SOMETHING IS WRONG
1140 Words
Chapter Nine — Something Is Wrong
I tried not to think about Ethan after I left the field.
I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes, I saw him sitting on that bench with his hand pressed against his side.
He had tried to hide it.
And I had noticed.
The next morning, I decided I was going to find out what was wrong.
Not because I cared.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
I cared because he was on my team.
That was all.
When I arrived at school, Maya was already waiting for me.
“You're quiet.”
“I'm tired.”
She studied me.
“You're thinking about Ethan again.”
I nearly choked.
“What? No.”
She smiled.
“You didn't even let me finish.”
I sighed.
“Something is wrong with him.”
Her expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw him yesterday. He was holding his side during practice.”
“Maybe he pulled a muscle.”
“That's what he said.”
“And you don't believe him?”
“No.”
Maya shrugged.
“Maybe you should ask him.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“He lied.”
She stared at me.
“How do you know?”
“Because he answered too quickly.”
Maya laughed.
“That is not exactly proof.”
“I know what I saw.”
Before she could respond, Coach called us inside.
Training was about to begin.
---
Coach started with warm-ups.
I kept my eyes on Ethan.
He seemed completely normal.
He joked with one of the players.
He laughed.
He even challenged another teammate to a race.
If I hadn't seen him yesterday, I might have believed everything was fine.
Then Coach called for a sprinting drill.
Everyone lined up.
“First group!”
Ethan stepped forward.
My eyes followed him.
The whistle blew.
They ran.
Ethan was fast.
Very fast.
He reached the other side first.
Everyone cheered.
But as he turned around, I saw his expression change.
His smile disappeared.
His hand went to his side for half a second.
Then he dropped it.
I frowned.
He was hiding it again.
“Lena!”
I looked up.
Coach was staring at me.
“Your turn.”
I quickly stepped forward.
The whistle blew.
I ran.
But my concentration wasn't where it should have been.
I missed the pass at the end of the drill.
The ball rolled away.
Coach frowned.
“Again.”
I nodded.
The second attempt was better.
But not perfect.
When the drill ended, Ethan walked over.
“You okay?”
I looked at him.
“I'm fine.”
He smiled.
“You're a terrible liar.”
I glared at him.
“Don't use my words against me.”
He laughed.
“You were distracted.”
“No, I wasn't.”
“You were.”
I looked away.
“Maybe I was thinking.”
“About?”
“Nothing.”
He smiled.
“Sure.”
I hated that he could read me so easily.
---
During the afternoon scrimmage, things became even worse.
Our team was losing.
Coach shouted instructions from the sideline.
“Move! Faster!”
I chased the ball across the field.
Ethan was beside me.
“Left!”
I passed it to him.
He took the ball and moved forward.
Then suddenly, he stumbled.
It was barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
He recovered quickly and continued playing.
My heart skipped.
I ran toward him.
“Ethan!”
“I'm fine.”
“You didn't even let me ask.”
He looked at me.
“Because I know what you're going to ask.”
“And?”
“And the answer is still the same.”
I frowned.
“You're impossible.”
“Maybe.”
He turned back toward the game.
Then he suddenly stopped.
His breathing changed.
He bent slightly, one hand pressed against his side.
This time, I knew it wasn't nothing.
I moved toward him.
“Ethan.”
He straightened immediately.
“Don't.”
“Don't what?”
“Don't make a scene.”
“I wasn't going to.”
“Then leave it.”
His voice was sharper than usual.
I stepped back.
For a moment, we just stared at each other.
Then he walked away.
I stood there, confused.
He wasn't just hiding an injury.
He was afraid of something.
---
After practice, I found him alone near the lockers.
He was putting his things into his bag.
I stood in the doorway.
“We need to talk.”
He didn't look up.
“About what?”
“You know what.”
He sighed.
“Lena…”
“You're injured.”
Silence.
I stepped closer.
“You're injured, aren't you?”
He finally looked at me.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then he shook his head.
“It's nothing serious.”
“That wasn't my question.”
His jaw tightened.
“You need to let this go.”
“Why?”
“Because you don't understand.”
“Then explain it to me.”
He looked away.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because if Coach finds out, I could lose my position.”
My heart sank.
“So that's what this is about.”
He didn't answer.
“You're hiding an injury because you're afraid they'll take you off the team.”
“I can't lose this.”
His voice was quiet.
“Ethan…”
“I can't.”
He looked at me.
“You don't know what this scholarship means to me.”
I remembered what he'd told me before.
It could change everything.
For the first time, I understood that he wasn't being careless.
He was scared.
I softened my voice.
“Does your injury still hurt?”
He hesitated.
“Sometimes.”
“How bad?”
“Not always.”
“That isn't an answer.”
He gave a tired smile.
“You're persistent.”
“I have to be.”
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then he picked up his bag.
“I'll tell you someday.”
“Someday?”
“When I'm ready.”
He walked past me.
I turned around.
“Ethan.”
He stopped.
“You don't have to handle everything alone.”
He didn't turn around.
But after a few seconds, he quietly said,
“I know.”
Then he left.
I stood there alone.
I had spent weeks thinking Ethan was my biggest competition.
Now I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore.
Because if he was really injured, his dream was at risk.
And somehow...
So was mine.
Because the more I cared about what happened to Ethan, the harder it was becoming to see him as my enemy.
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