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“Drew, how are you feeling?” He asks, rolling a chair next to my bed.

“What's going on?”

“You came into the ER unconscious,” he explains evenly. “Your ACL was completely severed, and you suffered a severe concussion. We had to take you back for emergency surgery.”

“No. No, wait. The season isn't over yet,” I stammer, my chest tightening. “When can I go back out there?”

“Son,” The doctor lets out a long, heavy sigh. “You will be bedridden for the next six weeks, and after that, it will take up to twelve months of physical therapy.”

“A year!” I shout, “I can't wait a year! I can’t lose that time if I want to make it in the NFL.”

“Drew, listen to me. Even after completing physical therapy, your knee joints simply won't be able to handle intense athletic strain or high-speed pivots ever again.” The doctor looks at me with pity. “I’m very sorry, Drew, but your body will no longer be capable of playing football.”

The entire room falls into a heartbreaking silence, the sound of my mom's quiet sobs echoing off the white walls. Across the room, Cooper’s knees buckle, and he sinks to the floor, burying his face in his hands. My body goes numb. My mind goes completely blank as I watch the future I envisioned for myself wither away before my eyes.

“I’ll step out to give you a moment to process,” the doctor says quietly, rising from his chair. “I’ll be back later to check on your vitals. And Drew… I’m truly, truly sorry.”

The heavy door clicks shut behind him, and the reality finally crashes through the numbness. My dreams shattered. The last four years of blood, sweat, and endless training—gone in a single second. The hope of providing for my mom and Cami, completely erased.

Cami.

A sickening wave of shame and nausea hits me. I have nothing left to offer her. I am no one without football. I have no backup plan, it was only to make it to the NFL. My head spins violently.

“Drew,” Cooper says, placing a steady hand on my shoulder. “What can I do? What do you need, man?”

“Cami’s here,” Ivy chimes in softly, her eyes red. “She just texted me from the lobby. I can go down and bring her up.”

“No,” I say, finally breaking my silence. Everyone's eyes shoot to mine in pure disbelief.

“I need you to take her home,” I whisper, the numbness spreading through me hardens into ice. “She can't see me like this.”

“Drew,” my mom starts, her voice laced with concern.

“No!” I snap. My gaze locks onto my best friend. “Cooper, I’m sorry… I’m doing exactly what I promised you I wouldn't do. I have to let her go.”

“Drew, please don't do this,” Ivy cries out, fresh tears spilling down her face.

“She can’t see me like this.”

“He’s right, Ivy. Let's get her out of here.” Cooper cuts in, his voice cracking with devastation.

I look up at the guy who has had my back through everything, and realize that I’m putting our friendship on the line yet again. “I’m sorry I let you down, Cooper.”

Cooper pauses, his hand lingering on the doorknob as he slowly turns to face me. “You just lost your entire world, Drew. I’ll let this one slide. Feel better. I’ll be back to check on you later.”

“Ivy?” I call out, right before they step into the hallway.

She turns around, black smeared beneath her swollen eyes.

“Take care of her for me.” A single tear finally escapes my eye and tracks down my temple.

The door clicks shut behind them. The second they are gone, my chest fractures, and a sharp, piercing sob rips violently from my throat. My mom comes running to my bedside, wrapping her arms tightly around me as the two of us weep into the silent room.

I refused to go back home with my mom. Our house is too close to Cami, and I know exactly what would happen. The second she found out I was back, she would come running to see me. I just don't have the strength or the energy to explain why I'm doing this to her. A part of me doesn't even understand what I'm doing. She doesn't deserve a front-row seat to my ruination, especially while she’s still in high school. She deserves to find someone whole—someone better than me, someone with a future who can give her the world.

So instead, I’ve been holed up inside the four walls of my dorm room. Ivy, Cooper, and a few of my teammates cycle through to check on me, but I barely acknowledge them. I managed to switch all of my in-person classes to online so I can work directly from my bed. The athletic department offered to approve me for medical leave, assuring me it wouldn't affect my scholarship, but I turned it down. I need the distraction, an escape from the prison of my own mind.

My phone stays turned off, a dead black screen on my nightstand. Cami has been trying to reach me. I know the notifications are piling up, but I can't bring myself to look. I know that if I turn that screen on for even a second, I will lose the fight against the temptation to call her. My heart is aching for her so badly it feels like a sickness, but I force myself to stay in the dark.