She saw the sharp metal blade on the table. Maria’s eyes sharpened while she was thinking of suicide, feeling worthless, and not wanting to live anymore. All those memories surrounded her mind with sadness. Maria burst with tears of depression.
When she was little, she had family problems like everyone else but she couldn't stand her parents fighting and all she wanted was to die and she was only eight years old. She would always think about how she could commit suicide or how she would try to kill herself with a knife jammed into her stomach. In 5th grade at Willow she was bullied over and over again. She couldn’t stand it anymore, she would always think of how life could be so cruel to her. Kids would watch how she would get beat up by Markis, the main bully, and Rodolfo. They ruined her life. Maria learned how to fight, little by little she defended herself but it didn’t help her at all. They continued bullying her by calling her a nickname that spread through the whole school. In 7th grade when Markis left Willow, she thought that her nightmare was over, but it wasn’t. It continued over three years, all the way to 8th grade she was bullied and heart broken.
Maria saw her friend Kati’s arms full of cuts. Maria asked Kati, “Why do you have cuts in your arm? Why do you have them? Why..?“
           Kati confessed to Maria with a broken heart that she wouldn’t understand, “I cut myself to take out the pain. I can’t stand the boys using me and just pretending to like me when they actually don’t and seeing my parents screaming and fighting while my sister is crying of fear.”
           Maria questioned with a worried face, “Does it work?”
           Kati replied with crystal tears running down her face, “Yes.”
Maria realized that the sharpened blades were her solution, her medicine and her addiction.
          Since then, she realized that self-harm would help her all the way through. Kati and Maria were close friends, they would tell each other everything, and would trust each other for anything. As time went on Maria would cut for fun. She was addicted to self-harm, she’d cry for no reason and just cut herself. When she would get ready for school she would always wear sweaters to cover her arms, even if it was crazy hot.
         Once, Maria pulled up her sleeves and she forgot that she had cuts and scars all over her arm. Her english partner, Anthony, knew that she self-harmed, but he didn’t know what to do. She would always tell him to never ask her, “Why? or What happened?” While she was in English class, Armadd a guy that sit to the right of her, saw her scars and cuts.
         “Are you emo? Why do you have them? What’s wrong?” Armadd asked her with a desperate face of knowing about her cuts.  She stayed quiet and pretend that she didn’t hear him.
        “Shhh.. just leave her” Anthony replied
When other people saw Kati’s and Maria’s arms full of cuts or scars they would always ask them with, “Why do you do that? You’re so dumb? I should slap you across the face for doing that ! You’re crazy for doing that ! Are you emo?” Their classmates would never understand them and that’s what affected them the most, knowing that if they ask for help that people would always make them feel stupid, which is why they would never speak up.
          Three months later, when summer break was over, Kati and Maria were already 8th graders, they met new kids, new teachers, and also a new basketball coach. One day Maria saw Kati’s face flushed,and she knew that she had cried.
        “Are you okay?
        “No, no I’m not,” Kati respond while she was sobbing.
        “Talk to me”
         Later Kati explain Maria, what was wrong with her. Maria saw the new basketball coach David, the new coach notice that something was wrong with Kati. Maria saw Kati leave with Coach David to his office. When she came out his office, Maria was curious of why she left with him.
      “Why were you in his office?” Maria asked
      “He asked me, what was wrong with me, and why I was sad and all that. He gave me advice and he supported me. I even showed him my cuts and scars, I feel like he understands me.” Kati told her with a relief in her smile,”You should talk to him too”
     “I don’t know,” Maria respond.
      The whole day Maria was thinking if she should go talk to coach David or that it would be a terrible decision. She was afraid that if she told him that she self-harmed she would get in trouble. When she got home she cried her tears out. She was sad all day even the next day at school. Maria was crying at school on the bench, even though her classmates notice her they didn’t asked her if she was okay and when they did pay attention to her it will be to make fun of her. Coach David pass by the bench and saw Maria crying while her friends were talking to other girls without noticing her. When the yard-duties blow the whistle, Coach David called Maria while everyone would be walking down to class.
         “What’s wrong?” Coach David asked her with a serious face
         “It’s nothing,” Maria answered while she tried to make a fake smile while tears are running down her face.
         “Don’t lie to me I know there’s something wrong with you,” Coach David argue,d
         “I’m not lying.”
