Chapter 3

                                    

                                          
Camila rolled over on to her back, her head in her hands and her ankle engulfed in pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see different players from the team running over and a screaming Lauren being held back by her coach.
                          


                          
"You can't go out there!" The cheerleading coach was yelling at Lauren, who was in hysterics and fighting the coach's grip. Finally the coach had no choice but to release her into the fray of confused football players or be at risk for a serious injury.
                          


                          
"Camila," Luis was shaking Camila's shoulders.
                          


                          
"Don't shake her!" The football coach yelled, and Camila winced. All of the 
                          
noises were making her head pound with an indescribable pain.
                          


                          
Lauren dropped to her knees in front of Camila and wrapped her hand around the other girl's. "Camila..." Lauren pulled Camila into her lap, holding the girl's injured head against her chest. "Camz, please be okay..." was the last thing Camila heard before she dropped into unconsciousness.
                          
- - - - - - - - 
                          
When Camila's eyes broke open into the world again, she was surprised to find that the unfamiliar hospital room was completely empty. Confused and more than a little dazed, Camila attempted to sit up only for a rush of nausea to attack her body. "Hello?" She called, and there was a sudden commotion outside of the door that made Camila grin in spite of herself.
                          


                          
"Can we go in?" She heard someone outside ask, with a chorus of questions following it. There was resounding command for everyone to stay still and finally the door cracked open, revealing Camila's doctor on the other side of it.
                          


                          
"Did we win the game?" Were the first words out of Camila's mouth, and Dr. Smith chuckled.
                          


                          
"I'll let your friends fill you on the game. Right now, I'm going to tell you what your injuries are." Camila was itching to know the result of the football game but kept her mouth shut. "You have a concussion. Do you know what that means, Camila?"
                          


                          
"Yes," Camila answered obediently.
                          


                          
"Alright, good. You're going to be fine, but I want you resting for at least a week, okay? And no sports or too much physical activity for at least two weeks."
                          


                          
Camila's mind whirled despite the pain it caused her. The championship was in three weeks. What if she didn't get to play on the team because of this? It was all she had ever wanted, and now her dream was slipping through her fingers. Outside she could hear the excited chatter of her friends - how many people 
                          
were out there, exactly?
                          


                          
"You also twisted your ankle a little, but that isn't anything that won't fix itself over your resting period." Dr. Smith put a bottle of pills on Camila's bed. "Take these whenever the pain is really bad. Your parents are outside and ready to take you home, and remember to rest, okay? I'll let your friends see you first."
                          


                          
When the door opened a flood of about fifteen people entered. Lauren, Luis, Normani, Dinah and Ally were leading the group, with other miscellaneous friends and football players following close behind.