Roommates, apparently (GxG)

Chapter 10 - "Fuck off, idiot"

꧁•⊹٭𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛٭⊹•꧂

"Get your damn head in the game or take a lap, Lancaster! We can't afford to lose this game tonight!" Coach yelled across the court at me, locking his eerily dark and heavy eyes on mine.

I simply grunted and continued to struggle through the usual training drills. I'm most definitely not in a good mood today, not at all. I woke up this morning with a pounding headache, and whenever I move too quickly, I get muscle pains all over my body from training so hard this week. The cherry on top of this muscle-ache sundae, you ask? Well, I elegantly tripped over Alissas mat this morning and did a beautiful pirouette, landing firmly on my ass and spraining my ankle.

Although I feel like a literal walking bruise and my play is clearly being affected, I haven't mentioned anything to Coach or my teammates. Not yet. I'm not sitting the game out over a stupid injury, not when I've been training the hardest I ever have, all week!

We continued with a few more team based exercises and I pushed myself harder than I thought I could, finally catching a break when we stopped to run over some final game tactics. My ankle started to burn after standing stationary for a while, but I did my best to ignore it and pay attention to the coach until we began splitting off until later. We've been told to meet back on the court for 4pm, that gives me approximately 3 hours to freeze the living hell out of my aching muscles and find some strong painkillers.

I hobbled my way out of the large gym hall and towards my car, not bothering to shower or change with the other girls in case they notice my injuries. I drove literally around the corner and pulled myself out of the vehicle, heading straight for the apartment. Upon entering my safe space, I notice that it's unusually quiet, meaning Alissa must still be out with Scott.

Bummer...

The way I'm feeling right now, I would've actually enjoyed the company, she could've been a perfect distraction from my whirlwind thoughts and cramping muscles. Things have actually been really good between us this week, the vibes have been flowing naturally ever since we spoke about the photos. There hasn't been any awkward tension or arguments, screaming matches or disagreements over who left the kitchen light on. She even dropped off some groceries for my brother and Belle the other day, without being asked, and then proceeded to bring home one of those jumbo cinnamon buns for us to split after dinner that night. I'll admit, she's making it harder to stop myself from crushing on her a little more every day.

Unexpected acts of service are such a turn on...

I flipped the switch for the light in the hallway to flicker on, illuminating the plain walls, and headed straight into the bathroom. I jimmied with the tangled steel chain of the plug before finally setting it free, plugging the drain and running the cold water tap at full pressure. I left it to fill and limped my stiff ass into the kitchen, retrieving an unopened bag of ice and returning to the half-full tub, emptying the icy contents of the bag into the water and stripping off my sweat soaked practice gear.

I took a few deep breaths to prepare my body for what I know is coming next, stepping carefully into the tub, one foot at a time, before sitting to almost fully submerge my body. The cold shock instantly sapped the breath from my lungs. I jittered violently for a moment, my teeth clattering as I attempt to steady my shakey breaths. Mind over matter. I sit back in order to focus on relaxing my muscles, feeling the blood in my veins turn to ice as I close my eyes and take deep breaths, the stress of today froze and shattered, dissolving into the icy pool surrounding me as I dissociate into a care free state of mind.

It didn't take long for my heart rate to steady itself and my breathing to become more stable, for my muscles to finally cease cramping and a sense of relief to wash over me, the minor inflammation slowly dying down. I feel lighter. I've done this a lot over the past few years, thanks to the various sports injuries and sprains I've sustained, it helps keep any swelling at bay and that in turn helps dampen a lot of the pain, but sometimes it's really the calmness and mental clarity that I find myself enjoying more, the rhythmic breathing and slow movements. This is definitely one of those times.