Through the window, I saw them, some tall and big, some short and small. As we walked through the doors, it smelled like food and bleach. “Their school is tall”, I thought as I looked up. When I looked down I saw a sign in bright green that said “7th grade” with an arrow pointing down the long hallway on the left.

As I walked down the hallway I found where the food was coming from, it was a concessions stand. It was small but it had a lot of options. When we walked by, I was trying to read the menu because I forgot to bring a snack on the bus, but it was too late. 

When we walked into the gym it had a walking track right above us, like a deck, there were people up there walking and waiting for the game to start. The gym was tall, but not big at all. The bleachers were only two levels and everyone was crammed once the game began.

They had metal chairs for the player’s benches. They had no scoreboard, instead they had a little one on a cart that they could roll around that only told the time and the score, nothing else.

When the game started, I sat out. Same with the second quarter. But, in the third quarter, I was in and I was focused. I played defense well but still wouldn’t get passed the ball.

Until finally, I had the ball at my fingertips. So without thinking, even though I was in a terrible spot, I jumped up and sent the ball flying. It flew for a couple of seconds, but it went in.

After the game, everyone congratulated me, which lifted me. It was most likely the best feeling ever. On the ride home, I finally realized it. “That was the game, the game that changed everything.” I thought to myself. I dreamt about the shot when I fell asleep that night, which made me happy.

That shot helped me learn that everyone plays a part in the team and to always have confidence. I still look back to that shot; I’m in 9th grade now.