Julia Gualtieri
Mrs Belden
Honors English
7 October 2014 And Then He Was Gone
We have a relationship like no other; no, not a love relationship, a strong sibling bond that not one can relate to. My brother Ben and I have always gotten along. Even though he is four years older than me, we are the best of friends, like two peas in a pod. We have so much in common, but most importantly our love for soccer is exactly the same. We don’t view it the same as other soccer players, it can’t really be explained. It’s something we only can understand. I wouldn’t say it’s the most normal siblingship that a senior brother and a freshman sister would have but it is for sure a unique one that could never be forgotten. It’s the week of the biggest soccer game for boys and girls here at Coffman Highschool, as we take on Jerome on Thursday evening. The week cannot go any slower. It feels like it has been Monday for a million years. The school hallways are decked out in green white and black paint on the walls, and posters that say “BEAT JEROME!!” The rock outside the stadium is painted for the huge game. It seems like now the pressure is really on. Being a freshman on the varsity team can be one of the hardest things. All the students that go to the varsity games are expecting so much from you, and being on a team with mostly seniors is scary. All day people have been asking me about the game on Thursday and saying how the student section will be huge. Thats it. The pressure is completely on. The day is finally over and I couldn’t be happier. As soon as the bell rang I went straight to the locker room to get ready for practice. Everyone was abnormally quiet as we got ready. Being a freshmen, I wouldn’t know if something had happened because I am not in on the senior gossip, or if its the nerves for Thursday. I guess I will save that question for Ben. We walk onto the turf and start warming up. We see the big man with the bag of soccer balls, penny’s and clipboard wearing his coaching attire walking out to our field. We know this week isn’t going to be easy whether it is our practices leading up to the game, but especially the game itself and no different for the boys. We can see the boys getting murdered by their coach as they’re practicing on the other half of the turf, being yelled at and working as hard as they can to get ready for their match against Jerome. We know our training won’t be much different. We pushed each other so hard in practice today and it had us feeling more confident than we have ever felt before. I come home tired and more worn out then I have been in my life. Our parents have a nice dinner made for my brother and I; Pasta and Steak..as dad says is the best meal after a hard day at practice. I quickly finished my dinner and went upstairs to take a shower and do my homework. As I sat down to do my homework, I found myself not being able to focus on anything. I couldn’t remember how to do the lesson I was acing in geometry class today. I couldn’t remember my vocabulary for science, or my numbers for spanish. All that was on my mind was the game on Thursday. It didn’t help that I wasn’t only nervous for myself but for Ben as well. It was an even bigger game for him because he’s a senior and it is the last high school game he will play in his life. I continue to try to focus on my homework but there is nothing that will let me forget about the games on Thursday. I put my homework aside and go into Bens room to see if he’s asleep or busy, but thankfully he wasn’t so I went inside to talk to him. “Hi Piper” he says. I said hello and quickly cut to the chase on what I had to say. “The nerves I have for my game on Thursday Ben, they’re unreal. I cannot focus on anything, my mind can’t see or process anything right now besides the game. Knowing it’s your last high school game that I’ll ever watch you play in, and hearing all the things people are telling me about my own game, makes me unable to think straight.” “Listen Piper, everything you’re saying is normal..You do not need to be stressing out as much as you are and I can tell you right now the stress you have for me, myself needs to go. Just worry about you and remember you’ll be there to watch my college games. Nothing’s gone, only more exciting things are going to happen and you just need to worry about Thursday, when it is Thursday..but for right now let’s get through the week. Now get to bed.” I guess what Ben had told me has helped me alot. I slept soundly and could focus on my homework for the rest of the night. Ben always knows what to say to make me feel better, whether it’s true or if he is making it all up! Tuesday at school seemed to be a little easier to get through the obsession about the game had gone down, but I knew for sure it was not done for good so the butterflies in my stomach remained moving. The seventh period bell rang and I did the usual..rushed to the locker room to get ready for another hard practice. It had gone by quickly and ended as the boys did, so Ben and I headed home together. Tuesday night went by fast, and Wednesday quickly approached and went by fast aswell. I would say it was the most stress free day yet. We had a light practice since it was the day before game day, so for the last half our coach sat us down and gave us a deep talk to get us prepared for our biggest match of the season, the one in which decided the champions of the OCC. The day had finally come. It was game day. On Thursday morning it was pretty hectic between Ben and my stress about the games, and I had woken up late so he was already rushing me enough. “Piper let’s go!!! Or I am leaving without you! It’s a big day at school and we cannot be late!” “I’m going Ben! Give a girl a few minutes for heavens sake!” It was silent on the way to school besides if we were bickering with each other. We got to school and I got out of the car and slammed the door, leaving my brother to walk into school alone. It was the first time that had happened before, although how angry I was, I had not really seemed to care. My nerves were at an all time high from first period through seventh with my friends, teachers and upperclassmen asking and talking about my game this evening. The time had come and it was time to play. They introduced us and we began. We fought very hard and pulled through with a 1-0 game although it wasn’t easy, we prepared and did what needed to be done. After my game, I wasn’t happy or excited for some reason. I just felt like something wasn’t quite right, I got the feeling of eer, like something bad was going to happen. I rushed over to Jerome to get to Ben’s game. I just remembered I hadn’t even said goodbye or goodluck, even though he did to me. I guess I was just really angry but I didn’t really care. It was the second half of the game and Jerome was up One nill. Fans from each team were screaming and cheering. The announcer was on fire as Ben was on a counter attack towards the goal. It was just him and the goalie untill a defender from the other team came and tripped Ben from behind, and had him pinned to the ground, followed by the goal keeper doing a slide tackle to Bens head. The crowd grew silent, my dad just observing the field and my mom in panic mode. Ben wasn’t moving. There was no motion whatsoever. “Mom!!!” I screamed in a cry like voice.“Shh Piper quiet, quiet, we will be ok, Ben will be ok,” Even though the both of us knew he wasn’t going be ok, we liked the thought. The paramedics came rushing to the fields. My parents were down there as well, but using my best judgement I thought I better keep myself in the stands to try to get under control. I had been so mean to him today, though he was still only good to me back. I didn’t say goodbye, good luck, I love you before our game, though he did to me. I didn’t walk into school with him today, which he would’ve liked. Right then and there, I witnessed my best friend die.
