This game was close.

The Phoenix Suns were ahead, only by a point.; but they were winning nonetheless. We had 23 seconds remaining in the game and luckily for us, we had gained possession of the ball.

TOO CLOSE.

Every move made from here on, counted.

Only, thing gracing my mind was Risk & Reward.

It was more than just a game to me. Basketball is my life. I live, breathe, sleep and eat basketball. If it was a woman I'd marry it. That's how much it meant to me.

The pay was good, especially after being a number one draft pick and I needed to prove I was number one for a reason. That I had earned it. I wasn't in college any more. Everything was more difficult, but I could handle it.

Once the referee blew the whistle the ball was passed to me. I bounce passed it to Michael and jogged onto the floor.

I didn't know what play to go for, so I called out FIRE, but after looking at out positions. I waved my hand calling it off and looked at our coach.

08...

"Cam! Run It Back! Superman!" Coach yelled from the sideline.

I back peddled and caught the ball before driving back into the center full throttle. The guy guarding me to was just as quick as me. That caused me to have to move faster than my usual pace.

I took a look up at the shot clock. The panic was starting to sync in.

06....

I knew It wasn't going to end well. I was out of my comfort zone which isn't very unusual, but difficult to navigate.

When I spun, he slid. If I pivoted, he took a step.

I passed the ball to Chris and he tried to dribble it down, but they called two players on guard. He baseball passed the ball to me and I took the objective.

Coach had always told me not to drive down, if I was being tailed but I had no choice with four seconds remaining on the clock. I need to make a shot.

I was being checked by a rookie.

Rookies had always been terrible to handle. I knew it all too well because last year I was one, maybe still considered one.

Too quick, crazy stamina, , reflexes are strong, our love for the game hasn't faltered because it's just the start of a long journey.

We're all playing with a fear of losing it all in two seconds. That's the scariest realization of them all. ONE injury, can ruin your career. You can lose it all in the snap of a finger.

02..

I went for the jump shot, flicking my wrist as the ball left my hands.

That was it.

A hard body fell hard into mine and I fell backwards, twisting my ankle in the process.

I found myself on the wood with a sharp pain shooting up my leg but I knew we had won the game because of the loud eruption of cheers.

I rocked back and forth on the floor, trying to subdue the pain, but it failed.

My teammates started to crowd around me as my face went from normal to furrowed. "Cam, you aight?" Michael asked waving at our coach.

I blew a long breath from my nose as the medics reached me and the stadium became quiet. They lifted me on a gurney and carried me from the large stadium. I sent a waved at the fans causing them to scream out my name.

I was far from "Aight."

-

The therapist turned my foot right slightly causing me to yelp out in pain just from the small movement. He sighed and looked at the doctor before shaking his head. "The x-ray was correct."

"It's broken Cameron." I grunted and laid my back flat against the examination table.

SHIT.

A injury was the last thing I needed right now. I was just starting to prove myself. Now, I was just the nigga who broke his ankle his second year going pro.

"How can I fix it?" The doctor laughed.

"You can't fix anything. That would be the surgeon's job. You'll be out a while though son. I mean, a sprain you would walk off. Your ankle is fractured in two places."

I sighed. "How long before I can play again?"

"My guess is three to five months. then your going to have to go through a few weeks of physical therapy to make sure your clear to run on it. It all depends on how fast you heal. If you stay off it, it could take less time."

My eyes bulged out the second three months left his lips. "Man, what? What the fuck am I gone do for three months? Basketball is my life."

He nodded. "Well, I guess you'll have to stick to playing it on a tv screen for a while. You'll be on crutches; a wheelchair would be better, but I'm sure your not having that."

"Nope." He laughed.

"Do you have anyone who can stay with you and help you maneuver around the house and wherever you might decide to go? It makes things easier for you." I shook my head. "I'm down here by myself."

"Will you be okay alone? We can always send an aid."

I waved him off. "I'll be fine. When is the soonest I can go into surgery?"

He sighed. "Six in the morning, tomorrow. You'll have to stay here an extra day after to rest, your going to get a cast put on, then you will be free to go. That's alright with you?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He clasped his hands together. "Alright lets get you off this table and into a room. Sooner we get done, the soon you can leave." I nodded.

"Sounds good."

"Thank you."

I smiled at the movers as they sat everything that belonged to me in the center of my living room. I scooted things out of the way and started taking certain marked boxes into my kitchen.

I headed back into my living room and told them they could leave after giving them a tip. It was the least they could do. I would be so helpless without them. I'd probably be still bringing things up and down the elevator right now.

I sighed and sat on a random box in my living room.

My apartment was so expensive, but it was given to me by my father so I couldn't complain.

I guess it was supposed to fill an empty void we've had since I was little. A house, doesn't and can't stand in place of affection and he'd learn that soon enough. If he wanted his house back, that would be fine too. Our relationship was so strained and he wasn't good with dealing with emotion. He just tried to buy my love and that would never work.

I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and pulled at the tips. I needed a haircut, but I'm not energetic enough to call, make an appointment with a snooty receptionist, book an appointment, show up, and wait an hour before they call me to a chair.

It could definitely wait.

I realized I was without a bed and I sighed. I was going to have to sleep on the damn floor tonight and that would surely leave a kink in my back the next morning.

I grabbed my purse and rambled around in it before finding what I was searching for. I pulled out a ink pen and the small notepad I never use; I bought it cause it was cute.

I wrote down everything I might need for my house and pulled the page from the pad, slipping it into another pocket of my bag.

I stood up and started turning boxes to read what I had marked them as.

I found the box that contained my fluffy comforter and I spread it out on the floor. It was surely going to be filthy when I pulled it up so I added a new bed set to my list of things to purchase for the house.

I had nothing to cook, nor anything to cook with so I figured I have to go out and grab something for the night.