Lisa's POV ~
I hear the gentle thud of the car door closing, my hands slipping out of the handle to grasp the steering wheel. I start to drive back to the dorms, drenched in sweat from going to the private gym. I start to feel a little dizzy but drive nonetheless. Asthma starts to become more and more pronounced as my chest heaves up and down every second to grab the bare minimum of oxygen. My hand slaps against the car's dashboard, turning on the circulation. Regardless, the bright lights of a truck were the last thing I saw.
Beep Beep Beep Beep
I wake up to the sound of the machine next to me, wanting to punch it. I see BamBam sleeping in a chair, his head resting on his fist, and my target changes. I smile, looking at the tissue box next to me. I grab a couple, crumpling them into a ball and aiming it at his face, making his features contort. He wakes up, swatting the napkin off his drowsy face. He looks for the source of his disturbance, and his eyes explode with rage when he spots me.
"Do you know how lucky you are to be alive ?" He nearly yells, "I could've lost you !"
"How long have I been here ?" I say, squinting at the lights above me.
"Nearly a week," He says, scooting his chair over to me.
"When can I go ?"
"After I beat you up," He mutters sourly, "You can go once they've put on your cast." He says a bit more apologetically.
"What cast ?" I ask, my chin trembling. When he falls silent, I repeat myself, louder yet meekly at the same time. "What cast ?"
"Lisa...you tore your ACL. You have to quit the track team," He says, his hand patting my shoulder. My tears refuse to drop, my words continuing to interrogate him even though I know it's no use.
"How long 'till I can go back ?"
"4 months," He winces slightly as I throw my hands up in the air.
"The championships will be over !" I say, finally letting the tears pour out.
"I know...I know..." He pulls me into a hug, putting my head into his shoulder.
"I-I worked so hard for this."I sniffle into his shirt, my hair covering my side profile.
"You'll get it next time, Pranpriya."
"Would you stop calling me that cursed name ?"
The next day ~
Jisoo rolls my wheelchair down the rampway, as I want to claw my eyes out from embarrassment. She sees her friends and smiles apologetically at me.
"Do you mind ?" She asks. When I shake my head, she wheels me to them.
"Hey." She smiles at them. Both of them are too dumbfounded to say anything back to her. The taller one reaches his arm out to me, not one sign of pity in his eyes. Can't thank him enough for that.
"Jin. Seokjin. I saw you at the track team. You were really good," He smiles, unfazed, even as that doe-eyed boy stomps on his foot at the mention of the tryouts. I stare at him expectantly, and he sighs, reluctantly shoving his hand between us. I take it, staring at his hand warily, remembering when I'd tried to crush it and wondering if he'd try and do the same. Fortunately, nothing happens.
"So can you still be on the track team ?" He asks. I look at my lap, pathetically playing with my fingers and shaking my head. I raise my head back up and see his eyes soften a little bit, almost sadly. I see BamBam run over to me, going behind and grabbing the wheelchair handles. He looks at Jisoo and smiles.
"Thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience. I was picking up her textbooks," He says, sheepishly.
"It's okay. I gotta get going," Jisoo smiles, crouching down to my level, "You have my number right? Call me if you need anything, okay ?" She pats the leg that isn't wrapped in a cast and stands up, rushing to the locker room. Jin follows her immediately, tugging on Jungkooks sleeve when he doesn't follow.
Lisa's POV ~ This whole chapter is her POV
As soon as I hear the school bell ring, I wheel my way to the school gate where Jisoo asked me to meet her. When I get there, she looks up from her phone, popping her earbuds out and stuffing them in her back pocket. She walks behind me and pushes me to the dorms while I hang my head down, heavily embarrassed by my situation.
"You don't need to feel guilty, you know? Friends should at least do this for each other,'' She says knowingly. Though I can't see her, I can hear the smile in her voice. She's always happy...
"I know. I just can't help it," I say, a little less awkward around her. She looks around before gasping excitedly.
"Up for some ice cream ?" She asks, happily bouncing once or twice. I laugh, nodding as she pivots the wheelchair, slowing down and speeding up like I would've done on the track. The wind blows through my hair, giving me that familiar rush of adrenaline. She starts to slow down, and then stops completely, crouching down to my level again.
"What flavor do you want ?"
"Chocolate's fine," I say a bit hesitantly as I notice an odd twinkle in her eyes.
"Wait here," She turns around sharply, pushing the ice cream parlors' door open. A couple minutes later, she brings two large chocolate ice cream cones out from behind her back.
"Here you are," She says, handing me one of them, "Oh- be careful." She takes her cone, resuming her position behind the wheelchair. She rests her forearms behind the chair, using them to push me instead of the handles. Once we get to the ramps, she pushes a bit faster, imitating an airplane as I laugh, enjoying the feeling of ascending with no effort. She jams her keys into the door, pushing it open. She hands me her cone to hold as she pivots the wheelchair to fit through the doorway. Shutting the door, I manage to shake off my shoes with no help. I grab the crutches that rest against the wall, handing both ice cream cones back to Jisoo. I help myself up, walking to my bed. She follows behind me slowly, placing her small warm hand on the small of my back, making sure that I don't fall. I sit down, tossing my crutches to the other side of the mattress. She hands me my ice cream and sits down next to me.
"How're you coping with it," She asks, jutting her chin at my cast.
"I'm hanging in there," I smile, licking the top of the cone.
"Good. I'll wheel you to all your classes starting tomorrow," She notices the defiant look on my face and gently pushes the ice cream to my lips. "Don't think about arguing with me." I nod, smiling a bit.
Half an hour later, "That was too big of an ice cream cone. I'm gonna have to run double tomorrow to get rid of the fat," She sighs, throwing the spoon into the trash along with mine.
"Yeah, no kidding," I grunt, lying on my bed with my hand over my flat stomach.
"Lights out," She yawns, dimming the light in the room until there's none left.
Hours pass by, and I haven't grown more sleepy, my body still in the position that I first plopped on the mattress. Grunting at the ceiling, I sit up, my legs sprawled in front of me. I grab the crutches that I'd set aside, struggling to get up. When I finally do, I open my bedside drawer, grab the stopwatch, and put it around my neck, the device dangling from my nape. I shut the door, not bothering to lock it; I'll have to wake up Jisoo if I need to get back in. I limped slowly down the ramp, making it to the entrance of the dormitories. I sigh, hobbling faster and faster until I see the track. An exasperated smile takes over my face as I get closer and closer to it, the sweat nearly blinding my vision. I sit on the bench, timing how long I take a break. I wince slightly, pushing myself off the bench. I extend the string that goes through the stopwatch, making it as long as possible; It dangles near my palm. I grab the stopwatch with the hand that's already holding the crutch, struggling to not drop either of them. I hear the minute sound of the gentle click when I press the button, and I charge forward, keeping the rhythm steady, saying out loud softly as I imagine myself running instead of hobbling.
Crutch... Foot...Crutch...Foot...Crutch...Foot...Crutch...Foot...Crutch...Foo-
"What are you doing ?" I hear a voice come from behind me. I freeze, sneaking a glance at the stopwatch as the digits change rapidly.
God help me...