I’ve never really been noticed by anyone. I’m not special. I’m not known by many people. I’m just me, Riley Undine Nightingale. I guess you could even say I’m invisible. I am hidden by the shadow of my two older sisters, who have both already graduated, leaving their legacy behind. Everyone has such high expectations for me, but when they finally meet me, they realize I am nothing like my sisters. I am not talented. I am not special. At least, that’s what I’ve told myself for the past 17 years.

I don’t have what it takes to be class president and drum major or be cheer captain and prom queen. Then again, I do have one gift. I can’t let people know how good I actually am at football or how much I enjoy it. I have to stay hidden behind the mask of RUN, the identity I’ve had to create to be able to be the quarterback at my high school. My best friend, Dustin, was the one who came up with the name RUN. He claimed I needed a name to go by that was similar to my real name, so he just put my initials together.

To be honest, the main reason I’ve worked so hard to keep my role as the quarterback a secret is because I’m afraid of what my parents would think. They believe football is only for guys. They don’t think a girl could be capable of being good at it. I don’t even want to think about what they would do to me if they discovered what I do in my free time. Oh, how I wish I could prove them wrong. Honestly, I just want them to be proud of me, but I’m slowly starting to realize nothing I do will ever be good enough for them.

The only people who know I’m the quarterback are my coach and my Dustin. My coach has worked with me to ensure I feel comfortable with what I’m doing and that everything goes smoothly. I remember the day Dustin convinced me to try out. At the time I thought he was crazy, but now I realize he was right all along.

We were throwing the football around down at the creek, and we stopped to take a water break.

When Dustin said to me, “You know what?”

I stopped chugging my water to respond, “What?”

He paused before taking a step back, “You should join the football team this year. You’re really good, and we are in desperate need of a good quarterback.. You’re honestly the best QB I’ve ever seen. We can talk to coach about it before tryouts tomorrow and make sure he knows the situation. Plus we’ll be able to actually see each other this year if you’re on the team with me.”

I laughed and said, “There’s no way I would ever be able to join the team, and you know that. One, my family. I just can’t disappoint them anymore than I already do. Two, I’m not good enough to make the team. Three, I don’t want people to stare at me in the halls and spread rumours about me. Four, I just want to stay under the radar this year.”

He bit his lip before telling me, “Forget what your family wants! I want you to do whatever makes you happy! And if they can’t see how great you are then they just aren’t worth it. AND don’t you dare say you’re not good enough to make it! I meant what I said, you are the best QB I know! Forget about everybody else and focus on what you want! And you know you aren’t invisible. People just don’t usually look for you, but once they see you and spend time with you and get to really know, they will discover what I found out seven years ago. You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for.”

He was red in the face by the time he ended his little rant and so was I, but we were red because of completely different reasons. He was red from frustration, while I was red from embarrassment about what he had just said. I had never seen him get so passionate about something. Seeing how passionate he got, made me really consider going for it.

“Fine I’ll give it a shot, but it’s not like I’m actually going to make it,” I told him.

He sighed then said, “Good. Now, let’s get back to preparing you for auditions.”

I still can’t believe I agreed to try out for the football team, but I wouldn’t change what happened. I love being the first girl to play football in my district. Despite having only two other people know this. I finally found the place I can shine without having to deal with all of the problems that come with people knowing I’m the quarterback. People have no idea who RUN is, and it’s kind of fun to watch them try to figure it out. Hopefully, they never realize the truth.

I don’t regret joining the team. It’s honestly been the best thing I’ve ever done. I can’t imagine my life without it. Granted, I’ve only been doing it for a month now. I just don’t know how I thought I could go through this year without doing football. I would’ve been so miserable this year. I’ve managed to stay hidden from everybody else, but I still get to do what I love.