to do very good so i guess the pressure is on! After that i went to bed and kept on thinking about school the next day.

I woke up at 6 o'clock in the morning, sleepy, but awake. Before running a brush through my hair, I changed and went downstairs, where I ate breakfast, and got my lacrosse stick from the laundry room. I then got my back pack and went out side and started to hit the lacrosse ball off the white brick of the beautiful house. The bus came at 7 o'clock sharp. I got on the bus and sat in the very back, alone, and watched the other kids happily greet each other and take their seats. The ride to Charlotteville High School took 10 minutes, which isn't too bad. I dragged myself into the building and took a seat in the plain, very boring, office. I went to the lady at the desk and she gave me my schedule. For first period I had Mrs. Jones at room 324. So I decided to head on over, so that I wouldn't be late. The main building was huge! It was four stories tall, and was at least double as long as my older school. It took me 15 minutes to find the right room, and Mrs. Jones was pretty angry... That is, until she found out that I was a new student at Charlotteville High School. Then she buttered me up with compliments and nicely told me to take my seat. My schedule went like this: 1. English with Mrs. Jones, 2. French with Madame Cecilia, 3. History with Mr. Smith, 4. Science with Mr.James, and to finish it off 5. Math with Mrs. Dodwell. I guess it isn't that bad, all of them where good teachers; much better than my old teachers back in Pittsburgh Academy. But still, there was a longing for those familiar classes and the crowded halls. When school was over i saw some guys starting a pick up lacrosse game on the field. I asked to join them and they said that it would be fine, so I got my stick and went out there. These guys where actually a big part of the team. There were two D poles, 2 mid-fielders, 2 attackers, and a goalie. They where all seniors, like me, and 1 of them had the name of Willis. I remembered him at an All-American all star game and remembered that we were on the same team. He did not remember //me// though, I guess that's because it was 2 years ago. They were telling me i was really good and would be a big part of the team. For some reason, they sounded so robotic about all this, like it was their duty to tell me. I just couldn't really accept those compliments. They also told me about that the tryouts were next week, which made me a bit nervous.

I knew I would be a star on the lacrosse team but i was kind of worried about Willis though. Willis was a really good player, but I don't know how good we will play together on a team. After the little scrimmage i went back home and told dad about tryouts next week. After that i went up to my room, did homework and went to bed, like a normal day back in Pennsylvania. That whole week felt the same, except the rising excitement for lacrosse tryouts. Tryouts finally came there was about 70 or 80 kids trying out. There was 25 mid-fielders, but i knew i was better than all of them. In the shooting drills i was the only who made all of my shoots. Except Willis, who was almost as perfect as me. In the sprints i was always first but Willis was always close behind, sometimes only by an inch or two. In the scrimmages i was played against Willis, and at first I was nervous. But then I told myself that I would win, and I did. But he was better at me in one thing. And that was passing the ball. Willis wasn't like me. I tried to go to the goal every single play, because I knew that I would make it in the goal. He liked to pass the ball and set up people for goals. I thought that was weird. When tryouts where over Coach Henders said that the roster will be posted tomorrow. The next day it was up in the locker room. I was on the team, of course, and so were all the guys that I played with the week before. Our first game was this weekend and it was a scrimmage against a private school in Richmond. We practiced all week learning plays and seeing who will be potential starters. Me and Willis where running the offense in the drills. Most of the plays for me consist of getting a wide open shot. For Willis, they consist of drawing double teams and passing to the open men. Practice was over and Coach called me into his office along with Willis. He told both of us that we are the best players on the team and he doesn't want our differences of styles to be on the field at the same time. He wants us to be on different lines so that we can take advantage at all times. We where both fine with the idea but, in the back of my head i thought that Willis will most likely be starting now. The day finally came when we played the school from Richmond. Willis started in the midfield along with Sam and Josh. In my line i had Tim and Carter. My line //and// Willis' line was really good. I play best with Tim and Carter and Willis plays good with Sam and Josh. We were up 10-0 at half time and I had scored 2, Willis had scored 2 and all three of our attackers scored 2. I think that we would have scored more if I had been the only one to shoot, and they had passed to me instead of taking the shot themselves. Coach changed it up at half time and had me, Willis, and Carter starting at midfield. We played awful together! We got through the game though, winning with a score of 15-6. After the game Willis and some of the guys where going to the movies and invited me to go. Shocked about my invitation, I said that I would. We saw the new Batman Movie, which was stupid. Afterwards we went and got some pizza, which I didn't enjoy. They had mad some bad decisions about what we were going to do that night. I knew I couldn't trust them... The main conversation centered around lacrosse though. A lot of the guys thought we could win the state championship this year, the way we played today in the first half. I said that I would be the one to pull us through, and even though they all knew it, they gave me bad looks, and became quieter throughout the night. I didn't mind though, I was too busy eating to be concerned with them.

