When Maria Daniels transfers to Uconn for her junior year after losing her purpose in her hometown, the last thing she expects is to rekindle an old friendship from high school. Much less with the star player of the Uconn women's basketball team.
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Chapter One
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
April 2018
Sixteen year old Maria Daniels glanced up at the clock, two minutes left. Perfect.
The game was close 52-55 but Maria wasn't worried, her team had come back from being 20 points down in the last quarter before, they could definitely could back from being three points down.
She listened to the calming rhythm of the basketball hitting the floor drowning out the cheers and shouts from the spectators. She could see a clear path to the basket ahead of her. Clogs turning in her brain as she thought of the best way the get past the opposing teams defence. She knew the girl guarding her had a weak left leg, she could see the slight hesitation she had before she stepped on it. Maria loved this feeling. The feeling when she really connected with the game, when she could read her opponents before they even moved, when she could see the possible plays visualising infront of her like a map. The feeling of control.
She could see Paige get into position to set a screen. Neither Maria or Paige were very fond of each other off the court, but when they played, they both could connect through their love of basketball and their passion for the game. Nobody could deny the chemistry they had on court, it was one of the reasons Hopkins hadn't lost a game this season. One of the reasons they were now in the quarter finals.
Maria ran past paige, her guard crashing right into Paige's screen. She drove towards the basket throwing the ball up towards the backboard only for an opposing player to run into her, knocking her down with the impact.
Damn. Even knowing all the possible outcomes didn't prepare her for that, Maria thought as she fell to the floor.
Time seemed to slow down, it was almost as if everything had froze in time. She looked around as she fell she could see the crowd's shocked faces, she could hear a shout from the same direction, her brothers probably, they were on break from college and decided to come watch her play.
Then all of a sudden like someone pressing play on a paused tv everything sprang back to life. Maria crashed to the floor with a loud thump. She could feel her knee twisting against her body as she landed, the pain shooting up through her leg. She heard the whistle being blown by the ref and the shoes squeaking on the floor as her team ran over to her.
She could make out the image of someone leaning over her, holding up a hand infront of her face. The voices around her sounded muffled and distant. She tried to talk but no words came out. Her head felt heavy as the world spun around her.
Is this what dying feels like?
Then everything went dark.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
When Maria awoke, she was in the nurses office. Her brothers and coach sitting around her, worried looks plastered on their faces. She looked around for two certain people feeling stupid. Of course her parents didn't show up, they couldn't even make it to her game, she didn't know why she thought they'd show up when she had an injury.
She tried to sit up but was pushed back by the nurse, her brothers looked at her with concern.
"Oh my god Maria, I knew you had a bad pain tolerance but still" Sam looked at her, his effort to make a joke to cheer the situation up didn't go unnoticed, but Maria couldn't laugh. Nothing about this was funny. This match was important, she needed to get back to help her team win. She needed to win. Maria looked at her leg, the nurse had propped it with cushions and placed an ice pack on it.
God knows why they couldn't atleast give her painkillers or something Maria wondered. The ice pack was doing nothing for the pain shooting through her leg.
"How long was I out for?" she asked. The last thing she remembered was the defender crashing into her side.
"About ten minutes" the nurse said looking at her pitifully. She was new to the staff at Hopkins, only just out of college, Maria's injury was one of the first cases she'd had to treat, and it didn't look good.
"Mary-" She started.
"It's Maria" the brunette glared at the nurse, her annoyance turning to worry when she saw the sad look in the nurses eyes.
"Sorry... Maria" The nurse paused for a second, wondering how to explain this to the young athlete in front of her, especially with her family and coach beside her. "I'm no doctor" she smiled softly, moving her hand to Maria's arm to offer comfort "but I had a quick feel of your leg when you came in, and..." she stopped.
"And what?" Maria questioned, time seemed to slow, the silence in the room entrapping her like a void.
"Based on how you got injured and how your knee feels, It'd be under my belief that it's very possible you've torn your acl"
Maria's world seemed to crash down around her. Her acl? She'd be out for months if that was true.
"What?"
"Now, I could be wrong" the nurse backtracked "It might just be a sprain, I'd recommend getting to a hospital as soon as possible, but atleast if you prepare for the absolute worst, then anything better is a bonus. Right?"
Maria could tell the nurse was trying to be nice, but her words felt shallow.
"Okay, let's bring you to a hospital" Ryan, her other brother picked her up off the medical bed being careful not to hurt her knee. Sam thanked the nurse and shook hands with Maria's coach.
"Tell me how she gets on" Coach Starks said, "Best of luck kid. I'll be praying for you"
Maria couldn't look at her. She didn't want to see the look in her eyes. She didn't want anyone's prayers, all she wanted to be back on the court with a ball in her hand. She felt weak. She felt stupid. How could she have not thought that the guard would run forward. Usually she could predict the movement of her opponents. Usually she had control over the game. Usually she didn't embarrass herself like this.
