A few days after the crash, the school announced what had happened very vaguely even though its students already knew many of the details. They didn't know what state Camila was in, but they knew what had happened to her. After her complete absence from both school and social media, some feared the worst. Others told them that if she had... passed away, they would probably be told and have some sort of safe-driving assembly.

Still, rumours were flying and people were worried. She was popular, after all, even if she was pretty shy. When she's on the soccer pitch, a new confidence takes over her and she becomes almost a whole other person.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Camila was almost sure that she wouldn't ever be able to play again. She'd had a closed, above-knee amputation on her left leg which, apparently, had been in the worst condition that any of her nurses had ever seen. It'd been crushed by the truck that drove right into her side of the car, knee shattered and ankle completely irreparable. It was also scattered with deep gashes, so the tightness she had felt when moving through the hospital was likely a tourniquet and when she was in her hospital room, the bandage wrapped firmly around her now-stump of a leg.

"How are you feeling?" Sinu asks her, and she quickly comes out of her daydream to look over at her restless mother. Thankfully, the neck brace had been only precautionary and was removed within the first day. She was also allowed to adjust the bed and tilt it up so it was more like a chair, which she was grateful for.

"I'm... I'm okay." She replies with a sad smile, reaching over to take her Mama's hand. The woman hadn't been sleeping much, too worried for her daughter's safety. Her dad had come to take her place but they both ended up staying, leaving Sofi with her Abuelita a little longer than they'd intended.

"How are you feeling, Mama?" Camila questions and, as though in reply, Sinu yawns widely, making Camila chuckle a little, "You should get some sleep."

Her mother shakes her head, "Sofi will be here soon." She says in way of explanation, and Camila instantly starts shaking her head rapidly.

"No, Mama, I don't want her here. I don't want her to see me like this." She protests but then there's a knock at the door. A tear slips from the girl's eye as her mom goes to open the door.

"Hi there, Mrs Cabello. I'm Nathaniel, I'll be going over some options for prosthetics with your daughter, Camila." She hears on the other side and manages to calm herself down. It's just another doctor, she tells herself. He's also here to talk about prosthetics, meaning she'll have to actually address the fact that she is missing a leg, which just so happens to be her dominant leg, and that that means she will never be able to follow her dreams to be a professional soccer player.

Another tear falls before she has chance to catch it.

"Are you alright, Camila?" The doctor asks and she realises that her mom has let him into the room.

"Yeah," she sniffles, wiping her cheeks, "Yeah I'm just, overwhelmed I guess."

"That's natural." He nods and Sinu sits back in her seat, holding onto Camila's hand reassuringly.

"My name is Nathaniel, I'm a prosthetist and physiotherapist here." He introduces himself and Camila offers him a small smile, "I'm going to be going through some options for prosthetic legs for you today, and whether or not you'll want one-"

"I do." She interrupts, and then looks down as she mutters, "Sorry. I do want one, I want to be able to walk again."

"Alright, that's perfectly fine. Now, I hear you're a very athletic girl?"

Camila sighs and begins picking at the loose threads of the fleece blanket that her father brought in for her since the hospital sheets were too thin.

"Yeah, I was."

"You still can be." He informs her, and her brown eyes go wide. She looks up at him in confusion and he grins.

"There are a wide variety of prosthetic limbs out there today. It may take a while, but there are ways that you would be able to exercise in a similar way to how you used to."

'But I'll never be a pro.' She thinks and her gaze drops again. 'I'll never be able to play again, still.'

"Let's take a look, shall we?" He asks and she nods as he turns an iPad she hadn't even noticed so that she can see the screen. He goes on to explain the differences between each type, the things she'll have to do to be able to walk again, what she'll need to do when she uses it full-time, and a few other things too.

When he leaves, she's feeling a little more hopeful, but still has heavy shoulders. Her entire life changed in the blink of an eye, and she's not sure she's ready to adjust quite yet.

...

When she wakes up in the middle of the night, she barely registers why she feels concerned about the fact that she can feel her leg, until it hits her.

"Mama!" She stage-whispers, trying to get the sleeping-Sinu's attention, "Mama!"

"Huh?" Her mom flinches and grumbles before opening her eyes and remembering where she is, and a worried look spreads across her face, "Mija, whats wrong?"

"I have pins and needles in my foot." She explains and her mom frowns.

"So, get rid of them?"

"No, Mama. In my left foot."

Sinu's eyes fly open and she shoots out of the seat, looking around and raising her hands while she's trying to figure out what to do. Camila tries not to laugh at the sight, and then the tingling feeling turns into a shooting pain and she groans and winces.

"I'll get a doctor!" Sinu promises and runs out of the room while Camila convulses slightly on the bed. How could she be hurting when it's not even there?