The next day we had another game against one of the worst teams in the state, we expected a blowout. Coach decided to put me in the same line as Willis again. At first I was a little disappointed but I thought I could still do good even with him. The game started and our team was ten times better than them. They were sloppy and uncoordinated while we were organized and beat them in every aspect of the game. Early in the game i had my first scoring opportunity I was plowing my way through defenders when i saw Willis standing wide open in front of the net. Instead passing I decided to keep going, I got right in front of the net and started to shoot. Just then one of the other team huge defenders ( he was st least 6,5) completely laid me out. The ball popped out of my stick and another guy ran it all the way down field and scored making them take the lead 4 to 3. The rest of the game pretty much went like that. I kept trying to score and they kept stuffing me. The game ended with a score of 9 to 3. When i got home my dad told me to come into his office. He said he got a call from UVA and they said they are going to come to some of my games this season. I knew from there that i had to do what was best for me even if it means not playing like I was on a team. I kept this to myself as I left the office. I needed to be ready to give it my all. I was more important than the team, and I knew it. They would never really be my team anyways, not anything like my Pennsylvania team was to me.

I took my shower and i thought about what had to be done at the practice tomorrow, and I intended to do it. I didn't have a reason to be in Virginia with these people. I'm better than them, and there is no reason for me to pretend like I'm not. I said those words aloud as I climbed into bed, clapping twice to shut off the lights. My mother came upstairs at 6:45 am and told me that I overslept. I quickly changed clothes and ran out the door, not caring at all that I might miss the bus, but at least putting on a show for mom. When I was out of view of my parents, I walked to the bus stop. It turns out that I really wasn't that late, and so I stood in the line of kids waiting on the bus.

"Hey Timmy!!! What's up?" A freshman exclaimed, two spots in front of me.

I ignored him completely, and after a few more times at yelling my name, he gave up and turned around. I got onto the bus and took my seat in the back, ignoring anyone and everyone who said a word to me. It seemed to work in my favor, because they all quit saying anything to me.



At school I continued to ignore people, and I began to notice that people were staring at me and whispering to their friends. It didn't bother me. I told myself that they love me, and who doesn't? That thought kept running through my mind until it came time to practice. I made my way out to the field, arriving a little early with some of the other boys. They did not say anything to me, and I didn't say anything to them.

Practice was awful though! No one passed to me, and I got angry and yelled at them all. Luckily coach didn't hear me, but man I was MAD. I knew that I had to talk to the team in the locker room, or we would be in deep trouble for tomorrow's game.

I tried to talk to my team in the locker room but most of them just ignored me. They just shuffled out locker room with their heads down. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with them. As Willis left the locker room me muttered, "ball hog," and then it hit me I had been focusing so hard on getting a scholarship that I had tried to take all of the spotlight away from Willis. But then i thought that it was his problem that I was better than him and it should be me who scored all the goals not him. As I rode back home I planned out how i was going to score next game and how I was going to not let Willis score.I had a hard time sleeping that night I kept thinking about what I had to do tomorrow and what would happen if i didn't do it.



The next morning when I woke up I was really tired, I stumbled down the stairs and stairs and hit my hand the wall. Instantly it swelled up with pain, I could barely move it. At breakfast my mom looked at it. She said i just sprained my wrist and that it would okay in about a week. A week! I couldn't wait a week I had to play! This may be the most important game ever, I can't just miss the most important game of my life because of a sprained wrist. I went out to the garage and grabbed my lacrosse stick and tried to stick handle. As soon as I did I got a sharp pain in my wrist. I hoped it would get better by game time.



After school was over I tried to stick handle again and I felt that same sharp pain i felt in the morning and i knew that i couldn't play. I was too depressed to go watch the game so I called my mom and told her to bring me home.



The next day I looked up the lacrosse scores on my dads computer, Our team had won 15 to 2! Underneath it had a summery of the game. It said, "Our boys lacrosse team played like champions and they deserve all the credit for the victory. They played as team on offense and defense and every goal they scored was set up by passing..." I stopped reading. The words //passing// and //played like a team// hung in my mind. Under the summery it had a goals a assists table, I found Willis's name. He had no goals, but he had 7 assists! Thats when It hit me for the second time maybe I should try to pass more.

So I did, next game i passed and we won. I kept passing and we kept winning. Finally it was the championship It was the biggest blowout ever! The final score was 18 to 0! I had 8 assists and 3 goals I had never been more happy in my entire life.



The next day we got a letter from The University of Virgina. They had given me a full scholarship to play lacrosse. I guess passing did pay off for me after all.