One For The Money [REWORKED]

TWENTYFIVE {The Injury}

"Everyone Is Here To See You Move"

{Blake's P.O.V}

Sweat and the beat of my heart pulsating throughout my body were the only two things I could feel.

We were in the middle of a game, in the middle of Little Caesars Arena where every single person in the stands could see me. The crowd was loud, blaring loud, but to me it was just white noise.

The game was intense, the adrenaline was thick, and my focus was sharp. I wasn't thinking about anything but the game. Just the ball, net, and the court. It was my only freedom, the only thing that kept me sane.

Andre had the ball and was pounding down the court with it. We locked eyes for only a split second, because that was all we needed. I made sure to get to a good spot throughout all the defenders near me, and watched the ball fly through the air and into my hands. It was all just like muscle memory, every breath, every movement, and every thought.

I drew that ball up, just as I had done almost millions of times, and shoot it into the hoop. It went in.

We went back and forth on the court multiple times, the intensity levels rising as the minutes went by. My head was boxed into the game, it was almost like my body was in autopilot because of it. I was zoned in.

Until I wasn't.

As I ran across the court on defense I felt another pang of pain in my left knee. It was sharp and bright. For a moment that stretched out in slow motion for too long, I heard the crowd. Loud and clear, I could feel the lights and the breath of another guy right next to me. I could feel my feet on the ground, I could feel my head on my shoulders and my eyes move as I watched my surroundings.

I tried making myself focus again, but the pain, although not as strong as it was, still managed to remain in not only my knee but in my head too.

Was I okay? Did I just move it in the wrong way? Did I need to take a break? Could I keep going? I didn't know. And I didn't have time to think. The game was happening now, the ball was moving now, the other team was moving now, which meant that I had to move now.

The team shot the ball into their hoop and made it. Andre grabbed the rebound from the air and started to run down the court with it, both our team and the opposing side falling down the court with him.

As I ran, the pain grasped onto my knee and didn't let go. I could still play, I could still go a little longer, this wasn't going to stop me.

Andre was halfway down the court when me and him locked eyes for a split second. At the front of my mind I told myself that I was confident that I could make it to the basket, but in the back, I second-guessed myself.

I ran faster to make it in time, ignoring my knee and trying my best to immerse myself in the game.

I watched the ball as it left Andre's hands, fly through the air, and fall in my hands. I had the ball.

I charge at the basket. Defense at my heels. The hoop in my sights.

I took my last steps before the hoop, giving it all that I had, until I felt it.

The pain in my knee that once was just a little spot of muscle in the back on my knee, parasites its self to my entire knee, making it freeze. I couldn't move it. I couldn't move my leg.

I yelled out in pain as I let the ball roll out my hands so they could clutch my knee. I fall to the ground with my knee in hand, throbbing with pain.

I ignored everything around me and just focused on the pain as I laid on the ground grasping my knee for what felt like minutes on end, but in reality, was probably just a couple of seconds. I didn't know what was happening to me, why it was happening, or when it would stop.

I heard the whistle blow, pausing the game, and footsteps running towards me. "Are you okay?" Andre runs up and asks me out of breath while sweat dripped down his face.

I could hear him but didn't have the energy or the focus to respond.

"What happened?" Roy, our head trainer asked, who was followed by Tara.

"I don't know" I'm barely able to make out.

The arena was still loud, people were still screaming, and yet here I was laying on the edge of the court barely able to move. Even though the question hasn't been asked yet, I didn't know how I was going to get up, or if I even could.

Roy looks at my knee, not in depth because we were still on the court and supposed to be in the middle of the game. He tries to get me to move it but I can't.

"We have to get him off of the court," Roy says "I don't think he can play right now"

I was in too much pain and distress to care if I played in the game again, I just needed to feel better.

"Help me get him up," Roy tells Andre.

I finally release my grasp from my knee and grab one hand from Andre and one from Roy.

It hurt to have my center of gravity shifted. I only stood on my good leg and balanced myself on Andre and Roy. Tara followed behind me, she couldn't help me too much in the moment because she was only just about half my size.

I limped all the way back to the training room and finally sat down to my discomfort. Andre quickly wished me well and quickly got back onto the court while Tara stayed behind and went to get an ice pack.

The pain didn't bother me as the fear of the unknown did. I didn't know what was going to happen, what they would do to me, or how long this would all last. I wasn't a stranger to pain and injury but it still fogged my head up with panic. I sat like the pain was there, yet normal.

Roy started to move my leg around to see the direct source of the pain, each movement creating a new wave of struggle. "When exactly did you feel it start to hurt?" He asks calmly.

"I started feeling some discomfort a bit before it really hit me" I explain to him "But I thought I could keep going with the game until it shocked me like a lightning bolt"

"It's aggravated," He says as Tara walks over with the ice pack "Because you've already had some small discomfort with it already, you must have just pushed it too far. We'll have to get it scanned to see if you tore it, which I sadly wouldn't be surprised if you did"

Tara hands me the bag full of ice and I gently place it on my knee.

"It might not do much," She tells me "But it might help"

"How long is this going to last?" I ask.

"It's hard to tell right now, we'll still need to get it looked at fully and scanned to see how bad it really is"

"When will I be able to get back to playing?" I ask.

"Like I said," Roys says "I couldn't say right now."

"Competition Was Lethal, Honestly It's No Biggie"