Have you ever lost a race? Have you ever failed at something that is your passion? Yes and yes. My biggest mistake is the time is when I lost a roller skating competition. To you this might sound like not a big deal, but to me losing a ROLLER SKATING competition is a really big deal. I have been roller skating since I was about 5 years old. And this was the absolute 1st time I did not make it to the top 3 skaters. And that means this was the first time I made the team not win first.

This all started the day before when I was at the rink practicing for my big day. ” Mom, give me a time.” ” 18 seconds.” Somehow I felt like this was terrible. I knew this was pretty fast to others, but I have never gone so slow. It was almost time for me to leave. To go and catch a plane to Washington state so that I could finally win 1st place. This was a speed skate race, but this might also be that moment of happiness that I have been dreaming of my whole life. You no like the ones that only happens in movies.

If I could win this race or support any other people on my team and have on win 1st, we would be the best speed skating team in the U.S.

The race was divided up into 4 categories. The first is the backwards race. All the racers in this race would have to be able to skate backwards and don’t forget they have to do it with speed. So what we did was we picked the best on our team for that job. ” Next to go to the rink is Nathaniel Moore . ” Just for some background info Nathaniel is he’s the best of the best in the state at backwards skating. All the screaming and yelling as he is making the last turn. I could feel the sounds of skaters crashing onto the ground. He’s still in the lead. And… We won 1st. One competition 3 to go.

The next race was the trick race: every team was to have a racer to show a trick when there on skates. The only person in our team fit enough to do that was, ” And our next competitor is Kat Harris.”

“Remember don’t look down when doing the last flip,” I said nervously. “What are you talking about? …. Never in a million years.” As she glided out to the rink my friends and teammates wondered and asked with caution of my emotions.” Does she know she’s going against the best trick racers in the nation?” “Yeah, ” I said answering the question without paying attention to the faces of my fellow racers. “Do you think she will miss and … Fail,” without saying another word—

“Never in a million years.”

Double round-off followed by a spin side jump. And—her last but most important spin of all. Jump…spin…flip…and…She did it! She really did it. All those times at practice all those time I had to call the ambulance to take her away because of 1 flip. And now to believe it and see it before my eyes. She come running back in tears… tears of joy… tears of love. “Thank you,” she responded still tearing up. “Good Job, now only if the rest of the team could do that.”

Next race is going to be speed ball. Lets be easy and make this simple—it’s football on roller skate and there is only 1 person on the team that has the guts to do that—” Hey, Trent you ready? Trent…TRENT!” I tried to say calmly. ” Sup Vivi’s,” he responded a little out of sort sounding. “You ok?,” I said as I tried to sound sympathetically. ” Yeah I’m cool— No I’m not I…I’m…I just think I’m going to mess everything up by… I mean I’m scared that if I do mess up y’all are gonna hate me.” He said trying to hold back his tears. ” Oh, Trent… If anyone’s going to mess up it won’t be you… Cross my heart.”

1 more touchdown and we win. He’s skating down the field— he throws it and… We did it we won.

In 3 seconds he was running towards me, I thought this was going to be a friendly hug thing— but— no— he ran up to me and before I knew it he was holding me and no this is not right we—

We kissed. Lip to lip. As I stared at him with confusion and just full of thoughts, but before that my words went flying out of my mouth, ” Trent!?” ” Oh My God Vivi’s I’m so so sorry. I just… I mean… I just want to ask you— Maybe after you win maybe we could go somewhere to hang out ?” He told me with that type of face that would make me just want to say—” Trent— make that a date.”

Next is the only race I can actually have a chance of winning at….Forwards racing. My team has talents but me, they could have found better. I’m not all that fast, but I did win 27 races already so I’m happy to know that yes Vivian Nguyen is a keeper.

I’m only 5 yards away from the finish and still in 1st. The cheering of my friends– my family– Trent. I knew I would win now only 2 yards away. Foot after foot… This is my moment.

“Whoa,” I screamed into my mic. There I was lying flat on the ground— eyes widened as if the world had just flashed before them—and for me, it had. Crying and pounding the ground screaming the same exact line over and over until I couldn’t breath. “Why me!?”

Just then I realized… My team

My team— I turn around and see my team talking with each other, probably about who to take my spot on the team.

My parents… My parents are gone… There gone… They left.

I stand up head up facing the sky and finish the race. Then without stopping I leave. Though the door strait to my bench. Literally, the bench was dedicated to me cause my roller skating buddies were giving me a 13th birthday present.
I could still hear the voices of my friends whispering to one another, ” I’ve never seen vivian fall before?” I could still see the look on my team’s face: eyes wide open as big as boulders, mouth hanging down to there feet. This was the reaction my friends would have if they had just known they were moving.

My biggest mistake was being to over confident of me being able to win that I didn’t recognize the people that already won for me.

Do you know that feeling? The one you get when your all alone— just you. I do and I have story to prove it: sit back, relax, and listen.

Everything was normal— except the girl sitting in the corner of her homeroom getting ready to have something magical happen— to bring her flying away— preferably to her nice and comfy bed. But as soon as I open my eyes I get it— that girl in the corner— the only one with out a friend— was me.

Walking to first period was like trying to get all the m&m’s out of…oh yeah, trail mix. Everyone was talking, everyone but me. After I got out of that death trap of doom. I settled down strait into my desk, 3 column 4 row Mrs. Larson’s 5th grade English class. It seemed as if hours went by… Maybe even a year.

Walking thought the hall looking as if there was a tunnel there up in front of me, but come to think about it I have never seen a tunnel filled with kids and textbooks.

All my classes went by so slow as if the clock just stop and went backwards until they thought we experienced enough pain.

As the day drowns in darkness made by night I realized I was never alone. I had more than those normal friends that you walk and talk with.

I made friends with— time.

Tick Tock Tick Tock. “Would this circle of time ever let the bell ring!” I wondered with a grisly voice inside my bored head. But just in case no one understood what I just said here’s a calm little sentence about my very meaningful line of intelligent wording,” Does this stupid clock work!” As I let the voice inside of me scream and yell I just sat calmly and joyfully waiting. When I started counting down to the bell I could tell I was not the only person waiting for freedom.

Around me I could hear the pencil tapping on the cold hard math desk. The sound of zippers and Velcro as students tried to pack there bags and moved out. This was suppose to be homework time, but at the end of the day homework was not an excuse for bored ness.

Finally the moment I’ve been waiting for THE BELL! The second you step out of your last class the wind when gushing in my face as the students ran across the hall. Before I thought that the day was done and I could leave, but then I remembered math was still waiting for the next class.

I love doing DI! when I am together with a group of people I do not know about at all and I am forced to work with them then boom! you got new friends.