The Shots You Don’t Take

One of the works I am most proud of.

Adrenaline courses through your veins. This is what you’ve been waiting for. This is your big day. You take a deep breath, and open the door.

The humid fog of the gymnasium is ripped from your chest as you step out into the clear air of the whitewashed hallway. A fresh gasp enters through your open mouth; fills the holes in your lungs; speeds your heart to a dribble. Rubber soles squeak the words you dare not speak. First one foot; then the other. Your eyes�"trained on every movement�"remain tethered to the ground. You wouldn’t want to twist an ankle and trip into her arms.

She passes silently, but not without consequence. Like the wind, her beauty is most visible in the effects she has on her surroundings. Her shoulder gently brushes yours.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to�"”

“No, that’s okay.”

In a moment, she’d managed to steal everything out of your hands. You breathe a heavy sigh. Your heart winds down to the slow thumping of your turning footsteps. Your eyes�"trained on every movement�"follow her determined form as she approaches the gymnasium doors. You reach for something more to say�"some way to regain control�"but deep down, you know it’s already too late. You missed your shot.