Chapter 4 – Nick #2
Reece played well under pressure and his speed made him a hard match for defenders, but Harrison had been glued to him the whole game.
Nick couldn’t hear it himself, but he noticed Harrison taunting Reece, who was more worked up than usual.
His whole face was flushed, sweat dripping off him, soaked blond hair tied up in a short ponytail.
When he couldn’t get around Harrison, Reece passed the ball to Alex, who instantly passed it to Declan at the goal.
Nick wasn’t watching Declan’s dunk, though, he was watching Harrison still all over Reece, following him so close they were touching and Reece had to brush him off.
At the bench, Nick grabbed Reece’s wrist and pulled him down to sit with him. “Are you alright? The fuck’s that guy’s problem?”
His face fell, shoulders sagging as if all his game day readiness melted away and he leaned into Nick. “He’s just trying to get in my head.”
The defeat in Reece’s voice made Nick fear Harrison had already succeeded if that was his goal. It pissed him off. “Hey. Don’t let him get to you. You’re better than that.”
There was a soft smile on Reece’s face as he thanked Nick, but Nick couldn’t smile back, not when he knew Reece wasn’t okay.
Back in the game, Nick kept an eye on both Reece and Harrison, but his wariness or attentiveness weren’t enough to protect Reece from his dirty playing.
One second, Reece was dashing around the guy, too fast to be stopped.
He rose for a successful layup, but there was Harrison, sliding a foot under Reece on purpose to ruin his landing.
The roaring crowd sounded quiet to Nick, his mind too focused on the sickening pop he heard when Reece’s sneaker met the floor.
“Ree, fuck—” Nick dropped to his knees by Reece, blocking him from the crowd’s view.
“Nicky, it cracked,” he groaned, trying to look but Nick stopped him.
“I know, I heard it. Just breathe for a minute. I got you.”
While Nick kept Reece distracted awaiting the medic, Declan stepped into Harrison’s chest to confront him.
“You think that’s basketball? Look at him!”
“He just landed weird, man. Not my fault.”
“I saw your foot slide under him,” Declan hissed and Nick gritted his teeth, glad he wasn’t the only one who noticed. “You so much as look at Reece again and you’re done.”
The referee was the first to notice the severity of the injury and by the time the medic was stabilizing Reece’s ankle for him to be taken off the court, Harrison was being ejected.
“Alright, let’s get him to the tunnel. Can you carry him?”
Nick carefully hooked his arms under Reece and lifted him slowly. Reece hissed in pain and grabbed Nick’s jersey at the chest.
“Nicky, shoot my free throws for me. Please?”
“Forget the game,” Nick said, arms holding tighter to Reece in the only way he could embrace him in the moment.
“No way.” Reece grunted. “I’ll be watching.”
When they reached the tunnel and the awaiting stretcher, Nick laid Reece down on it, and then stepped back under the head coach’s orders. He watched them rush away with Reece, not turning around and jogging back to the rest of his team until his hurt friend was out of sight.
Nick’s sneakers felt like lead weights when he stood back on the court to shoot Reece’s free throws like he’d ask.
He didn’t look at the basket. Instead, Nick stared at the smear of sweat on the floor where Reece had collapsed just moments before.
His usually steady hands felt too slick and numb as the referee bounced the ball to him.
It felt wrong in his hands, but Nick still sank both shots.
They won that game but Nick felt defeated as he and his team moved to the locker room without Reece.
The head coach addressed them first, confirming a minor fracture that felt earth-shattering to Nick.
Him and Declan were the first cleared to check on Reece in the training room.
It was too quiet when Nick walked in through the heavy double doors.
Reece was propped up on a high taping table, pointedly looking away from his injured leg, already encased in a big black boot.
At first, Nick didn’t say anything. He let Declan rush past him, feeling as if everything was crumbling around him. The jersey clinging to his chest felt too tight, sweat still dripping off him as he slowly dragged his feet toward the table.
“You should’ve seen Nick dropping those shots for you,” Declan said, holding tight to Reece’s hand.
Reece let out a sound that was a half laugh and half wince, bright blue eyes finding Nick and staying on him. “Thanks Nicky, I knew I could count on you.” His smile was too sad—it was breaking Nick’s heart. He’d never seen Reece hurt. He never thought he’d see Reece hurt like this.
And knowing he wouldn’t be stepping back on the court anytime soon had Nick’s clenched fists shaking at his sides.
“You always got us, Reece,” Declan said, crushing Reece’s head to his sweaty chest and making him laugh. “We’ll get you back in action in no time.”
Sadly, though, it wasn’t meant to be. Reece followed a strict medical progression.
He attended every game on the bench, cheering them on even through the championships.
Three full months passed before he was bearing his full weight on the ankle, physical therapy working to strengthen the weakened muscles at a safe pace.
He was still far from being able to play again by the time the next season arrived.
The more time that passed with Nick watching Reece fighting so hard to get back game ready, the angrier he became.
After six months, Reece was finally able to start lighter drills, like jogging and shooting and eventually jumping, but Nick already knew that Reece wouldn’t be coming back to play competitively again.
It was during their next game with their rivals, who kept Harrison on their team after only a one-game suspension, that Nick officially snapped. Harrison showed no remorse for what he did to Reece and Nick didn’t think anything could infuriate him more, until Harrison started taunting him.
“You still mad about me playing with Reecey over there?” Harrison cackled, gaze flicking to Reece on the bench just long enough for Nick to steal the ball.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Nick warned, passing the ball to Alex in the paint, who then passed to Declan for him to sink it home.
