Broken
Jesse’s knee was fucked. At least, that was what the doctors had told him; although not in so many words. It meant that everything he had worked towards, for almost his entire life, was ruined. He’d ridden through college on a full sports scholarship and played football professionally. He was in the prime of his life, with big money starting to look tantalisingly close. Yet, that was never to be. It was both the best and the worst news that Jesse had ever had. But in either case, he knew that his entire future had just shifted onto an entirely different course.
Heading back to college seemed like the most logical choice for him. Unlike many of the other athletes he’d met over the years, he knew he had a good head for academia. Plus, at twenty-three, he still had a great chance of making a good career for himself. Then, without the added stress of training and games to play, Jesse knew he would also have plenty more time to really make a go of things and excel; taking on a PhD and three years of hard work ahead. His family thought he was insane. The injury had happened so recently, they thought he needed time to get used to things and try out other options. His younger brother was also trying to go professional and they wanted Jesse around to support and coach him. But Jesse had done things their way for far too long. He’d felt his father’s firm hand at his back throughout his adolescence, guiding him in a direction he had inevitably taken. Now that was all over, and it was time for Jesse to do something that was purely for himself.
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