Part One

Josh Rivera lived in Maryville, Tennessee, and he was the one everybody talked about. If they’re not talking about his thirty point game the night before, then they’re probably talking about the game winner that he hit last week. Four seconds left in the fourth quarter, give it to Josh. He was six feet at just fifteen years old, and he was already getting the attention of college scouts! Going into tenth grade, he was planning on attending the University of Memphis. Josh’s father played at Memphis, but wasn’t quite good enough to go professional. But Josh, he was ready.

It was second period, and Josh was heading to math when someone came running up behind him.

“Yo Josh!” yelled Josh’s best friend, Gibby Frankford. Gibby was much smaller than Josh, but they’ve been best friends ever since the third grade. Gibby was 5 feet and 7 inches tall, and he weighed a little over 150 pounds.

“Hey, Wassup?” Responded Josh.

“You free on Saturday?”

“I think, why what’s happening?”

“Well, There’s this new skatepark that I’ve been dying to go to, but my mom won’t let me go.” Gibby explained.

“So now she just randomly allowed you to go?” Josh asked.

“Well…not technically.”

“What do you mean, not technically.”

“She said that maybe some other day I’d be allowed to go, and today is some other day. So I’m planning to go when she is out with her friends and I’m home alone, which is tonight. But I don’t want to go alone.”

“Will she be mad if she finds out that you went?”

“She’s not going to find out.” Gibby assured.

“Whatever, I’ll go. What time are you going?” Josh asked.

“Soon after school, I’ll text you and let you know.”

“You know I have practice at 3 right?”

“Ah shoot, I forgot about that. It’s only until 5 right? She’s not going to be home until 6:30 or 7 so we can go after your practice, even if we can’t stay as long as I wanted to.”

“That will work, see you then.” Josh settled.

That day after school, Josh headed over to practice. Him and his team were preparing for the state championship. Josh had an outstanding season, impressing scouts from all over the country. If they won this game, Josh would have a good chance at big colleges including Kentucky, Virginia, Miami, and possibly his dream college, Memphis. Once practice was over, he got a text from Gibby telling him to meet him at his house. So Josh ran home, took a quick shower, got changed, grabbed his skateboard, and made his way over to Gibby’s house.

“Sup.” Josh said.

“Hey Josh! You ready to have the best time of your life?” Gibby asked anxiously. Josh laughed.

“Sure.” He said.

The boys rode their skateboards to the skatepark eagerly, and once they got there, they started skating right away. Every move and trick you could imagine was happening. Josh rode up on a ramp, flipped his board at the top, and rode back down again. 

About 1 hour into skating, Josh thought he would try a new trick. He rode up a ramp, made a quick turn at the top while flipping his board, landed it and rode back down. He tried this a couple times and was nailing it. The boys were about to leave, but Josh wanted to end off on a nice trick, so Gibby joined him. He thought he would do his new trick that he had tried, so he could keep practicing and become great at it. Josh pushed off and flew up the ramp, he made a quick turn and almost instantly flipped his board. He landed it and rode down the ramp when he looked up and saw Gibby skating towards him with speed that couldn’t be stopped. Josh panicked but didn’t have time to react. With the snap of a finger, Josh tried falling off his board to avoid contact with Gibby but couldn’t pull his leg out of the way. Gibby rode over Josh’s left leg while Josh was trying to jump up to get out of the way. Snap! Josh’s leg snapped in half, the bone pointing a direction that it was not supposed to be pointing. He lay there in shock, trying not to look at the possibly career ending injury. 

PART TWO

“Oh, Gibby!” Gibby’s mom screamed. “I told you plenty of times not to go, and you disobeyed! I am very, very disappointed in you son.”

“I’m sor-” 

“Nope, I don’t want to hear it! Sorry isn’t going to cut it. Do you even realize what you’ve done? The star of the team, you’re best friend! You drug him into this mess just so he can snap his leg. His career could be over! All he wanted to do was to get into Memphis so he could follow his dream, and walk in his father’s footsteps. That dream is cru-”
“Mom!” Gibby yelled at the top of his lungs before she could finish her sentence. Gibby’s mom stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” Gibby continued, “I know what I did, and that I should’ve never done it. All I wanted to do was to have some fun skating, I never planned for this to happen.”

“Well, Josh is in the hospital, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” Gibby’s mother concluded.

Gibby decided to hop on his bike, and go see how Josh was doing. He flew, and I mean flew. He was a cheetah chasing his prey, speeding around corners, ignoring every voice that told him to slow down. Once he arrived, he parked his bike, and ran inside.

“Hello young man.” The lady at the desk said.

“Josh Rivera? Room number? I need hi-” Gibby blurted out.

“Slow down please,” The lady asked.

Gibby took a deep breath.

“Good, now try again.”The lady advised.

“I’m here to see Josh Rivera.” Gibby said.

“Oh! You must be Gibby!”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Josh has been asking for you. He’s in room 59.” The lady informed Gibby.

“Thanks!” Gibby raced to room 59. Once he got to the door, he knocked quietly and slowly made his way inside.

“Uh, hey Josh, how’s it going?” Gibby asked sheepishly.

“Oh! Hey Gibby! I’m so glad you came.” Josh responded cheerfully.

“You shouldn’t be, I’m the one who got you in this situation. I’m so sorry, like, truly really sorry.”

“No! Don’t be at all sorry. Not even a little bit. It wasn’t your fault, I’m the one who agreed to go.”

“But, but you’re basketball career. Memphis, what are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry about that. Actually, the doctors told me that they’ve seen way worse. I mean, this isn’t going to help my career at all. But I doubt it will negatively affect it.” Josh assured.

“Well that’s good.” 

 Gibby was very glad that Josh still had a positive attitude, and that he didn’t despise him for what happened. Gibby stayed for a while, and the boys talked and watched sports on the mini television by Josh’s bed.

“Gibby?” Josh asked quietly.

“Yeah, Josh?”

“I actually don’t know what’s going to happen to my career. How much will this injury affect it?”
“I’m not sure Josh. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Yeah I gues-”

Josh’s thought was silenced by a knock at the door.

   “Come in!” Josh yelled.

“Hey Josh. How’s it going?”

An older man with a scruffy gray beard walked in the door. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet. Josh couldn’t see him right away, but when the man stepped into the light he realized…the head coach of Memphis basketball was standing right in front of him.