Ace of Hearts

Chapter One

That was it for me. That one stupid play during practice. I was running blocking drills like normal, but Akari came in for the hit too far, before I knew it, I had landed on her foot under the net. I heard a loud pop come from my knee as it bent back in the opposite direction.

And that was it. That was all it took for my second season of high school volleyball to be cut short. The doctor said it could just be a hyperextension, but after receiving my x-ray results, he told me I had torn my ACL. I would be out for at least 6 months, probably more considering rehab for the surgery I would need.

My mind spiraled. Out for sixth months or more... That didn't even count the time it would take to rebuild my loss of muscle strength. It would take a couple of months of physical therapy. College scouts start looking for recruits at my age, what if this ruined my chance at playing volleyball in college?

Admittedly, it broke me. I sobbed into Lev's shoulder the whole time. My dream was to be the Ace of my high school's volleyball team and go on to play professionally. I had taken over the Ace position of our girls' team, which was unbelievably competitive. But just like that. Ruined.

"I'll never be able to play college volleyball, Lev..."

He rubbed my back, releasing a heavy sigh. "Don't think like that, Kisa! You'll be back on the court in no time..."

* * *

It'd been about a week since the accident. My parents had the surgery planned for the end of the month, so for the next three weeks, I would be in the plastic brace the doctor gave me. Morale was low as I hobbled around the house on my crutches, and by that, I mean I was in a complete depressive state.

Luckily, Mom and Dad had returned from their business trip a couple of days after the accident. They would be home with Lev and me for a few more days, but they didn't know what to do to make me better. Mom baked me lots of sweets; she reasoned that "the sweets would counter my bitter mood." Gee thanks, Mom. But I couldn't eat them without feeling the guilt of sticking to my diet and what was left of my workout regime.

I was sulking in my room, setting a volleyball to myself when the door flung open with a bang. Panicking, I spiked the ball hard in the direction of the doorway. It connected square in the middle of my twin brother's face.

"OW!" he exclaimed. "Kisa! That hurt!"

My hand flew up to my mouth, trying to stifle my snort. "Sorry, bro..."

His sharp green eyes glared at me as he muttered, "You have a few visitors."

As he stepped aside, my eyes lit up. There stood some of my closest friends in the doorway. Kuroo Tetsuro, Bokuto Kotaro, and (my best friend and team captain) Hirano Chiyo

"Hey!" I exclaimed; my face broke out into a genuine smile. "What are you guys doing here?"

Chiyo smiled and sat down next to me on the bed, wrapping her arms around me. "Well, I haven't seen you since that last practice. I wanted to see how you were... Has the swelling gone down?"

I grinned into her hug, rubbing her arms. "A bit, I guess. I've been icing and massaging it every night. The doctor said I can stop using the crutches when the swelling and pain have gone down, but the brace stays on pretty much until surgery..."

I turned to look up at Kuroo and Bokuto, who had been some of my closest friends for years now. Kuroo and I had been friends since childhood, considering he lived right next door and we had the same passion for volleyball. Bokuto, I had met through Kuroo back in middle school, and the three of us had been hanging out ever since.