My heart was jumping out of my Chest. The scoreboard screamed “58-60” right at my face. The clock was counting down. 17,000 people were chanting my name. I knew I had to make a move, and fast. So I stood back to the three point line and used all my effort to shoot the basketball. Suddenly I saw…

My life wasn’t always like this. I was once a kid. I lived in the drenched streets of India. I made very high grades in school and was always in the top of my class. I know, you think my life may have been perfect then. It actually wasn’t. I wanted to be a basketball player. I kept my dreams hidden and locked in me because I knew I would be judged. My family told me I would never be good and was too short. I listened to them for a long time. I mean there was no Indian boy in the NBA. I continued my school path, and continued to get good grades. But one day, on my birthday, I was saying my goodbyes and thank-you’s. When I was opening my presents, one particular one caught my eye. It was round, and quite large. One the wrapping it said it was from an unknown person. But I still remember the words on it that changed my life: “Don’t give up your dreams, but instead chase them.” I knew what it was before i opened it. A basketball.

I knew my family was going to disapprove of the new present. So I hid it under my bed, and later moved it into my bag. One day while walking home from school, I saw a basketball court. The tall rims, the polished floors, and the shining court all caught my eye. It was my first time seeing one in person. I knew it was time. So I slowly took my basketball out of the bag and took my first shot. I made it! I didn’t come home until it was seven. Then I realized it was too late. My parents were so mad at me. They looked like ripe red tomatoes. They didn’t know where I was. I told them I was studying and decided to come late. That was also my first time lying to my parents.

I told my parents that I wouldn’t be at home until eight sharp every day of this week. They asked me why, and I told them I would be studying. Every day after school I would practice my shots. I watched players play and learned how to make a jump shot, layup, and I learned how to have impressive handles. I worked on it every day.

The next week at school when I was walking to the basketball court, I saw a paper hanging on the rim. Exclaimed in bold letters were “BASKETBALL TEAM TRYOUTS” I was so excited and knew I could make the team. Suddenly, I thought of my parents. What were they going to think? How would I tell them I practiced? What about the lies? A million questions ran through my mind. I realized if I hid the Basketball and practice, I could hide this.

The Next day I went for tryouts, and had high hopes about getting in. But my hopes quickly deteriorated because the best players in school were there. But I knew I would at least try my best. The first test was dribbling past the cones. That was quite simple for everyone. Then passing, shooting, and all the other basics of Basketball. But the final one was hard. We had to beat the player we were matched up with. All my friends got easy players, so I was thinking I would get the same. But when picked mine, I saw,”Rudrah Pintra”. He was the best player on the team. I was upset and knew I wasn’t going to get in. I was last to go against my opponent. I got up on the court and knew it was a game to five. He scored one three, and made one free throw in the first thirty seconds. I knew my parents were right. But I remembered the note on the ball. ” Don’t give up your dreams, but instead chase them.” I finally knew what it meant. I took the ball and made a layup. People were so surprised, including the coach. I stole the ball again, and made it in. But suddenly, Rudrah ran for the hoop. He jumped for the dunk and was almost flying through the air. But he missed! “Now is my chance I thought” when I took the ball. I ran for the hoop and made it! I won six to four. People were dumbfounded. To be honest, I was too. I got the letter of acceptance to the team. As I walked out the coach stopped me. “Hi, I am Coach Sharma”, and he said” I want to take you to high school national tryouts. But you need to take this seriously. See you at five o’clock practice.”

He didn’t even ask me. That made me think I was something. I knew before practice I had to tell my parents. My body was trembling with fear as I walked in. I was rehearsing what to say in my mind, but I didn’t realize I said it out loud. My parents were burning with anger. They didn’t let me go to the practice. They didn’t let me go to school for a week.

One day I went up to them and was very upset with what they had done I told them,” You know what, you win. I didn’t go to basketball or school. I skipped practice, and the National tryouts are tomorrow. You win. Thanks for destroying my dreams. But I will never forget what they said.” Son, don’t give up your dreams, but instead chase them.” I was crying with joy. It was them the whole time. I took my basketball and ran to school, past the lockers, past the gym, and into the basketball court. The coach was waiting. ” Your Parents told me you would be here. Now go get the national trophy tiger.”

Now here I am today, In the NBA. I came overseas to America. Now you remember the beginning, right? Well I made the three and the crowd went wild. We had won the NBA finals. So for everyone out their I want to say,” Don’t give up your dreams, but instead chase them.”