         “Come with me.”
         Maria walked with him towards his office inside the library. When they  both got inside, he closed the door behind him.
       “So tell me what’s wrong, you know that Kati trust me with her personal problems. So you can to. Now tell me what’s wrong?” Coach David pleaded her
       “Fine.” Maria said while tears sudden ran down her face than ever before, she explained him everything, starting from when she was an eight year old girl. Maria told Coach David her whole story. When she was done, Coach David talked to her with a sad face and also worried,
         “You also cut? Okay what do you like to do? What is something that you enjoy doing that you got forget everything?”
       “I like playing soccer. I guess soccer is my passion” Maria whispered while she was wiping her tears
      “Okay look you can also play basketball even if you don't or do know how to play you should join and you can see if that can also help while soccer season comes” Coach David advised her
     “Fine,” she replied.
     When Maria left his office, she went to talk to Kati and told her everything that happen. She told her how she realized that she was right, that he is  the only one that would actually understand. Maria asked Kati,
      “Aye, let’s play basketball while we wait for soccer season to come?”
     “But I dont know how to play basketbal,l” Kati respond.
    “You can learn. I think I also forgot how to play basketball, but might as well just give it a try,” Maria requested
     “Okay, fine”
      Over  four months Kati and Maria played basketball. They both were very good that there team got second place. Even if it sounds like they suck or that they weren’t good enough to win first place, for Willow it was great, their first time going to the championship. Soccer season came and they both were so athletic, they played basketball and also played in two other soccer teams. Kati and Maria were both there basketball team’s role models. While they both played soccer and basketball they forgot of all their problems they would always focus on the ball. But even if they played soccer or basketball some days there memories would be on and off their minds or there would be even more new problems in their lives. Maria would be in and out of math class, you would barely see her in her class. She was always bullied by Rodolfo and Luis, they enjoyed bothering her and making fun of her. She never thought that even in 8th grade that she would get bullied also, that’s why she would self-harm to take her pain out, even if people  said it was stupid for her, it wasn't.
          Coach David and Maria would talk about what Rodolfo and Luis would tell her and how they both would bother her. Coach David would always support in her tough times.
        “You know what, I can’t stand being here,” Maria said with tears in her face.
       “You have to graduate though. Luis and Rodolfo are not even going to graduate. They're both too busy being the wannabe gangsters,” Coach David laughed.
      After telling her that that, for 3 weeks she was happy and nobody would even bring her down. When graduation was getting closer, Maria and Kati talked together in the middle of the field.
        “Damnn… graduation is almost here and were both going to different high schools. I’m going to EPAA and you're going to MA” Maria told her with a broken heart
      “But at least we live close and we’re on the same soccer team,” Kati replied with a little smile but in the inside with a broken heart also
     “You’re right. I can’t believe I survived Willow,” Maria replied with a little smile
      “For reals. Especially all those things you have been through.” Kati told Maria
      “Girls come here! I have to talk to you!” Coach David yelled across the field.
       They both walked over where Coach David was.
         “Come, lets go to my office” Coach David told us with a strict voice
        “Okay, so wha’t up” Maria told Coach David
        “Now you girls are in big trouble”
        “What did we do!” Kati and Maria asked him angrily
        “I’m just kidding. Damn girls, calm down,” he laughed
       “Oh my God,” Maria and Kati laughed as well
       “So I saw you guys playing soccer or I don’t know what you girls were doing, but the point is, now that both of ya’ll are leaving, I’m going to tell you, that never let your emotions out through self-harm but to let it out through your passion of soccer,” Coach David told them with such emotion.
Those words marked their hearts, not like there scars they had in  their arms, but by the words of all those memories that Coach David was there for them, in  their good or bad times. Maria and Kati suddenly teared up, but not because they were sad, but by how happily he said his last words of advice he’ll give them.
         “Just believe that life is not cruel it’s just helping you to be ready for the worst to happen, and that hope will come to you someday. Just be patient because you’ll never know when it will come.”
     All they wanted for people to know is that if anyone knows someone that cuts, rather than just leaving them because you don’t like want they do, they should just help them out and be there with him and supporting them like coach David. Kati and Maria were touched by the words of coach David. They were weeping and their hearts were beating so fast with all the sadness but with such helpful emotion from the coach. Since then they learned to hold on, and that pain will end once again.