“How did that happen?” the coach questioned Roo again, who was now attended by the paramedic. The other players were dismissed leaving Roo, Lia, the coach and the paramedic in the room.

Roo kept quiet. She didn’t want Lia to get in trouble for not listening to the coach now that he has already forgot about that ball.

“Was it… because of my mistake?” Lia asked carefully, looking at her captain not saying anything.

“No Lia, you did well.” Roo said through her gritted teeth, sweat once again formed on her forehead, her leg hurts so hella much. Her face doesn’t show but she almost wanted to cry. Never had she encounter such painful injury before. Her knuckles turned white for gripping on the bench for her dear life.

“oh right, that reminds me! I told you not to go on offense with them! Why did you do that! See what trouble you had cause. This is only the first game!” the coach reprimanded her angrily.

“Coach, I think we have to send her to the hospital, she might have comminuted fracture” They froze. 

“C-co-comminuted fracture?!” The coach exclaimed upon hearing that.

Lia had no idea what kind of fracture was it that made the coach exclaimed, Roo too, was looking to and fro the paramedic and her coach.

“Hey, I am sure there is some mistakes in the process, how could she even be so calm when she’s had her bone crushed.”

“That’s why I need to get her to the hospital.” The paramedic curtly replied, before requesting aid from his fellow colleagues through phone call. In no time, Roo was lying in the operation room with her unconscious.

2 hours later, the light went off, signalling the end of the operation. She was sent to the ward with her thick leg cast up to her mid-thigh.

She was wide awake after another hour of being unconscious. Staring at her cast, she was lost for word. How did it become so serious that she needed to stay in the hospital, let alone undergoing an operation?  But what disappoint her was that Lia and coach who was originally with her, not around. She heard the door unlocked, thinking it was them, but in came a tall young man.

“Yah noona! What happened to you?! I heard from coach you had a little accident. Well, it doesn’t look ‘little’ to me. What’s up with that cast”

“Chanwoo, shut up” ChanWoo was Roo’s fellow junior in the male’s basketball team whom had gotten closer to her because she

was in charge of making him improve. After a year of hard work, she could proudly say that she had done a great job. Although, her relationship with Chanwoo was how it was like with her teammates, Chanwoo still likes her the best. He would pester her none stop even when receiving no response. He just likes being around Roo, like a little brother. Roo needed the rest as well as the details of her condition, but none of the person in charge was there.

“Did they tell you your condition? When are you gonna recover and get back on court? Today was only the first game, you have another game on coming Friday”

“I want to know my condition too but none of the doc are here” She said with so much frustration.

“Aight chill, I will get the doc to come, just give me a minute” Roo nodded. Thankful that there is at least someone there to help her.

After a quarter hour, Chanwoo came in with a solemn expression.

“Chanwoo” Roo called out firmly, “Where’s the doctor?”

Silence.

“Well?”

“Noona…” Chanwoo had talked to her doctor, and the doctor was supposed to talk to Roo in person, but Chanwoo rejected him, saying that he will transcript the details to the patient himself.

Roo waited for him to continue.

Chanwoo took in a deep breath. “You might not be able to play basketball ever again…” He took a careful look at his senior, not wanting to meet her eyes.

“oh”

“oh?”  Chanwoo was taken aback by her nonchalant attitude, “is that all you gonna say?”

“Yeah.” Roo pretended to busy herself with her phone.

“Yeah? Hey look here, did you hear what I just said?” Chanwoo was confused, how could the person who loves basketball more than anything, be so calm when she heard that she can’t play anymore. There was still no reply from her and he fed up. “Is that all you are going to say?! Don’t you care that you aren’t able to-“

“I KNOW, I HEARD YOU! I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME! I KNOW I AM NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY ANYMORE! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?” Roo bursted out her anger at Chanwoo, then he finally realised. She was just hiding, keeping everything to herself again. Afterall, that was what she was best at. “What do you want me to say…” but that exterior was crumbling down. Tears starting falling down her pale cheeks, which she hid her face in her palms. Chanwoo could only sigh looking at her like this, he went forward and pull her in to his embrace. “Please stop telling me I can’t play basketball anymore…” He of all people, knew her the best, knew how much basketball meant to her. To others, basketball was just her passion, but it was more than just a mere passion. It was her life, it was her companion since young, it was a friend that had went through thick and thin with her since young.

