If someone told me that one sentence could change my life, I would have laughed. My name is Lilly Harper and I am 15 years old. I am an ordinary girl from a small town called Richmond in North Yorkshire. I attend secondary school there and I play volleyball at the women's volleyball club along with my best friend Chiara and some of my childhood friends.
My life is pretty simple. I do well at school and plan to go to Oxford University to study medicine because I love helping people. I am keen on Chemistry and Biology and I am especially interested in human anatomy, particularly the cardiovascular system. For that reason, medicine is the best choice for me. That was the plan that I have had ever since I was a small child. I could have never imagined what my life would turn out to be.
It was just another ordinary spring morning for me. The sun was shining softly and a light breeze was blowing carrying the scent of blooming flowers into my room. I woke up early, ready for another school day. I got ready for school carefully and packed my backpack. I picked out a nice outfit, ate some cereal and got on my morning bus. My best friend was waiting for me in the school hallway. We had a Maths exam that day, so everyone was a little nervous. I heard pupils from my class whisper formulas and tap their pencils on the desk anxiously. After the test, we went to lunch and played some games, shared snacks, laughed and listened to some music to relax while waiting for the next class. Finally, the second bell rang and we all headed home. However, I wasn't through with my activities that day. After completing my homework, I got ready for my training and I wad already a bit tired. I arrived a little bit earlier than usual and entered the locker room. The same smell of deodorant filled the room , mixed with the rubber scent of the volleyballs stacked in the corner. I could see the sunlight streaming through the small windows and I enoyed the quiet, feeling calm and alone for a few moments. Soon, my teammates arrived. We started to get dressed by putting on our socks, T-shirts, shorts and knee pads. My hair that day was especially nice because I had a slicked back ponytail. Then we heard our coach shouting for us to get out because the training was about to start. We all went out onto the court. The net had already been set up because the younger group had been there earlier that day. Training started with the usual warm up after which we started passing the ball to each other to prepare for playing. The training was a little bit longer this time because we had an important match that weekend with a club from the United States. They were one of the best teams in their league. Their visit was very important because they were known for a very strategic and smart play, which is a result of the players from all around the world and basically we had no chance. We were all very nervous about the game, but I wasn't very worried about it since I didn't think that I would even be in the first lineup. I was one of the youngest on the team. I was also playing the position of a setter, which is uncommon in our team but there were two girls older than me who were playing the same position and were doing it pretty well. However, I decided to give all my strength that week because I still had a chance to play. After all the warmup we started to play and I noticed that my coach was often glancing at me while I was playing. At first, I was a bit confused, but I just brushed it off thinking it was just my imagination. After our practice was over, we all went to our locker room to shower and prepare to go home. I was the last one to enter the room and just when I was about to go in, I heard my coach talking to someone on the phone. She was saying something I couldn't understand, but then I caught one sentence:''She thinks that she is just average, but that's definitely not the case.'' I was confused because I didn't know who she was talking about, but I was almost certain it wasn't me. Then I heard one detail that changed everything:'' Lilly, I am talking about Lilly Harper.'' I froze, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.I went to the shower with a complete look of shock on my face. My friends and teammates were asking me if I was okay and I just kept replying:''Everything is okay, I am just a bit tired.'' When I got home, I ate some dinner and went to sleep immediately. I kept replaying my coach's sentence in my head all night. I was trying to process it while also trying to find the cause for her statement. The next day came, I was exhausted after thinking all night. Anyway, I got ready for school like every other day and saw Chiara. I told her everything. She was surprised but then she told me that I actually deserve it because I became really good at setting and playing. That information calmed me down and boosted my confidence. A few days went by and the day of the game came. I was more nervous than before because then, there was a greater chance of me playing after what I had heard a few days earlier. The team from the United States arrived and the game was about to start. As I had expected, I was in the first lineup. We began playing and I decided to put my nervousness and stress aside. As I started touching the ball , I felt like I was the main doctor in operation saving someone 's life. My fingers were pushing the ball carefully but still very precisely, perfect for the other players to hit the ball. Gracefully, we began to earn points and the opposite team started to lag behind us. It was the best feeling that I had ever experienced. We were only one point away from the victory. Then, everything depended on me, the ball was passed to me almost perfectly, I raised my hands and elegantly passed it to the middle player knowing that the opposite team wouldn't expect that. We scored! At that moment I felt like the whole world was in my hands. Everyone was shocked. We received our medals and prizes and I was awarded the title of the best player of the game. After everything had settled down my coach approached me and asked if I could join her in her office. I was confused but all the euphoria in my mind didn't allow me to think properly anymore. I entered her office, but surprisingly there had already been two people sitting inside. One of them was the coach of the USA team and the other was the President of the United Kingdom Volleyball Association. They asked me to sit down and explained to me that they were watching my play and were actually really impressed. They also gave me an offer that would soon change my life forever. The offer read: from then on I could train with the UK national team and after I have graduated from high school, I could go to the college in the USA with the full scholarship while training with their national team that was one of the best in the world at the time. Of course, that would be so if I continued with making progress and discipline that they would carefully track through my play in the UK. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought that my happiness had already been on the highest level possible, but this information pushed its limits. We agreed that I would consult with my parents before making this huge decision. On my way home I could barely breathe with the excitement. I ran into the house ant told my parents everything. They were in shock, but really thrilled with the idea. The next day I called my coach and informed her that I had accepted the offer. She was very happy because the whole team had caught the eye of the national volleyball association.
A few days later I arrived at school happier than ever, my best friend had already heard about the news and rushed to give me a big hug. I talked about my experience with everyone the whole day and all of them were surprised, There were, of course, some jealous girls from my team who couldn't understand why they weren't in my place. However, I didn't let them put me down. All of that gave me some time to think about everything. I decided to focus on my studies and sport to become better in all of them. Good discipline, determination, talent and a bit of luck are what I need to reach my goal. From that day on, I started to become even better. Now I have a chance to fulfill my two biggest dreams: becoming a skilled and inernationally recognized volleyball player and a successful cardiologist.