THE STORM BEGINS

How it all started? We better start at the beginning, the beginning of my storm.

It was a fairly sunny and hot day, I was wearing my uniform and proudly wearing the number 23 on my chest, it was my father's number, my legs were already hurting, I had spent the last days training hard for this race and my body felt I was about to collapse, the screams of my family cheering me on was the only thing that kept me standing.

"Come on Nalla, run, don't stop," my mother, Lili Sullivan, yelled.

She was a very active and happy woman, despite having lost my father and taking care of myself at an early age, she always said that I looked like my father ashen hair, big gray eyes, reddish lips and a profiled face, very different from her who looks her beautiful golden hair and dark eyes is beautiful and delicate, she is my mom.

"Come on darling you can,"shouted my boyfriend Eric Ota a great athlete, before we were rivals, but he quickly won my heart.

"Nalla you are the best, go on don't stop," Evelin Lorens my best friend and someone I love like a sister.

Part of me wanted to give up, but there was little left, I could not stop, my future depended on this career, my life I have to achieve, my mother, my boyfriend Eric and my best friend Evelin do not stop encouraging me, they are my life, my joy And I know that they expect that from the best of me, only for them I kept standing.

Seeing the goal so close gives me great emotion, closer and closer, this will open my doors to the university to more important careers and a good training and guidance of the best, as my father wanted, all these ideas fascinated me, but in One second everything went overboard, an unbearable pain drove away all those positive thoughts, my foot bent and I fell to the ground, I could hear everyone screaming, even so my family encouraged me and despite the suffering I felt I got up as best I could , but it was too much and again I fell to the ground causing new wounds, I felt as if something had been torn and a hot liquid ran down my leg, I looked at me with fear hoping it was nothing, it was blood I was very hurt, I look up at My family I see the fear on their faces, three competitors pass me by and a large group is already approaching me, anyone would consider it lost, but not me, I keep trying, the pain becomes more and more unbearable due to my torments. eg efforts, but I want to achieve it, I am limping towards a goal that I now see far away, I continue to stumble until a considerable group passes me, I am lost.

"Nalla, stop enough," I hear my mother clearly, she's close, but I don't want to meet her disappointed face.

I keep crawling a new attempt to get up and fail, my face is full of tears I am tired my body completely collapses on the ground I feel the gravel on my face soaked with tears and I can only see my mother and Eric running by my side, alone That before everything goes dark.

"It is a pretty serious injury, we are going to have to operate and possibly have to spend a good time in therapy," I do not recognize the voice and my eyes are too heavy to open.

"We will do everything necessary for him to recover doctor," my mother speaks, "he will be able to run again in the future."

Just hearing that makes my eyes open, I'm in a hospital room and my mother is in front of my bed with the doctor, I try to move and I realize how immobilized my leg is.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that's possible in the near future," says the doctor sadly.

My mother approaches me when she realizes that I am awake.

"Everything will be fine honey," he calms me down and kisses my forehead.

And it won't be okay at all, I have disappointed everyone, my future in sport is ending and my light has just gone.

One year later:

I am in the hospital in the same white and somewhat depressing room that I have spent part of this last year trying to recover, walking from one place to another this time without help and feeling no pain at all, but still with a broken heart, I have lost a lot in this last year my friends, boyfriend and I feel lost.

"Well Nalla, you're already much better," the doctor tells me and then tells me to take a seat in front of him.

Dr. Russell is a rather serious man, but handsome for his age, he has been taking care of me all this time and has been really good to me and my mother.

"Well, you are strong enough to train in moderation, the operation was a success, but remember that you still have to take care of yourself, if you feel the slightest pain when walking or running you should take a break, the best thing would be if it happened, you would come see me, "he says, filling out some papers and handing them to my mother.

Nalla, "it won't be necessary," of course it won't be because obviously I'll stop training.

"Thank you very much doctor, I will take care that your training is moderate," says my mother with a smile on her lips, clearly not having the same idea as me.

"I know you will Miss Nalla, Lili Sullivan has been a pleasure helping you," The three of us got up and said goodbye.

We left the hospital eager to get home and rest, it was quite late, the sun goes down showing a beautiful sunset that I would have enjoyed before, but now I'm not in very good spirits, so as soon as I enter the house I go up to my room and I lay down on the bed. I grab my phone, I don't have any messages, but I decide to send one to Eric.

