Chapter 4
My teammates rushed over to help me up. One of them snapped at Jessica, "What's wrong with you? Can't handle losing? That was a dirty foul. You're embarrassing your whole training team."
Jessica's own knee was a little red, but she just shrugged, looking all smug. "It's part of the game. I've still got fouls left. Why shouldn't I use them?"
Ryan ran over, gave me a quick glance, then turned and shouted at my teammate, "In basketball, people get hurt all the time. If she can't handle it, that's on her. Jessica got hurt too. Why are you only blaming her?"
My teammate was furious and about to argue back, but I grabbed her arm and shook my head.
The referee walked over then, called the foul on Jessica, and gave me two free throws.
The first shot was easy—it went straight in. The score tightened. Just one more point and we'd be tied, heading into overtime.
Jessica and I were both subbed out because of injuries. But with the rest of my team—the actual school team—overtime would've been a walk in the park.
When I stepped up for the second free throw, the entire gym fell silent. All eyes were on me.
My shooting accuracy was the best in school. Everyone knew that last shot should've been a sure thing.
As I steadied my breathing, I caught Ryan staring at me—nervous. It was a look I hadn't seen on him for almost three years.
But it wasn't the same. Back then, he worried for me. Now, he was worried about the ball in my hands—whether it would go in, because if it did, Jessica's team would lose. He wasn't the Ryan I used to know.
I lifted the ball and let it fly. The ball hit the backboard with a sharp thud, skimmed the rim, and bounced out of bounds. I missed.
Jessica jumped up in excitement. "We won!"
The tension in Ryan's face melted into relief.
I looked at him and said, "Your Jessica won. And whatever was between us ended today."
The moment he hoped I'd miss that shot, I lost—completely. Eighteen years of growing up together, gone in the shadow of a three-year infatuation.
My teammates rushed over, helping me up as I hobbled toward the nurse's office.
*****
Ryan had just relaxed a little when he saw Emily in the distance saying something to him. He didn't catch a single word, but for some reason, a sharp sting jabbed straight through his chest.
He was about to go after her when Jessica came bouncing over. "Ryan, come on. We won. Lunch is on me."
Ryan wanted to turn her down, but with her friends crowding around him, dragging him along, he had no choice but to follow them toward the school gate.
*****
In the nurse's office, the doctor checked my knee. Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious. A bit of ointment and a few days of rest would do.
My teammates walked me home. When I got back, my father told me the paperwork was done. I could transfer next week, and we could start packing this week.
I didn't want to spend another minute in this city. So after pestering my father for a while, he finally booked me a plane ticket for that night.
I invited a few close friends over for dinner. Once they heard I was leaving, none of them wanted to let me go.
After dinner, my father drove me to the airport. I took a deep breath. I had lived in this city for more than ten years. Now I was finally leaving.
Before the plane took off, I looked out the window, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Ryan, see you never," I whispered.