Swish

.29

Eli was winning...barely. 

Hands clenched into tight fists by my sides, I unraveled my fingers slowly from my palms and grabbed my soda from the brown mahogany swivel tray over my lap and gingerly took a sip, the fizziness coating my throat and burning all the way down as yet another player from Heisinger made it into their basket, and listening to the announcer declare Matthew Thornberry as the game's 'player to watch', I cringed, knowing that Eli should've been on their radar more than him. 

Eli, however, had been slightly off his game ever since the Patrick incident.  I could tell that a fight was bound to break out, but sitting next to my father and Johnson Pierce, who applauded him on deescalating the situation, I knew that something much bigger was going on down there on the court, if only I could have heard the conversation for myself. 

Sara and Jared sat on my left while my father and the other basketball legends and higher ups in the industry sat chatting with him and Kara at a circular round table, a few reporters coming and going asking on-the-record questions about upcoming articles that they were doing.  A few even got a 'family' picture of all five of us, like we actually were a 'family.'  I wanted to yell out at how disgusting and unfair it all was, but I couldn't do that without creating an even bigger spectacle than my life actually was. 

A commotion out on the court struck the entire room eerily silent.  Everyone held their breath, no one deigning to move even a muscle as Eli had fallen from a considerable height after attempting to dunk the ball over the heads of some of the tallest players in the game. 

Even worse, however, was the fact that the 'player to watch' was crouched down next to him, and even though I couldn't tell from our height, I knew it wasn't good.  The game cameras swooped in to try and exploit the moment, broadcasting Eli's anguish as he cradled his arm and shoulder to his chest, pure vitriol and anger on his face. 

"What's he saying?"

"I don't know, there's no audio," my father replied to someone who'd asked, but I wasn't paying any attention to the rest of the crowd, my focus solely on Eli and the pain so undeniably coursing through his body. 

It was just his shoulder, right?  That wouldn't be a considerable injury unless it was broken, then from there it would take weeks, months, for him to get better. 

It wasn't even pre season, surely he'd be fine in time for the regular season and the championships, if they made it, that is. 

"I can't tell from here, but it better not be broken.  He shouldn't have tried that."

"Maybe not, but he made the shot," Johnson replied, a sense of respect flowing from my father's friend. 

"Excuse me, Virginia?  There is someone here who is wanting to speak with you," a server said, the man decked out in full black and white gear as he gestured to the VIP area.  My eyes almost popped out of their sockets as I spotted just who was waiting on me, fury dancing across her familiar features. 

Kara paled when her eyes followed mine, then my father was next in line for the discoloration of his features, but something strange happened.  Instead of looking scared, he grew even more pompous, rising to his full height in his wheelchair and puffing out his chest, almost like he needed to remind himself that he had the power in the situation. 

I so desperately wanted to keep my eyes on Eli, to make sure that he was alright, but one quick glance back to the court had him walking off with the help of a physical trainer and he waved with a quick smile to the crowd who cheered him on, and after one more longing look at Eli, the boy who had changed everything, I focused on my grandmother, the woman who would change everything else.