He was making a show of hanging from the rim but Nick was too busy staring down Harrison, the urge to forget his career and everything else and just let all his anger out on the piece of trash was overwhelming.
“It’s his fault for getting all pissed when all I was doing was praising him.”
Nick saw red as he jogged away, turning to face Harrison on his way. “Keep talking and see what happens.”
“Ooh, you wanna play too, Nicky?”
Nick wanted to lunge at him. He’d never wanted to get his hands on somebody so bad, but there was so much riding on his every action that Nick kept it together—his family name, Kent, his friends, his future.
One wrong move and everything would be ruined.
Not only was his draft stock at stake but so were his endorsements.
He wasn’t stupid, Nick knew he had to be careful. He was used to being watched.
After a landslide win, Nick went straight from media to the showers, telling himself to let it go because that was exactly what Reece would want, but he couldn’t stop thinking about that bastard, Harrison.
“Don’t be grumpy, Nicky,” Reece said in the locker room, already changed into a pair of his university joggers and a t-shirt before the others finished their shower. “Forget about Harrison. You promised me dinner after the game.”
“Yeah, we’re goin’.” Nick stood at his locker, moisturizing his still damp skin, admittedly getting a little distracted with the way Reece was watching him. “I’ll meet you there though. You ride with Dec and Alex.”
“What—why?” Reece pouted. “You’re ditching us…”
“I’m not ditching you, Ree. Just making a little pit stop.”
“What’s he planning?” Reece turned to Declan who just shrugged and minded his own business. Nick would thank him later.
After he confronted Harrison.
* * *
Nick knew it was meant to be when he lucked out by catching him in the loading dock by the back of the bus alone. “Hey. Stop walking.”
Harrison stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around. He huffed, “Bus is leaving, man.”
Nick forced him around and pinned him against the back of the bus. “But you’re not. Look at me.”
He was avoiding it, looking instead for anyone else to come by before finally facing Nick with a wary gaze. “You’re still caught up on that play, he landed wrong, my foot was—”
“Your foot was right where you meant for it to be. You think I haven’t watched the tape a thousand times? I saw you look down before moving your foot under him.”
Harrison’s eyes narrowed, voice dropping to a hiss. “What are you gonna do, man, swing? Go ahead—catch a suspension and lose that number one status over a guy who’s already done. Be my guest.”
Nick stepped closer, forearm pressing into Harrison’s chest, voice deathly quiet as he leaned in.
“I’m not gonna swing. That would be too easy.
I’m just here to let you know exactly what’s gonna happen.
Every time we see you again, I’m gonna be right there.
Every screen is gonna be harder. Every box-out will hurt.
You didn’t just fracture his ankle, you took away something he loved and I’ll never forget that shit. ”
“You’re crazy,” Harrison said, voice wavering.
“I might be,” Nick replied and let his arm fall. “You fuck with Reece again and you’ll find out. Run on to your bus now before I forget how much I like my standing.”
Fighting him wasn’t the answer, but Nick could be a nightmare for Harrison on the court.
After having words with Harrison, Nick met his friends for dinner at a local spot on the strip across from the beach. The seat next to Reece was open and waiting for him. Declan and Alex were across the table, drinks and appetizers already served.
“I’m starving,” Nick said, helping himself to a roll. “What did I miss?”
“What about what we missed?” Reece huffed, smacking Nick on the thigh. “Where’d you go?”
“Nowhere special.” Nick took a bite of his roll and grabbed the menu to look at it even though he knew he was getting a burger. “But I’m here now.”
“Dec and Alex have been flirting this whole time you abandoned me.” Reece was leaning into him and playfully tugging at his shorts.
Even more than usual, Nick was too aware of him, the casual touch causing too intense a reaction from his body. It made him want to pull away even though he didn’t want to hurt Reece’s feelings. “You’re lucky that’s all they were doing. Relationship shit.”
It hadn’t taken their friends long to make their relationship official, though it was no secret they’d been hooking up since freshman year.
For a while, Nick wondered if he and Reece could be like them—a part of him had even anticipated it.
But ever since Reece got hurt, Nick looked at things differently.
His stupid dream of having Reece by his side forever didn’t seem achievable anymore.
Reece’s ankle had taken too hard a hit. Recovery was happening but slowly, and he was too far from being able to hope to play competitively again.
Reece’s first game post-injury was at the park, just him, Declan, and Nick. Like old times. He’d lost so much speed and strength, while the others had continued to improve, and the discomfort in his ankle was impossible to ignore.
“I think it’s best if I leave the team,” Reece said and even though there were tears in his eyes, it was Nick and Declan he was trying to placate.
They both dropped their mouths open to protest but the gentle shake of Reece’s head had them keeping quiet.
“Don’t argue. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Things have changed now. I don’t want to waste my time on the bench when I can focus on my modeling instead. And I know my body… I won’t be able to compete alongside you two anymore. I’m lucky just to be able to play around like we did today.”
“Don’t say that,” Declan said, sniffling.
Nick nodded with a deep frown. “Yeah, we need you.”
“You need me cheering you on, that’s all. And I will. Always.”
Already set to go pro, Nick could only imagine moving away and leaving Reece behind. Declan would have Alex. But Nick and Reece, they’d both be alone. Nick’s work would lead him into constant travels and Reece’s would be rooted in Miami. Nothing would turn out like he’d hoped.
Because every time Nick held on too tight to someone precious, he lost them. Reece would be better kept at arm’s length.