“Hey Connor, Tommy and I want to play football and we need a third guy to play. Do you want to play?’ My brother Carl asked.

“Don’t get me wrong there is nothing I would rather do then to play football with you and Tommy because that sounds like a load of fun to me. However, I got this cramp and I need to ice for awhile. I said sarcastically.

That lie could have easily worked on any other giving day, but the show I was watching was saying how you could avoid getting cramps so they caught me in my lie.

‘Quit being a girl and come play with us.” Tommy said

“Fine just let me get my shoes, I will be right out.”

The moment I walked up stairs to my room I remembered what happened last year. We were playing tag with my nine and ten year old cousins. I was chasing Paige all around until Carl saw me running after her. He decided that it would be so awesome if he decked me and began to run in my direction. I turned and saw him running my way. I was going fast enough that I couldn’t stop. I looked up to realize he was in front of me. I felt like a car in a head on collision. You know your going to get destroyed but you can’t stop. I went flying back and he fell forward onto the ground. Blood dripped from my forehead slowly and he didn’t notice until I got up and ran to fix it.

I finally got my shoes and headed to my backyard. They were throwing the football back and forth. Tense and nervous I walked over to them taking the smallest steps as I possibly could.

“Today junior, we don’t have all day!” Tommy said almost shouting.

“What do you expect it’s the middle of December and I’m freezing.” I said shivering

“What ever the teams are you versus Carl and I am automatic QB.

I started to get nervous that my knees buckled and I tripped and fell on my face.

“We already flipped the coin so Connor will start and Carl will play defense.” Tommy said

“Move back we are making a play.” Tommy said giggling

“Okay here’s the play, I am going to throw a screen pass to you and you just run, its slippery out so he will probably fall.”

I knew this wasn’t guaranteed but I like the sound of him falling and decided to listen to Tommy.

“Another thing line up in front of the rock wall because that s where it’s slippery. Tommy said again almost saying it loud enough for Carl to hear.

“Okie dokie.” I said

“You’re going down” Carl said

“Cool’ I said still thinking of him falling.

“Down….Set….Hut, hut, Hike!

Tommy threw me the ball, but I didn’t’ notice because I was laughing. He had to throw it to me early because Carl went for the blitz and when he noticed Tommy didn’t have it he ran towards me. As soon as the ball hit my chest Carl’s body made a connection with mine. As I was falling the trees and the sky began to spin and they were both going in opposite directions. Carl fell on his shoulder and the snow kicked up like a wave in Hawaii. I felt like I was in movie and I was a guy who had just been shot. Tommy looked puzzled. Probably because of the hit Carl had put on me. The first thing I was thinking about when I was falling was why would he try that hard in a backyard football game? I started to feel rage and humiliation, but what can I do? He is twice my size and he’s bigger than me. My thoughts were rudely interrupted when I made connection with the ground. I looked up and the fence started to spin as I was getting up. As hard as I tried I couldn’t get up. The rage feeling was still there but I couldn’t do anything about it because I couldn’t get up. Humiliation was there because I heard Tommy say I was faking it to get out of playing. Next thing I saw was Carl and Tommy standing over me, seeing if I wasn’t faking.

“Are you okay?” Carl asked

“How many fingers am I holding up” Tommy said

‘Well how am I supposed to tell if you keep moving your hand?”

Tommy’s hand looked normal at one point and then it started to spin.

I closed my eyes as tight as can be and then everything started to get normal again. Carl and Tommy picked me up and took me inside on the couch. In felt tired so I began to sleep. Never in my life did my head hurt that bad. The only thing I had thought about is how I was going to get back at Carl.

A few hours pasted by and I woke up to a puddle of sweat. The heat was on so that means my dad was home. He has the heat on every time because he is always cold. I walked up satires to see him.

‘Hey how are you feeling? I heard you hit your head and you were very dizzy.

“Yeah I was playing football with Carl and Tommy and I fell.”
“Oh, well are you okay now? He asked doubtfully.
‘Okay’ he said very unsure of what I was saying to him.

He knew I was lying because I was never good at it. But this was different I actually got him to believe me. I walked downstairs to the kitchen and sure enough Carl was there.

“How are you feeling?” He asked me

“Horrible, what were you thinking when you tackled me it’s a tow hand touch football game in the backyard why would you try your headrest to hurt me?” I said furiously.

“I know your mad but let me make it up to you.” He said to me.

“How are you going to make it up to me? You don’t realize what everything was like when I hit my head. I was scared and you didn’t even care.” I said even madder then I was before.

“Did I take it too far? Yes, I could have eased up a little on you. Let me make it up to you. Go up stairs and watch some TV is ill make you some soup.

“You better.” My mom said

My mom and dad were not to pleased to hear about this whole situation. In fact they were so mad that he had to help me until I felt better. Which I had absolutely no problem with. Seeing him be my maid could make up for me hitting my head. The next morning Carl didn’t made me waffles but not because he had to because he wanted to. He brought them up to my room and as I ate them I started to forgive him.

We spent a total of three hours together just talking to each other and cracking jokes. I got closer to him than ever before.

“So how school going for you he asked me?’ he asked me.

“Okay I guess, I only got in trouble once this entire year. I said as I laughed

“What did you do?” He said laughing as well

“I called a teacher by her first name” I said cracking up

Together him and I laughed and it was the best time I have ever spent time with him ever.




A couple of days past and we got even closer. So close that we went to Wakmen together and played two other kids in a two on two games. We won and after he gave me pointers.

‘When you shoot, put your elbow in and jump then shoot. You will make it more.”

I followed what he said and I got better. I have to give him credit he does have really good advice. When we got home however we told our parents that I hurt my head again and that it hurt more than the football incident and they freaked out and almost drove me to the hospital. We told them we were joking and they were angry. My dad’s veins were almost coming out of his head it was that bad.


This whole experience taught me a valuable lesson. That everything happens for a reason. If I hadn’t hit my head I would have never got to know my brother and we wouldn’t be as close as we are today. Now we hang out more often and every time we do it’s a moment I will never forget.