From Day One | JENSOO

Chapter 32

I was a heavy heart to carry.

Jisoo adjusted the Velcro band on her gloves and eyed her surroundings. The racers around her were people she hadn't seen before but that was probably due to the suddenness of the race.

Chanyeol's text had been ingrained to memory already, the shortcut for this race a clear highlighted route in her head.

As exciting as it was, it was incredibly nerve-wracking as well. Triple the pay meant triple the loss. Jisoo couldn't afford to lose that much money. There was only one option and that was to win.

"Kid! You made it."

Jisoo twisted her body from her seat on the bike to the voice. JJ strolled to her with a pleasant smile, quite unusual from his normal expression. Jisoo thought it odd and that's all she thought about it.

"Hi, JJ."

"I see you can't stay away from us," he joked, placing a hand on the passenger seat of her bike and leaning on it.

She smiled, but mostly just to be polite and kept her eyes from his as he spoke again.

"Sorry about the short notice, but it'll be worth it if you win. You have quite the winning streak; think you can do another?"

His smile probed at her like a stick to her side, a very sharp stick. "I'll try."

He removed his hand from the bike to give her a not too gentle slap on her back, making her tip forward.

"I'll be rooting for you," he finished with a wink and left.

Jisoo muttered a thanks and started her engine.

*

The last lap contained the shortcut she needed to take and judging by her position in second place, if she made it, she would win. The amount of money she'd win flooded her thoughts and concentration like a broken dam. She dreamt of all the things she could buy for herself, for Jennie. She dreamt of the security of a stable bank account, of not having to stress over collection notices, buying groceries, paying bills. She dreamt of school, of college, of getting the education she thought she'd never have a chance to receive. She dreamt of relaxing, of finally obtaining a peace of mind since the death of her parents.

She dreamt like it was all within reach, like all she needed to do was extend her hand and it was hers, right there to grasp. Yet the universe was cruel and merciless, as it always was, and whispered in her ear sadistically right before her tires hit the spikes of a speed trap, you dreamt too soon.

The impact of her head against the pavement startled her. The helmet sounded a disgusting crack, like the snapping of a wooden baseball bat and her body rolled and bounced down the alley, stopping only when she came in contact with a wall.

Buzzing. She heard the low and dying sound of the buzzing engine of her bike meters away from her. At first she didn't understand why the bike was on its side, on the floor, so far away. She tried to turn her head to it and that's when the pain hit her. Everything hurt. Everything in her body felt broken, bruised and battered. The moment she felt the pain, she realized what had happened.

The spikes. The squeal of her tires as she braked too late. The quick loss of control as the bike swerved and collided with the hard asphalt. Now she was here, on her back, on the ground, breathing, but barely. The gravity of the situation became obvious when it hurt to breathe.

The pain just increased. It spread and grew until it spilled over every cell in her body like it was blood itself. But what she felt the most, like a ball of fire burning right through her skin, muscles and bones, was in her left side, against her ribs. She had to have broken them.