Page 2 News Player’s Mind from page 1 because if only, only if, it would go in, the joy would be overwhelming and would make you forget about every inch of suffer- ing you ever endure. The.pace is now in- creasing from every moment, feeling like it is played in slow motion to fast pace, like _ you just forward a video you are watching. Then you reached the other soldiers lined up in the battle line, ready to take us down. They were bent down but gazing with thirst at the opposite side, where our shoes laid, trying not to get blown with the wind. Their thirst to defeat us still rings in my memory. And when we arrived there was not any rosy welcomes, no hugs, no kisses, no make-ups, no lip gloss, no pretty dresses that ask for compliments, and defi- nitely no picnics or smell of fresh air. We prepared for this encounter by losing the last breath that we had and by depriving our- selves of water until we got it perfect. Then we ran. We ran in our shorts past windows, posters that spoke of nothing to our eyes and students who were captured and later glued down to wooden chairs (students in deten- tion). Then after that, your head lost count of what it saw. You shook your head from all of that and found yourself saying, “The moment is finally here.” And as we stepped in their territory, they came at us like a pack of hungry lions, drooled over our blood and moved their eyes at every step we took. They looked tired, but that did not stop them from attack- ing us because their hunger and thirst to win overshadowed all the rest, including their tiredness. The clock was racing, the bigger one chasing the smaller one, without any rest or a chance to take a little breath. The tem- perature increased. I took a step forward and in the split of that moment she took her eyes off the ball that I was holding and gazed into my eyes, a chilling fear covered me, seeing how enormous she was. I had to then throw an even harsher look back, signaling to her that I own this court. At a blink of a second, I faked right then left and right again, then I threw the orange object to a girl that was wearing a red t- shirt and black shorts, which was an exact image of what I was wearing. She secured the object with her life, tight wrapped around her red nail polished fingers that dared not to let go. I rushed to get to the basket where my part- ner was expecting my arrival. But in the spur-of-the-moment the unexpected had happened, that same girl that attempted to put fear in me had discovered our plans and hurried to get me out the way. I saw the look in her eyes and her endless effort to put the puzzle pieces together. I tried to con- fuse her, I ran, I walked, I went left, I went right, and I turned around her. But she stuck on me like white on rice. As my sweaty face took a hard looked up again, it saw that the time was running out, no room to slow down, breath, or even think. But then my eyes winked, I found myself coughing twice and clapping once, stepping backward a couple of steps. Then the basketball flew to my face, I felt the air and the coolness of it. I took a deep breath and threw. the ball as soon as it came into contact with the tip of my fingers. And all of a sudden I hear ‘swish.’ And in the sight of that a loud horn over screamed all the rest. Then only when the sound of the horn was forced to a closure did you begin to hear the crowd. I was lost there for a min- ute. Did we win? Did we lose? Then I and team came running at us like a pack of wild animals in the jungle. It went in, the joy was overwhelming. Could it really be true? Have we just won the championship? I felt like I am counting sheep above the white clouds and hopping from one marsh- mallow to the other. But I had to pinch my- self back to reality in order enjoy the rest of the fun. By Sarah Smith: Staff Writer heart, a girl of 17 years, who stood up for her beliefs. She was the first one shot in Columbine High School. Although I didn’t know Scott at all, I have learned from her. I was once told to close my eyes and think of people that I personally know in my life. What would I tell them if I were dying? What would I “have wished to tell them if I were too late? : This moment has been with me for over two years. The other students in that room who were told the same thing were as touched as I was. There wasn’t a dry Scott was the kind of girl to reach out to you if you were eating alone. She was the kind of girl who didn’t judge you the first time she met you, because you may be having a bad day. She touched many hearts, and spread the word of God in which she believed so much. She knew that you should never underestimate how far kindness can go. kind act. A nice word. A smile. A touch on the arm. These things take almost no effort. These things can brighten anyone’s day. Yet we don’t see them often. I'll be honest. When I see the. AllState newsday.com
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers