Chapter 1
The birds were singing. The sun shone brightly through Lilly's bedroom window. Lilly pried open her eyes that were crusted from the night's rest. Another day, another dollar, she thought to herself. It was one of her mother's favorite sayings. Lilly's mother loved dollars.
Slowly, carefully Lilly sat up. No pain so far. She slowly swung each foot over the side of her bed. Cracking but no pain. "This might actually be a good day." She thought to herself hopefully. Lilly is a broken girl. Every day there is a new pain, a new sickness, a new worry. Her mother rarely lets Lilly walk to school. Most days her mom drives her. Her mom rarely lets her carry her own backpack so Lilly's mom does it for her. If her mom could put her in a large plastic bubble and keep her home all day she would. Lilly hates it.
She hates it first of all because she is 14 years old. Old enough to gain some independence like carrying your own backpack. Lilly longed to walk to school like the other girls. She longed to hang out with her friends. And second of all she hates it because what she most wants to do, what she truly longs for, is to try out for the high school soccer team. "Have you lost your mind?" her mother would shout. "Could you cut the umbilical cord already?" She wanted to shout back.
Despite her mother's fears and Lilly's physical shortcomings, Lilly began a small workout routine one she did each morning. Small so as not to hurt herself and small so as not to let her mother hear her doing any form of physical exertion. A walk around the room 10 times to start. Then high knees, very slowly done. Next 5 pushups, 1, 2, 3, crunch. Lilly gasps in pain. Her wrist crumples beneath her weight. Broken. Lilly tries to stifle a moan of pain when she hears footstep running up the stairs.
"Lilly!" Her mother shouts crashing through the door.
"It's okay mom. I mean I think maybe I just sprained my wrist."
"Oh no sweetie we have to take you in just to make sure"
Another doctor's visit. Another cast. Maybe not such a great day afterall.