The anticipation was killing him. Each minute felt like an hour had passed. He was ready to close his eyes when suddenly, the bell woke Anthony from his trance. He grabbed his belongings and ran out of class like a hurricane wiping out a small city. The cold wind of the outside tugged on his face as if it were a peelable sticker. The fall leaves were a diverse species of all shapes and sizes. The grass still smelled like the misty dew that replenished them during sunrise. Anthony swiftly glanced at his watch, knowing he needed to make it home in the next minute. He ran even faster knowing he could not miss this opportunity of a lifetime. As Anthony was reaching his home, he pulled a crumpled, stained flashcard from deep in his pocket. He read and rehearsed through the lines just to make sure he was ready. “THUD,” the door exclaimed as Anthony ran right into it. Even though his Anthony was experiencing throbbing pain in his head, he still stumbled right into his home. The scent of lavender flowers and cinnamon danced through Anthony’s nose as he walked into home. The house consisted of bright, sky blue walls along with two minty green couches. An antique piano, gifted to Anthony by his grandma, highlighted the display of the living room. The dark brown hardwood steps of the staircase creaked as Anthony stumbled up them. He hurriedly rushed to his room in attempt to grab his brand new laptop. Anthony was just in time as he opened the glossy silver laptop. Receiving a call, Anthony was glancing at his crumpled flashcard for the final time. He took a deep breath, and clicked the green button illuminating his screen. A middle-aged man looking appeased sat right in the center of the screen. He had luxurious black hair and a designer watch resting on his right wrist. What stood out the most was the man’s outfit. The gentleman was wearing a sober navy-blue suit and a pink, striped silk tie. The material of the suit made it seem that it had been dry cleaned five times that week. He was definitely qualified for the job. Anthony rehearsed his flashcard in his brain and started to speak. He was sweating buckets and as anxious as a young child opening their presents. But finally, he started to speak and composed himself as he did it. “Good Afternoon. I have long awaited this moment and I am so grateful that you have taken the time of to accommodate me. I hope we are able to have a positive outcome to this meeting. ” Anthony instantly knew that his last line sounded much better in his head.”I hope so, too,” the man said, ” Sorry, actually, I know so. The company and I are quite impressed with your business idea and decided that it could be a great asset to the company.” At that moment, Anthony wanted to jump out of his seat and yell as loud as he could, but he knew he couldn’t because it would not look professional and after all, Anthony was a businessman. In less than a day’s change Anthony went from a regular, boring high school student questioning what education really meant to a successful businessman earning what may have taken him decades to earn.”I understand that you are in the midst of completing high school, but we have reached out to New York’s Dean of Education who agreed to your early completion of high school. This means you will be able to receive your diploma by the end of this semester. We will cover the specific details in a week, or your first day on the job.” Anthony was in total shock. He had no idea what to say. Instead, he sat there with his mouth wide open. ” I know this will take some time to process and celebrate,” the man mumbled,” So we will talk next week. See you then.” Anthony closed his computer, aghast by what he had just felt. He sat there, feet on top of his shaved wooden desk, anticipating what would happen next.

One lovely fall day as the fresh tree leaves swiveled in the air, Jaren was walking home from a lively day at college. He admired the beautiful sky which contained tones of purples, oranges, blues, and yellows. Jaren opened the door to his apartment and placed his books on the granite table. He began opening his bag and started studying for the next day ahead of him. As each hour passed, he became even more bored. He felt lonely on the campus of his college.
While Jaren was walking home from school the next day, he decided to take a shortcut. A few steps to the apartment, he saw a local animal shelter. His childhood love for animals urged him to go inside. So he decided to enter it. He saw the typical dogs, cats, small animals, fish, reptiles, and all sorts of animals you would usually find in a shelter. As he was ceasing and going to the exit, he saw an isolated room for animals who were about to be euthanized. He wanted to examine the animals before he left. As he looked through the glass, he knew that they would be in the right place as their lives departed . But as he was studying the last animal, the dog suddenly wagged his tail. It pupils shined as bright as the sun when he looked at Jaren. Before he could get a look at him, A worker grabbed the dog and took it into a room. He knew exactly what was going to happen and couldn’t let that happen. He hurried over to the front desk and asked a lady to see the dog in the particular room. As soon as he was taken there, he saw the dog about to be injected with pentobarbital( A liquid used in Euthanasia.) “STOP,” he screamed knowing what he had to do. “Please don’t euthanize him,” He trembled, ” I want to adopt him.” He knew he wasn’t ready to take responsibility for a pet but remembered that he saved the dog’s life.
That night he came home exhausted with a bunch of dog supplies in one hand and the dog in the other. He set the equipment on the table and sat on the couch. Suddenly, the dog ran over and licked his face secretly saying thank you to Jaren. Jaren knew that he would face many challenges along the way from school and the new dog, but knew that he had someone to support him the whole way.

It was a normal Fall day, and I was walking home. Orange, yellow and brown leaves swirled around me. I went inside my house and saw my Dad working, and my Mom cooking. The time was about 5:00, and  I began doing my homework. But at 5:30, my Dad and Mom announced that they were going to the store. I could handle staying home by myself because I was a fifteen-year-old boy. After they said bye to me, they left in flash. I quickly got back to my homework, and listened to some music as I worked on  math problems. I sat for an hour and was startled when I heard a giant crash. I thought it was just the Fredricksons, my neighbors, coming home. But then I heard a louder crash. So I went to the door and looked out. The Fredricksons didn’t seem to be home. Their cars were not in the driveway and all their lights were out. But then I heard the noise again…behind me. I turned around and to my surprise there was nothing behind me.  Suddenly, a Shadow rose from behind the couch. I slowly approached the couch, nervously chewing on my fingers. I looked behind the couch, and the Shadow was gone . Then, I felt a fast breeze behind me. As I looked around, I felt the wind on my legs. Slowly looking down, I saw the Shadow. I quickly turned on the light before the Shadow could escape. When I looked down again, I was amazed. The Shadow was actually my dog, Javen.