The first sign that something was wrong came three minutes into practice.
Derek went up for a spike, landed wrong, and didn't get up.
Leo was on the other side of the court, watching Kai and David run setters' drills. He heard the thud of Derek's body hitting the floor, then the silence that followed. The kind of silence that only happens when something serious has happened.
He turned. Derek was on his back, clutching his right ankle, his face pale, his teeth gritted. The team stood frozen around him.
Leo limped across the court, his knee screaming, his heart pounding. He knelt beside Derek.
“Where does it hurt?”
“Ankle. I heard it pop.”
Leo's blood went cold. He'd heard that sound before. In his own knee. In other players. The sound of something tearing.
“Don't move,” Leo said. He