Nalla, "I was in my last consultation today, I seem to be better, but I don't feel that way."

Eric, "I m glad."

Those simple two words hurt me, I would have liked a few words of encouragement or a simple I love you. Being away has been very difficult for us, at first we accepted it and promised to try to make it work, but it is not being like that, he has never visited me all year and his calls and messages are cold and distant.

I kept thinking about my disastrous life all night until I fell asleep. I wake up as always with the sun's rays on my face and it has dawned, but I feel as if I hadn't slept at all, I look in the mirror and I see that I am thinner than normal, my face reflects the fatigue of day to day, I have hair so tangled that I pick it up as best I can and go down to the kitchen where my mom is making breakfast.

"Hello," I say coldly.

"Hi honey, did you sleep well?" Mom asks.

"Yes," I lie, I don't want him to worry enough has happened because of me.

He comes over to me and straightens my bun.

Lili, "Can you set the table?"

In the center of the table is the letter sent by Cullen University, I recognize it perfectly, after they denied me admission to five different universities, I did not feel like opening it, my mother insists that I read it, but who is going to love one? person who at any moment could have another serious injury, things changed now would be a hindrance for students who have a future.

We sit at the table and it doesn't take a minute for my mom to start talking.

"Have you thought about reading it?" he asks staring at me.

"I know what it says," I say something cold.

"A fall is not going to mark your future, you are very good at sports," my mother insists.

I stare at her, surely my face reflects annoyance and anger, a mixture of feelings that I myself would not understand.

"I was good," I say curtly.

She remains silent, anyone would think that this little discussion ends here, but my mother is not a very insistent woman and I have little patience.

Lili, "You don't even think about talking to your friends?"

That hurts me now, what I need the most are Evelin and Eric, but they are very far away at the university, since I was injured I separated myself from everyone, I did not feel capable of being seen like this, it was not me, I was always active and I he really liked running and from one moment to the next everything changed.

"Enough already," he yelled, "I don't want to talk about them."

I get up from the table with a push and I hurry out of the house I want to escape, I live in a small town where it is very easy to find tranquility, I sit under the tree where I have spent a lot of time either on wheels or limping I liked to come here.

I turn on my phone and checked Eric's posts he's doing great he has a lot of friends, he goes to a lot of parties, even Evelin appears in most of the photos. I miss you guys so much. I spend a while thinking and letting time pass, time that passes very quickly and in my head there is only one question.

"How could I end up like this?"

It is quite late I decide to abandon my problems and go home slowly, I do not want to worry my mother, she is not to blame for anything. I go into the kitchen and I see her with the letter in hand, very surprised.

This was what I wanted to avoid, but it is late, tears begin to fall from my eyes and anger seizes me, I walk quickly to the table I tear off the paper and throw it into the basket.

"Nalla what are you doing?" yells at me.

Without answering, I go up to my room and lock myself, I spend the whole afternoon reading and listening to music until I fall asleep.

The vibration of my phone on the bedside wakes me up, I get up quickly and pick it up thinking it's Eric, but no, it's Evelin calling me. We have not spoken for a while and I decide to answer you.

"Hello," she says cheerfully, "but what a hair."

"Hi too nice to see you," I say wryly and laugh.

"Don't be silly, how are you?" Evelin asks.

"Good," I lie.

Evelin, "Liar, shouldn't you be resting?"

"They already checked me and I'm much better I just have to take care of myself," I say to reassure her.

"Well, by the way you should call Eric I think he has something important to tell you," she says nervously which makes me worry.

Nalla, "I wrote to him yesterday and he didn't seem like he had anything to say."

"Maybe he was busy," she justifies.

"Okay I'll call him later," I say putting the subject aside.

We continue talking a while more, Evelin is different, she is not the same as before, but perhaps it is because we have not spoken for a long time. In the end I decide to leave the bedroom and go downstairs, my mother is in the living room reading a book and when she sees my face it lights up.

"At last you show up, 'His reaction confuses me, it shouldn't be like that after what happened.

"Something's wrong," she asked curious.

He takes the crumpled letter out of a corner and shows it to me.

"Congratulations," says my mother smiling.

He runs to hug me but I don't have the strength for that and again my tears begin to fall down my face.

"I was accepted."