Kaiden hummed a happy tune as he wiped the orange balls from his old wheelchair. He gazed at the team, who silently pushed themselves to rebound from the previous season's defeat.
It was their first official practice after their loss, and the coach encouraged them to start three days before the school year began so they could get a head start.
Huolan High.
It was the dream of many to enter such a prestigious school. Aside from the overpriced tuition fee, it was also known for its talented students, birthing some of the best artists, athletes, and even politicians in the country.
Kaiden would have never thought of studying in such a school. However, he was able to get accepted with an academic scholarship. Originally, he wanted to get in with a sports scholarship, but that was almost impossible with the state of his legs.
As he diligently wiped the balls, Kaiden couldn't help but overhear the team's frustrated conversations about their previous loss.
"You should have passed Fang the ball, Jackson. You had way too many missed shots. This season, we'll continue to make use of Fang's strengths," Henry pointed out.
"I did pass plenty of times to Fang," Jackson defended. "The Eagles' Power Forward was just too good last season."
Muttering to himself, Kaiden asserted, "You lost because you weren't playing as a team."
Henry, this year's team captain, caught wind of Kaiden's comment and turned to him with a stern expression.
"What did you just say, waterboy?" he demanded.
Kaiden's eyebrows raised in surprise, and he found himself stumbling on his words.
"He says we weren't playing as a team," Fang Liu calmly said, throwing Kaiden a nonchalant look. "Isn't that right, waterboy?"
Kaiden hesitated but then took a deep breath.
"I think the reason why you guys lost last season was because of the lack of coordination and communication in the team. The ball movement was slow, and you guys missed opportunities to set up plays since you were too focused on passing it to Fang. Sometimes, it's not just about individual skills—especially since you're playing against a team that has Zheng Zhang."
"So, are you saying we can't handle Zheng Zhang with our individual skills?" Fang asked with a disbelieving smirk on his lips.
"That's not what I meant—"
Kaiden's statement was cut off when Henry threw a ball over his way, hitting him square on the head.
"Such a know-it-all," Henry scoffed. "Just go home and train, kid."
"Train?" Jackson, the team's center, chuckled. "He can't even walk."
Then, the team burst into laughter, causing Kaiden to purse his lips and cast his gaze to his lap.
"Go home, waterboy. You're not needed in this practice," Fang calmly said, dribbling before shooting the ball from the three-point line.
He makes it.
Kaiden shook his head in disappointment as he wheeled himself out of the gymnasium's exit.
However, before he reached outside, he turned around and cleared his throat.
"It's Kaiden," he courageously said.
The players halted, casting him weird glances.
"What are you talking about, waterboy?" Henry asked.
"My name's Kaiden. It's not waterboy."
With that, he finally left the gymnasium to go back home.
He hailed a bus and got in, receiving pitiful looks from the people inside. Kaiden ignored them and wheeled himself to the very back, gazing out of the window.
Kaiden smiled softly as he watched the passing scenery. He caught a glimpse of the city's public basketball court, and his smile widened when he recalled his memories of the place.
Years ago, Kaiden's dream of becoming a basketball player flourished on that very court. His mother, a single parent, fueled his passion by bringing him to games and giving him everything he needed to pursue his goal despite their low status in life.
However, tragedy struck when Kaiden lost his mother in a devastating accident that not only took away the person he loved the most but also robbed him of his ability to walk.
Now, under the care of his aunt and her overbearing son, Kaiden found himself confined to a small room in their house.
His aunt, preoccupied with running a chicken place, insisted that Kaiden work for her. The once vibrant dream of playing basketball had crumbled into the harsh reality of his new life.
Despite his love for the game, Kaiden was relegated to the sidelines, not just on the court but in the broader scope of his own existence.
As he passed by the court, memories flooded back—of his mother's laughter, the sound of bouncing basketballs, and the echo of his dreams before tragedy struck. Yet, Kaiden's spirit remained unbroken. He clung to the hope that one day, he could contribute to the game he loved.
However, his thoughts snapped back to reality when he saw the familiar neighborhood. He pressed the stop button before wheeling to the front and getting off the bus.
Kaiden still had to pass by the dark and narrow pathway of his neighborhood before he arrived at their small, beat-down house.
"Ah, there he is!" the sound of his aunt's obnoxious voice greeted him as he arrived.
Kaiden frowned when he saw a bunch of unfamiliar men who reeked of alcohol and cigarettes standing outside of their house.
"Make it faster," Rui, her son, urged.
"Take his wheelchair as collateral. I promise I'll pay you back at the end of the month. I just bought some raw materials for the shop, so I don't have enough money right now," his aunt said.
"What's going on?" Kaiden asked, still perplexed about the situation.
Just then, one of the men inspected his wheelchair before scoffing in disbelief.
"You want us to take this rusty old thing? Pay up, old lady. We don't have all day," he urged.
"We don't have any money," Rui said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If you want, you can take this disabled cousin of mine. He can do your dirty work."
The group of men stared at Kaiden with narrowed eyes.
"You want us to take a broken wheelchair, and now you even want us to take a broken person? Don't joke around. We already gave you plenty of chances. This is the last time we'd be asking."
Kaiden's frown deepened as he finally recognized who these men were.
These were the people her aunt borrowed money from to pay for Rui's tuition fee. When Rui found that Kaiden got accepted into Huolan high, he also insisted on studying in the prestigious school. However, he wasn't very good in his academics and was mediocre in sports and art. In the end, they borrowed money from loan sharks to pay for his tuition.
"I'm tired of this," one of the men suddenly said, bringing out something from his back pocket.
His aunt shrieked in horror while Rui's eyes widened in shock. The spoiled teen took cover behind Kaiden's wheelchair, pinning him in place.
"Wait!" Kaiden exclaimed, trying to escape but to no avail.
That's when it hit him.
The man was pointing a gun toward his way.
*Bang*
...and that's when it really hit him.