M A Y S O N
The first wave of pain was a burn from the fast friction of the rubber against my skin. The breath I had just taken in was instantly ripped out of me, making me struggle to find air again. For a moment, my lungs refused to let new air in. I couldn’t breathe. The blow had hit me so hard that I fell forward, hunched in pain, dropping onto the rubber track matt below. To avoid any taunting, I laid there for a minute. Finally, I let out a cough of air, feeling the strain to breathe. I could still feel the exact place the ball had impacted me; my skin was burning. I stared up at the sky, coughing as I tried to get my breathing back to normal. Suddenly, Tyler’s face was hovering over me. His face was dancing in sweat drops and hair had stuck to the top area of his forehead from th
