City of Champions: Jalen Hurts

23

"What's the point in me exercising one leg?" Reese huffed sitting on her bed. "It's not like that'll help."

Jalen bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything smart. Reese had been testing him greatly since she was released from the hospital about a month ago. He was attempting to be helpful without causing more stress but Reese, of course, made it extremely difficult.

"You straight?" He asked, standing on the side of the bed.

She shook her head 'no" and covered her head with a pillow. Reese was going through it and she didn't see any kind of silver lining.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Jalen mumbled, slowly sliding the pillow from her grasp. "Talk ta' me."

The former soccer goalie tugged her phone from under her pillow, passing it to him. He reluctantly took the phone and looked at it. A news article from ESPN was written about Reese.

"October 5, 2023. Jim Schwartz, ESPN." Reese shut her eyes as he spoke. "Provin' she was too young, too green, and rushed ta' the top... more injuries wipe the field clean wit' the former Bulldogs career. A sad and somber funeral... wit' a body still breathin'."

Reese sighed. "Yeah.."

"Fuck this dude think he a poet?"

"I don't know but it doesn't make me feel good either way." She replied. "I feel like there's like nothing I'm good for."

Jalen tossed her phone aside. "Don't say that dumb shit, Reese."

"I hate myself."

"Na' you sayin' dumber shit."

Reese pulled the pillow back into her chest, taking a deep breath. Feeling unworthy was a feeling that Reese had gotten way too accustomed to.

Thinking of all the things that made her insecure and gave her the indication that she wasn't good enough sat heavily on her chest. Who were sports writers to judge her that way? She always wondered but the criticism always came no matter what she did to avoid it.

Reese could spend as much time as possible in the gym, she could get a shoe deal, go to an Olympic soccer team, and even sign to a professional soccer team but a simple mistake voided all of that. Her own mistake was her ultimate demise.

There was nothing Reese could do to fix her own situation so she had to deal with it accordingly with no clue as to how.

"You gon' sit here and feel sorry?"

Reese nodded. "Yeah."

"No, you not." The quarterback stood. "Come hea'."

She moved the edge of the bed, sitting in front of him. Jalen could see the frustration dulling her bright eyes, further aggravating him. He wasn't aggravated with her but with the situation.

Reese was progressing and she was doing so very quickly but her legs were still holding her back. She had a big cast covering her entire leg and that basically took away everything she wanted to do.

He kneeled in front of her on one knee, making her smile big. "Are you proposing to me?"

"Nah." Jalen smirked, grabbing her hands. "Just wanna let you know I'm right hea'."

Reese tilted her head to the side, examining his face. Her mind wandered to when they'd first started hanging out and how they argued every waking hour. It made her think of how something as small as a bad first impression nearly kept them from being together.

She slowly released his hands, tugging him in for a kiss. It was almost weird that they were together, seeing as at one point they couldn't stand the sight of each other.