“No way.” Reece grunted. “I’ll be watching.”
When they reached the tunnel and the awaiting stretcher, Nick laid Reece down on it, and then stepped back under the head coach’s orders. He watched them rush away with Reece, not turning around and jogging back to the rest of his team until his hurt friend was out of sight.
Nick’s sneakers felt like lead weights when he stood back on the court to shoot Reece’s free throws like he’d ask. He didn’t look at the basket. Instead, Nick stared at the smear of sweat on the floor where Reece had collapsed just moments before. His usually steady hands felt too slick and numb as the referee bounced the ball to him. It felt wrong in his hands, but Nick still sank both shots.
They won that game but Nick felt defeated as he and his team moved to the locker room without Reece. The head coach addressed them first, confirming a minor fracture that felt earth-shattering to Nick. Him and Declan were the first cleared to check on Reece in the training room. It was too quiet when Nick walked in through the heavy double doors. Reece was propped up on a high taping table, pointedly looking away from his injured leg, already encased in a big black boot.
At first, Nick didn’t say anything. He let Declan rush past him, feeling as if everything was crumbling around him. The jersey clinging to his chest felt too tight, sweat still dripping off him as he slowly dragged his feet toward the table.
“You should’ve seen Nick dropping those shots for you,” Declan said, holding tight to Reece’s hand.
Reece let out a sound that was a half laugh and half wince, bright blue eyes finding Nick and staying on him. “Thanks Nicky, I knew I could count on you.” His smile was too sad—it was breaking Nick’s heart. He’d never seen Reece hurt. He never thought he’d see Reece hurt like this.
And knowing he wouldn’t be stepping back on the court anytime soon had Nick’s clenched fists shaking at his sides.
“You always got us, Reece,” Declan said, crushing Reece’s head to his sweaty chest and making him laugh. “We’ll get you back in action in no time.”
Sadly, though, it wasn’t meant to be. Reece followed a strict medical progression. He attended every game on the bench, cheering them on even through the championships. Three full months passed before he was bearing his full weight on the ankle, physical therapy working to strengthen the weakened muscles at a safe pace. He was still far from being able to play again by the time the next season arrived. The more time that passed with Nick watching Reece fighting so hard to get back game ready, the angrier he became. After six months, Reece was finally able to start lighter drills, like jogging and shooting and eventually jumping, but Nick already knew that Reece wouldn’t be coming back to play competitively again.
It was during their next game with their rivals, who kept Harrison on their team after only a one-game suspension, that Nick officially snapped. Harrison showed no remorse for what he did to Reece and Nick didn’t think anything could infuriate him more, until Harrison started taunting him.
“You still mad about me playing with Reecey over there?” Harrison cackled, gaze flicking to Reece on the bench just long enough for Nick to steal the ball.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Nick warned, passing the ball to Alex in the paint, who then passed to Declan for him to sink it home. He was making a show of hanging from the rim but Nick was too busy staring down Harrison, the urge to forget his career and everything else and just let all his anger out on the piece of trash was overwhelming.
“It’s his fault for getting all pissed when all I was doing was praising him.”
Nick saw red as he jogged away, turning to face Harrison on his way. “Keep talking and see what happens.”
“Ooh, you wanna play too,Nicky?”
Nick wanted to lunge at him. He’d never wanted to get his hands on somebody so bad, but there was so much riding on his every action that Nick kept it together—his family name, Kent, his friends, his future. One wrong move and everything would be ruined. Not only was his draft stock at stake but so were his endorsements. He wasn’t stupid, Nick knew he had to be careful. He was used to being watched.
After a landslide win, Nick went straight from media to the showers, telling himself to let it go because that was exactly what Reece would want, but he couldn’t stop thinking about that bastard, Harrison.
“Don’t be grumpy, Nicky,” Reece said in the locker room, already changed into a pair of his university joggers and a t-shirt before the others finished their shower. “Forget about Harrison. You promised me dinner after the game.”
“Yeah, we’re goin’.” Nick stood at his locker, moisturizing his still damp skin, admittedly getting a little distracted with the way Reece was watching him. “I’ll meet you there though. You ride with Dec and Alex.”
“What—why?” Reece pouted. “You’re ditching us…”
“I’m not ditching you, Ree. Just making a little pit stop.”
“What’s he planning?” Reece turned to Declan who just shrugged and minded his own business. Nick would thank him later.
After he confronted Harrison.
* * *
Nick knew it was meant to be when he lucked out by catching him in the loading dock by the back of the bus alone. “Hey. Stopwalking.”
Harrison stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around. He huffed, “Bus is leaving, man.”
Nick forced him around and pinned him against the back of the bus. “But you’re not. Look at me.”
He was avoiding it, looking instead for anyone else to come by before finally facing Nick with a wary gaze. “You’re still caught up on that play, he landed wrong, my foot was—”
“Your foot was right where you meant for it to be. You think I haven’t watched the tape a thousand times? I saw you look down before moving your foot under him.”
