"even when i couldn't have you, i've always yearned for you."
𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 priorities straight,
her future planned out.
until it all changed.
until she changed it.
all for art.
✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩
stqargirl. 2024
started: june 28th
finished:
᳂
(...
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* * ˚ ✦
CASSIE AND ART were making their way to train, there was a gorgeous sunset over the stanford tennis court, setting the sky a light pink and streaks of orange.
cassie had begged art to come train with her, she had begged and pleaded the last day as she had felt useless, after her knee injury the doctors had given her specific advice as to not out a strain on her knee, but obviously cassie didn't listen. she had a black knee brace secured to her knee, keeping it in place.
cassie wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was in agony, to put it nicely, she could feel her bones against eachother, like the equivalent of grinding teeth.
art tilted his head at the girl, noticing how she slightly scrunched her face up as she bent down to get ready to hit the ball, "are you sure cass? i'll gladly carry you back to your dorm."
"hit the ball donaldson." she asked nicely, art laughed quietly at the girl before serving it to her.
as she said, cassie managed to hit the ball, every time back to art, keeping her same passion for the sport even though she was in pain, cassie was forcing herself to be the best she could be right now, there was no time not to train. to not get better.
i'm the end, cassie didn't even know why she was pushing herself to her limit, if you had spoke to her a year ago tennis was he hobby she happened to be really good at. now it was her one goal in life.
art hit the ball to cassie, she slammed it back at him and sighed, "stop going easy on me." she demanded. art scoffed at the ground, "i'm not."
art sighed, serving the ball to her and putting a bit more force this time, cassie on the other hand hit the ball with all her force, hitting so hard this time it flew out of the court and into the woods behind it,
"hit. the ball." cassie exasperated, "cassie-" "actually fucking hit the ball." the girl interrupted, walking up to the net, bouncing her racket off the side of her leg, art sighed in defeat, walking uo to the net also, "c'mon." he pleaded.
cassie furrowed her brows at him and shrugged nonchalantly, "you afraid you're gonna hurt me?"
fucking terrified, art thought to himself, but he didn't say anything, he just looked at her. cassie had known art long enough to gain the power of reading his mind by this point. the girl pointed her racket at him "pussy" she scoffed, walking off to leave.
art threw his head back, groaning as he pulled out a ball from his pocket, "wait." he spoke bluntly as cassie turned around.
art waved the ball, gesturing his hands out, "okay?", he wasn't going to argue with her, he wouldn't admit it but he would do anything she asked of him. cassie didn't say anything, she just walked back to her position, waiting for art to serve.
"and actually try to win." cassie gave art a sarcastic smile, the boy shook her head at her, bouncing the ball a few times before placing it in the neck of the racket, throwing it up and hitting it.
art did as she pleased, cassie was hitting the ball forcefully back and forth toward the boy, gripping her racket until her knuckles turned white, flailing her arms, keeping control as she hit the ball.
as art hit it back, cassie had to lunge for the ball, she confidently ran forward, but as the girl went to hit it back, she landed on a weak spot in her knee, causing her stumbled and fall on the ground .
she wasn't screaming or crying, but she just lay there, cursing herself for not being able to hit a ball, she ridiculed herself, fucking tennis champion but i can't even run? art ran over to her as quickly as he could, the moment he saw her fall it was like a natural instinct to get over to her as fast as he could, the girl laid on the ground, covering her face with her hands, art walked up to her, quickly, "hey, you okay??" the boy asked, his voice laced with concern as he peered down at her.
cassie let out an exasperated huff of air. "i'm fine." she spoke bluntly.
art tried to help her up, placing a hand out toward her, which she didn't take. "i'm good. i'm okay." cassie spoke, groaning slightly as she stood up.
cassie puffed out air, walking off her fall, as she did so she very obviously limped, she groaned and cursed under her breath before slamming her racket on the ground a few times, hard forcefully the on the ground, causing it to be misshapen and warped.
art watched the girl slam her racket and toss it to the side, muttering to herself to not worry art. "i'm fine, i'm okay," she sighed, twirling her ankle as she scrunched her face in pain.
art slowly walked up to her, cassie shook her head, her eyes evident of tears. threatening their way out, "i'm fine" she nodded frantically,
art faintly shook his head in dismissal at the girl wrapping his arms around her shoulders, "c'mere idiot" the blonde spoke, cassie wrapped her arms around his torso, holding him tightly, "i'm fine, i'm fine," she breathed out, art sighed, bringing his hands down to cup and hold her face, "i know you're okay." he assured, tilting her head down and kissing her forehead, cassie closed her eyes and brought up her hands to hold his wrists, silently asking him to stay like that.
cassie scoffed, "i'm not always gonna be useless, am i?" she looked up at art,
art screwed his face up, "not to me you won't."
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
cassie had left art, she had told him she was more than capable of walking back to her dorm herself, art was reluctant, in fact he refused at first to let her go on her own, but with a bit of swearing and begging, he obviously gave in.
cassie took a slow walk back through the campus, slightly limping. her knee was killing her, but it killed her more that she couldn't train properly.
what if she couldn't play again? what if her dad found out? what would anyone think of her? would she be classed as a fraud?
the girls head swarmed with thoughts, those very thoughts soon being taken over by the overwhelming pain that was crushing her knee, the girl grunted as she walked, making her way over to a large tree on the campus grass to go take a quick rest.
the girl leant he head against the tree trunk, glaring down at her encased knee. the girl scoffed and took her shoe off to remove the brace.
she took off the velcro straps and slid it down to reveal her damaged knee. it had a slight pink colour and a large almost purple scar down it, she could see and relive exactly what had happened at that match, the girl grimaced and looked away, rubbing her forehead vigorously in annoyance.
the girl shook her head, small tears forming in her eyes as she thought about all the things she was incapable of right now.
she slumped herself back against the tree, sighing and gazing up at the now orange sky.