Chanwoo pulled her hands away from her tears stained face and circled around his own waist, hugging her tight, not minding how her tears were wetting his shirt. He had never once seen her like this, she was always so strong.

“Shoot it”

“huh?”

They were sitting opposite each other, with ChanWoo on the chair and Roo on the patient bed.

“You have something to ask me?” That was more of a statement than a question. Roo could practically see through Chanwoo, he was bothered about something.

“Nope” ChanWoo displayed a forced smile.

“That’s not a question. Even if you don’t say, I know what you wanna ask. It was because I knew it. I knew what comminuted fracture was. Even if the operation was a successful one, the end results would still be the same. I knew it from the start…”

“Noona, you know anything is possible. That’s what you always tell me”

“Saying it was easy. Of course, I would still find my way through playing basketball.” She starts playing with her fingers.

“Then what is the thing that you are really bothered with now?” ChanWoo was getting worried.

“Coach…the team…” Roo heaved a heavy sigh, Chanwoo knew exactly why. Their coach was never a nice person to begin with. He was a realistic person that only cares about whether the players would help him win the game. He never did care about his players. Which explains why he didn’t even bother waiting for Roo’s operation to end. He was probably back at the gym, demanding his players to train hard right now. They both know what it meant if Roo can never play basketball again. He was going to kick her out, without any mercy. He knew she was afraid of that moment, the moment that is going to cause a scar in her life. Another thing that was bothering her was her teammates. She knew very well that other than Lia, nobody was going to care about her absence in the team. They might even celebrate because they could take over her position.

Speaking of Lia. She was never a close friend of Roo, but was a very close teammate to Roo. Rather than calling her a friend, she would prefer to categorise her as an acquaintance, a close acquaintance she would say. She was a teammate Roo respects a lot, a shooting guard Roo looks up to, and a same-year-schoolmate Roo has regard for. Other than Lia, she barely had spent any time outside of trainings with her team, well maybe besides Chanwoo and some of the male basketball team that she was often invited to have a little friendly competition with. It was not like she rejected the offer to play with the female team, it was just that either they didn’t have any leisure play outside training, or they just simply didn’t invite her.

“Noona” Chanwoo called out to grab hold of her attention as she looked distracted, only to receive a sigh.

“ChanWoo, I... want to be alone.”

“Alright, call me if you need anything alright. Anytime. Please take care of yourself and don’t think too much of whatever happened today, okay?” ChanWoo soothed her shoulder, “I will be back tomorrow” He was aware that she really needed the time alone to think through, thus he left.

It was 8pm when her teammates decided to visit her. At least they have the heart to visit, or so they thought. She noticed that Lia was not here.

“Hey cap, how you doing?” Ra Eul asked.

“Great” She said sarcastically, not wanting to entertain them, she knew they weren’t here to concern about her condition. At least use your brain, will you be alright if you’re lying here with crushed bones?

“You know, Coach wouldn’t be too happy seeing you lie here all day.”

“If that isn’t obvious enough JinSo” Another girl replied her before Roo had the chance too. “So, will you be able to play on Friday?” BAM, cat out of that disgusting bag. That was what they were here for, to check if they had the chance to play on Friday.

“If my bones get back in shape”

“So no? aww that’s sad, I wonder who’s going to take over you” Roo rolled her eyes. Sad? Certainly not. Taking over point guard? Dream on. Why would coach let someone who can’t even get in the main team to play the point guard position? Of course she knew Lia was going to get the captain position as well as the point guard position if she were to leave the team. And all others here would only be able to stand in the court, playing the useless role.

“Hi sorry to disturb, visiting hours’ end at 20 30, you have 5 minutes more” Roo thanked the nurse in mind for cutting this moment off.

“Well, we will see you then cap. Hopefully in school next month” RaEul smirked.

She knew too well what she meant. The tournament ends this month, and she hope that Roo doesn’t recovers until then. She was feeling really suffocated knowing that her teammates think that way even though she wanted nothing to do with them.  

So much for being teammates.

She was glad that she didn’t grew attached to them.