Bad Luck 

• By Bay Max 

“Does anybody have a hairbrush”

“I do”

“Can I please use it”

“Guys I’m scared what if I lose all my matches” 

“You won’t, don’t worry”,

Is what you would hear in the locker room full of girls that is about to go wrestle well not in my case. Everyone is so calm and not worried, like this is another old dandy meet to get over with. As I was putting on my singlet everyone was ready to go . I’m brushing my hair as my cousin was waiting to braid it . That was the start of my tradition, the braid that helps me in each match like Jason’s lucky sock. This was just the start of my goodluck routine. Everygame , everymatch , and every meet my hair is always in a braid and today was nothing different or so I thought. 

For some reason today wasn’t feeling like another old dandy meet. After we were done I slid on my crocs  and walked out the locker room soon realising my mom forgot to give me my money for the game . Well great, how am I gonna eat? And that was what I thought started my bad journey or so I thought my bad luck. I try not to think about it and just continue walking towards the bus. I walk in to see the majority of the girls in the bus as I walk down the aisle to my seat. Boom, the person in front of me sits right in it . You might not know but that has been my seat for every meet every game I’ve ever went to. I thought of it as my lucky charm seat. Then I had to sit and wait for the best, knowing I’m probably not gonna eat and not gonna have a good meet. We get there after 40 ish minutes and the girls are quiet . I see as their eyes widen at the shock of how big the school is. The girls were already threatened by how big the school was , yes the same girls that were pumped and ready to get over this meet. We unload the bus and we all walk out. We can see the buses of the other schools that came to compete today. We walk in and go to our station we set are stuff down ready to explore as we had came 2 hours earlier to scope out the competition “

“Okay” “It’s okay “ “I’ve got two hours to gain all this back

I’m watching everyone watching their strategies and moves just hoping I could do the same. As I watch people get taken down over and over and over again . I’m starting to regain my confidence . The screams of 

“Get up”   and 

“Lock your hands”

“You got this”

Just gets me pumped. 

My coach said behind me

“ guys start getting ready”

So me and the girls start walking back to where we set our bags as we see the gym filled with girls and parents from all over. As I take off my clothes that was over my singlet and start unzipping my bag I hear my couch say

“You’re up” 

“Okay”

He pats my back for assurance I reach in to find NOTHING absolutely nothing. None of my gear was in my bag. Where’s my shoes? Where’s my headgear? Where’s my kneepad? I knew this bad luck would come back and bite me in the butt. I hear the shattering word 

“What are you doing you’re up”

“IIII……. I know”

I turned around so I couldn’t look at him and just stared into my bag. He comes from behind me to see what was the hold up and he knew he knew that if he didn’t say anything in that moment right now i’m gonna break down. 

“You can’t just forfeit it will cost all your matches”

“I know’ “but what can I do”

I sink in as I see his disappointment on my coach’s face looking for an idea. It’s like everything stops. The front table was waiting for me,my opponent was waiting for me. And the gym was quiet as people were trying to find me. I can hear the table in the front call my name again and again and again and again to see where I was. I can see the faces of people you supposedly found me looked worried. My coach didn’t seem to have an idea.  But all of the sudden my teammate came from behind me, saving me. 

“Here” 

“What?”

“Here take mine and hurry” 

“Your opponent is already on the mat”. 

I don’t know what just happened but I was already on the mat shaking my opponent’s hand. I can tell the difference between my shoes and my teammates but I was just glad I had something to use and the universe was out to get me after all