𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 • Nika Mühl

𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

Chapter #2

THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS of the hospital waiting room cast a sterile glow on everything, heightening Julie's unease. She sat there in the wheelchair, her basketball shorts and the sleeve of her UConn hoodie doing little to ward off the chill. The painkillers had dulled the agony in her knee to a throb, but nothing could numb the emotional hurt. Julie picked at a her nails, her gaze fixed on the scuffed linoleum floor, thoughts racing yet going nowhere.

Her ears perked up at the sound of Azzi's voice, a welcome distraction from the replay of her fall that looped incessantly in her mind. Azzi was talking to the doctor, her tone polite but edged with concern. Moments later, she approached Julie with a small, reassuring smile. Despite the situation, Julie's heart warmed a fraction. Azzi had always been her rock.

As Azzi wheeled her out of the hospital she tried to stir a conversation, her voice light. "You know the team missed you a lot, even Nika."

Julie looked up, skepticism etched across her face. "I get you want me to talk but you didn't have to lie like that," she retorted, a bittersweet smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Azzi laughed, shaking her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. "I'm serious, Jules. The team's been off without you."

Julie appreciated Azzi's efforts to cheer her up, but her mind was still reeling from the doctor's confirmation. An ACL tear, a nine-month recovery at best, snatched away her season, and maybe part of the next.

Azzi helped maneuvered Julie out of the wheelchair and into the car, folding the chair and stowing it in the trunk. As they drove back to campus, Julie broke the silence, her voice soft, "Thank you for this, you didn't have to."

"Please, I should be thanking you. Geno was pissed at us about messing up plays, he was about to make us run suicides," Azzi replied with a chuckle.

Julie smiled genuinely for the first time since the accident. "Y'all can't have been that bad."

"That's the thing, we weren't! Geno's just been trying to find new plays that don't include you and barely any of them are working," Azzi explained.

"You'll be fine, don't stress," Julie reassured her, even as her heart sank.

When they reached campus, Azzi fetched the crutches for Julie, leaving the wheelchair in the car at Julie's insistence. Julie leaned heavily on the crutches as they made their way to the court, Azzi chattering away in an attempt to lift Julie's spirits.

The gymnasium echoed with the thud of basketballs and the shrill blasts of whistles. The team was running suicides, some collapsed on the court, their chests heaving. Geno's voice cut through the din like a knife, sharp and relentless.

"Great day to be injured," Julie announced with a dry laugh, the irony not lost on her.

Paige sprinted over first, her energy undiminished despite the grueling practice. "Ayeee, you're finally back!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Julie in a tight embrace. "Geno's been a bit cranky since you've been gone."

Behind her, Geno loomed, expression sour. He wacked Paige on the head with his whiteboard without a word, drawing a snort of laughter from Azzi.

The rest of the team followed suit, offering hugs and welcome backs, their words a comforting blanket around Julie.

As the team returned to practice, Julie's laughter faded, and she found herself retreating inward, settling into a dissociative state borne of exhaustion and disappointment. She was physically present on the bench, but mentally, she was miles away.

She watched them play, Geno's plays slowly coming to life and pride swelled in her chest. However there was also a visceral longing, a yearning to join them that gnawed at her insides. Julie clenched her jaw, fighting back the bitterness. This was her team, and she would cheer them on, even from the sidelines, even with a heart heavy with loss.

Before her thoughts could escalate any further, Geno had called her over with an air of casual professionalism that belied the gravity of the situation. "Jules, could you come with me to my office, please?" he asked. Julie, thought nothing of it until she saw Nika also making her way into Geno's office. Nika, aloof as ever, didn't even bother to acknowledge Julie as she passed by, which naturally earned an eye roll from the taller girl.

The two sat down, with Julie deliberately choosing the seat farthest from Nika. She had no energy to deal with the girl today—or any day, for that matter. Geno, seemingly oblivious to the tension that was practically crackling in the air, began, "So, I brought you guys here because I needed to talk to you about something."

It was public knowledge that Julie and Nika could barely tolerate each other's presence; their mutual disdain was almost palpable. Yet, the fact that they hadn't already devolved into a war of words was, in this office, a form of progress.

"Jules, given your injury, the coaching and medical staff think it's not safe for you to be living alone in your apartment. They suggested you stay with someone at least until you're able to use your leg. And well, since Nika's got a spare room, and your schedules are somewhat similar, it seems logical for you to stay with her."

Nika's eyes widened now sitting upright in her chair in disbelief

Julie's face broke into a disbelieving smile. "This is a joke...right?" she asked, half expecting Geno to burst out laughing and reveal the real reason they were called in.

"No, actually. You need people around to help you," Geno replied matter-of-factly.

Julie's smile faltered as she countered, "No offense, G, but I think Mühl is like literally the last person on this earth who'd want to help me."

Nika chimed in without missing a beat, raising her hand slightly as if to vote in agreement with her adversary. "Never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Romano."

"Well, you've got a spare room, and no one else does. This isn't up for discussion, guys. If you want to complain, go to Dr. J," Geno said, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender, signaling that the decision was beyond his control.

The mention of Dr. J was enough to silence any objections. Neither Julie nor Nika wanted to tangle with the doctor known for their strict and final decisions.

Nika stood up with a huff, her expression souring further, if that was even possible, and left without another word. Julie sighed deeply as she reached for her crutches and began the slow, laborious process of exiting Geno's office.

"Oh! And your stuff is already at Nika's, so no need to head to your room!" Geno called out after her.

Julie didn't bother turning around. She just threw him a thumbs up over her shoulder as she hobbled back to the basketball court, settling herself on the bench once again. There, her leg bounced up and down—something that seemed to be the only thing she could control at this minute. Annoyance mingled with a sense of helplessness, as if the rug of independence had been pulled from under her feet, and she was left flailing, exposed to the pitying gaze of the world.

Julie felt as if she was drowning her thoughts weighing her down every second and without thinking, did something she hadn't done in a very long time. She pulled out her phone with a sense of determination and scrolled through her messages until she reached an unnamed number at the bottom of the list. Her thumb hesitated for just a moment before she tapped the screen and typed out a message to someone she had promised not just herself but her loved ones she would never text again.

"Hey, it's me."

Author speaks:

How i love giving my characters absolutely heartbreaking trauma 🥰

How we feeling about this so far???