Bounce Back

Chapter 10

Ryan's POV

I didn't make it to school the next day but I was there the day after in time for the next basketball game. I don't know how it happened but all three of my friends came with me and I didn't even have to convince them.

I took my usual seat and grabbed my laptop out. We had arrived ten minutes before the game actually started so I had time to get organised. I was half listening to my friends talk but I was paying more attention to my laptop.

"How come you guys all decided to come?" I asked.

"We thought that we should come and join you for once," Jordan said, trying to sound innocent.

I glared at all three of them as they laughed. I knew there was something else but I couldn't be bothered dealing with my ridiculous friends at the moment. The games started not long later anyway so they stopped talking to me.

Through the first half Tyler had been shooting well and I could see that he was thinking about the things that we had been talking about. The players stopped for half time and I shut my laptop to talk to my friends.

"This has been a good game," Morgan smiled.

"Yeah, why don't we come more often?" Drew asked.

"Because you are constantly telling me that it is boring and that I shouldn't even bother asking you guys to come," I explained.

"I'm sure we never said that," Jordan protested.

"I'm pretty sure you only say it like every time that I go to a game," I pointed out.

Jordan elbowed me and I just laughed.

"Seriously though, how come you wanted to come?" I asked again.

None of them said anything but there were some glances exchanged that I couldn't quite read. It was at that point that I knew that they were never really going to tell me why they were there so I wasn't going to push it anymore.

The game restarted not long later anyway so I pushed it away and focused on my stats. The game flew by and Tyler had developed a nice stat line in the win.

"Let's go get food," Drew said.

The other two nodded but I paused.

"I've got to get these stats done," I said softly.

"You can do it where ever we get food," Jordan said.

I tried to protest because I knew that it would take me a lot longer to get anything done with my three friends around me but there was no way that they were going to let me get out of it. In the end I just gave up because I knew that it wasn't going to happen.

We ended up at one of our usual places and since it was just the four of us I didn't feel bad for grabbed my laptop back out and starting to work. I joined in the conversation when needed but I mostly just worked in silence.

I barely even noticed that our food had arrived until Morgan shut my laptop and told me to eat.

"How are your stats going?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to clean them up so that they are readable and then doing some analysis on them," I said.

They all nodded and then the conversation moved on. I didn't end up staying out with them too late because I was still taking pain medication for my back and it put me to sleep. Once I was finished eating I tucked my laptop back into my bag and stood up.

"I'll see you guys later," I said softly.

"Do you want any company for your walk home?" Jordan asked.

"Nah, you guys stay here."

They all nodded and I headed out. It wasn't a very long walk but it was already cold so I walked a bit faster. I knew that Mom and Dad had gone out for dinner so they weren't home when I got back. Since I was alone anyway I headed straight up to my room and curled up on my bed.

I had mostly finished my stats stuff anyway but I finished writing up my last couple of notes. I had a couple of piece of homework to do but I didn't feel like doing it yet and it wasn't due tomorrow. Instead I stretched out on my stomach and placed a heat pack on my back.

I don't know when it started but I've started getting back pain a bit. Most of the time I can avoid it by being careful how I sat or lay but sometimes it just happens.

It is one of the reasons that I stopped seriously playing basketball. I can play causal like with Tyler or my brothers when they are home but I would never be able to play for the school team. I still try to keep in good shape but I still have to be careful.

I was twenty minutes into my YouTube watching when I heard footsteps approaching my door and I was very surprised to see my youngest older brother Jamie.

"J, what are you doing here?" I asked.

Jamie is a sophomore basketball player at Duke.

"Coach told me to go home for a week. I tweaked my ankle at practice yesterday," he said and sat down on my bed.

I smiled and sat up to wrapped him a side hug.

"How are you going?" he asked.

"I'm still doing basketball stats and I'm tutoring one of the players in maths," I shrugged.

"Sounds like fun, are Mom and Dad out?"

"Yeah, I was out with my friends so I only got home half an hour ago."

"Still friends with the Jordan, Morgan and Drew?"

"Yeah, they are amazing, I couldn't imagine having any other friends," I smiled.

He then noticed the heat pack lying on my bed and he grabbed it and held it out.

"Are you still having back pain?" he asked.

"Once in a while," I admitted.

He quickly headed out of the room and I heard him rush downstairs. A couple of moments later he appeared and pushed me back down onto my stomach. I felt the heat pack being placed on my back and Jamie moved to stand by the door.

"We have time to catch up tomorrow, so just rest up," he said.

I nodded because I was excited to catch up with Jamie but he was stubborn and there was no way that I could get him to change his mind.

"I'll talk to you later," I muttered as I started to drift off to sleep.

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The Wise One