Downfall of the nation's hero

Chapter 11

The game starts in a fast-paced tempo. Our pre-seasons must have been fairly similar because no one seems to mind the crazy up-and-down sprints. Ren and Taylor have been going off against each other, trading one bucket after another. I let them do their shit for a while, but when Taylor hits her fourth jumper in a row, I ask Ren to switch on her. She doesn't answer me directly, but her nod is all I need to know, she agrees. It's time to put an end to this streak.

Taylor notices the switch and immediately comments on it when I get close to her. "Long time no see, Matonis." She grins at me the same way Ren always would. "Well... You likely don't remember the last match we played against each other, but I can remind you how it went."

I swear she's even more annoying than Ren, which honestly, is tough since she raises the bar pretty high. I choose to ignore Taylor's words and let my game speak. And that's exactly what I do. I pick her up for a full-court press and strip her of the dribble for an easy lay-up. She smiles in acknowledgment. Game on.

The next possession, she calls out for a screen but before it comes, she tries to attack the baseline. I beat her to it, making her lose her balance a bit. I try to reach for the ball for which I'm rewarded with a nasty crossover and a hard screen to my back. It brings me to my knees but I jump on my feet soon after to chase after Taylor. She steps back into a quick pull-up, but I block her from behind. Ren is the first one to get to the ball and I run to the fast break along the sideline. I get the pass for an open lay, but someone takes me out when my feet leave the ground. The fall is hard and I feel something crack in my right forearm. Fuck, this isn't good.

"Fucking hell, are you out of your mind?" I look up to see Ren shouting at Taylor and shoving her away from me. There's this burning fire in her eyes which makes me guess, that if it were anyone else than her best friend, she would start a fight. Even now, Sophie had run across the whole court to tug her away to prevent her from doing anything stupid.

Taylor, now free, walks up to me and offers me her hand. "You good, Matonis?"

I try to move my fingers but they stay still. That can only mean one thing.

"Get away from her!" Ren growls at Taylor and helps me stand up. Her eyes get fixed on my arm, which I'm clutching with my other hand. "Bad?" She asks.

I nod. "I think it's broken."

Sophie hears it and calls for the medics. They escort me to the lockers, and Ren, to Fox's displeasure, follows us there. The medics try to move with my hand, which is extremely painful. I don't give them the satisfaction of a scream, but the pain level brings tears to my eyes and only confirms the diagnosis.

"It seems like a broken ulna." Says the older guy who has been examining my arm. "Hard to say yet, but I think it's going to require surgery. You'll have to go to the hospital to know for sure, but right now, we have to fix the arm to limit any movement."

And so he does exactly that and once he's done, I ask him to leave us alone. Ren sits next to me and gently laces her fingers with those on my left hand.

"I'm sorry about her, Audra." She whispers. "She's not usually like that."

It makes me giggle. "She's always like that with me." I look into her eyes. "You both are."

Her cheeks turn red from embarrassment. She's so cute when she does that.

"I'm sorry." She says.

I squeeze her hand. "Don't be."

But to my surprise, she shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry for what I said to you today." Ren closes the gap between us, making our knees touch. "The incident with Monica and then Taylor... It made me realize how much I fucking care about you, how much I hate to see you hurt, and how much I love to see you happy." She pauses to make sure I'm listening to her. "And fuck, if that means sneaking around, stealing those short kisses in the locker room, holding hands when no one's looking... If that makes you smile, then I'm down for it, if you're down for it."