The Player

Brielle

5:54 PM

"Five, six, seven, eight!" I shouted, trying to be heard over the blasting music.

It had been nearly a week since Christopher and I had went to the carnival. Ever since then, we were awkward around each other, not really knowing what to say to one another. We used to be able to hide behind our bickering, but ever since then we couldn't. After that night, I knew that something had changed between us, but I didn't know that it would happen in this way. Our usual banter was replaced by total silence.

We were in the dance studio, practicing our routine for the showcase. We finished scraping the gum from under the bleachers, so now my complete focus was on this dance. Christopher knew the basic choreography of our routine, but his technique still needed to be improved tremendously. I knew that we still had a long way to go. He struggled the most with the lifts in the routine. Although he was strong, he had no idea how to execute them, and how to make them look graceful. Because of this, I was too scared to practice them with him.

When we got to the most difficult lift, I held my breath, not wanting him to drop me. He threw me up in the air successfully, but when it came time to catch me, his hand slipped from my waist. My eyes widened, as the floor became closer and closer and closer until...

Thud.

Hot, white pain coursed through my body as I landed on the floor. In an effort to break my fall, I fell on my left foot, causing my ankle to roll in the process. I curled in a ball on the studio floor, grabbing my ankle and rolling back and forth in pain. Christopher quickly kneeled beside me, his face laced with concern.

"Are you okay Brielle?" He asked franticly, running his fingers through his hair. "Do you need anything?"

I shook my head no as I bit my lip to hold in the pain.

"I'm fine," I squeaked out, using all my energy to sound remotely okay. I held in my tears, wanting to stay strong.

He offered a hand towards me. "Are you okay getting up?"

I nodded my head yes as I grabbed onto his hand, using my good leg to help me get up. Once I put down my bad leg, however, the pain returned. The intensity was so great that I nearly fainted. I fell on my butt in agony, all my resolve now gone.

I let the tears roll down my face as I sobbed into my hands. If I couldn't even walk, there was no way that I could do ballet. The last thing that I needed was some ankle injury two months away from the showcase. I had no clue how long I would have to sit out of dance.

Two hands scoop around me as I was swept off the floor. I looked up to see Christopher carrying me bridal style out of the room. He nimbly navigated the hallways as if I weighed nothing.

"Where are we going?" I choked out in between sobs

"We're going to the athletic trainer. She always helps when one of the players gets injured."

I nodded my head, not wanting to talk more than I needed to. The throbbing in my ankle intensified as it began to turn red and swollen. I buried my head in his shirt, wetting it with my tears. When we finally reached the athletic trainer's office, his shirt had a large wet patch on it.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly when he put me down, spotting the stain on his shirt.

We walked into the office only to find that it was empty. He set me down on the plastic bed, grabbing an icepack from the fridge and an ankle wrap from a cabinet. He moved swiftly through the office, seeming to know where everything was.

"Do you come here a lot?" I questioned, curious on why he was so familiar with the layout.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "My teammates get injured all the time. I always watched the trainer help them so I pretty much know what to do."

He kneeled beside me, placing the icepack on my ankle. I shuddered, the pressure of the bag causing a sharp pain to shoot up my leg.

eyes shut. He grabbed a bandage from

to distract me," I spat

don't know what to

I opened my eyes at him, staring expectantly.

concentration on his face. Suddenly, a blush crept up on

that you won't tell anyone?"

preoccupied on his red face to comprehend what he just said. "Are

he grumbled,

said, trying to

he mumbled something incomprehensible under

was that?" I

mumbled again, this time I could only make out a few

have to speak up. You know that

breath before he shouted out,

of Christopher jumping out of buildings

know it sounds ridiculous but I've been in karate ever since I was a

I thought it was funny, I could kind of see it. He was always doing crazy things, and he was probably one of the most fearless people I knew. If there was anyone that I would expect to put themselves in dangerous positions on purpose and

over a decade why in the world are you so bad at

is so different it's not

me, his eyes growing serious. "But you promise not to tell

zipping my mouth closed with my hand. "My lips

distracted that I didn't even notice that he had finished wrapping my foot. He pushed himself off of the floor,

my leg that

head, surprised at how much he seemed to know about this stuff. The room grew quiet as we had nothing left to say.

why don't you want to be a professional athlete?" I asked, trying to break the

it's fun, but I feel like doing it as a job will take that away.

of every day for the rest of my life, I would be the happiest girl on Earth. The thought of not doing it

you couldn't dance?"

think of anything, but my mind

scoffed at me, rolling his eyes. "You're telling me that even if you could join the circus or be a

brain, trying to think of anything before it finally hit

had to choose I would do something in the water." I smiled at the idea. "Every week me and my dad wake up early and go swimming in the ocean. Besides dancing, it's the only time

the cold water and crisp air. That combined with the sunrise and the only quality time that me and my dad spend together makes it one

you ever gone surfing?" he

way. Knowing my luck, I would get bitten

know that never

not taking

smugly. "I didn't take you for a

knew that he was just trying to egg me on, but my pride couldn't take being

"I am not!"

it, once your ankle goes down,