Chapter 1

1 The day before basketball tryouts, a bunch of thugs dragged me out behind the school and worked me over all night.

By the time they found me, both my hands were broken, and I had a couple of cracked ribs. I'd never play basketball again.

Mom was on a business trip and missed my calls for help. She was a mess of guilt and tears, promising to get revenge.

My sister pulled strings, getting me the best medical team in the city.

Lying in the back of the ambulance, I overheard her whispering.

"Mom, did we go too far, hiring those guys to mess with Danny? I mean, even if you wanted to clear the path for Ryan, stop him from screwing up his tryouts, there were other ways, right?"

Mom dabbed at the sweat on my forehead with a tissue, sighing.

"Danny was always giving Ryan a hard time at school. Had to teach him a lesson, keep him from getting in Ryan’s way."

"I’ll leave Danny the company to run later. That should make up for it…"

But Mom, basketball was my whole life...

Hot tears dripped down my face.

The happy family I thought I had? All a lie, all a setup!

...

"Patient's in critical condition. Medical team's prepped and ready. Should we schedule surgery ASAP?"

Mom hesitated, then said, "Wait 'til tomorrow."

The doctor looked surprised. "Both hands are broken. If we don't operate right away, the bones might not set right. He'll have trouble holding things."

"I heard he's a basketball player. If we don't treat this quickly, he may never be the same again…"

My sister’s face tightened. "Danny's still young. We can't just leave him crippled."

"That’s exactly what I want! It’s gone this far, I have to make sure Ryan kills it at tryouts. As long as Danny's out of the picture, Ryan can chase his dream without any problems."

"Alright, just get the doctor to give Danny some painkillers for now!"

I clenched my fists on the hospital bed, my whole body shaking.

After Dad died, Mom's whole attitude toward me flipped, and I thought it was because of guilt.

Now, here she was, hurting me like this for some charity case she was sponsoring!

And my sister, always so caring? Turns out, she cared more about some other kid than her own brother.

I couldn't figure out how things had gotten so twisted...

My crying caught Mom's attention. She rushed over in her heels, asking what was wrong.

"Nightmare? It's okay, Danny, I'm here."

Her eyes were full of worry, and she started crying too. "Those animals, they're monsters! Don't worry, Danny, I've already hired someone to investigate. We'll catch them."

Mom was putting on a show, and anyone watching would swear she loved me.

My sister spun around and ran off to find a doctor. "Give him the strongest pain meds you've got! My brother can't be in any more pain!"

They were good, playing their roles to perfection.

But it made me sick, living this lie, getting hurt and betrayed.

My heart was pounding, and I felt like I was about to pass out.

The doctor pushed through the door, quickly cutting open my clothes and prepping the meds.

Mom explained, "Danny, you're hurt bad. I'm afraid of doing surgery right away in case something goes wrong. I promise we'll wait until tomorrow when we get the best medical experts to the hospital for you, okay?"

"Don't worry, I promise you, you'll be back on the court!"

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

I couldn't help but ask, "Mom, will I really be able to play basketball again?"

Mom froze, looking away.

After a few seconds, she sighed and said, "Danny, when have I ever lied to you?"

That was it. I was done.

I looked down. "Okay. I trust you, Mom."

Mom smiled. "Good boy, Danny..."

But she stopped short when the doctor cut away the pants leg, revealing the skin underneath.

"What the hell?!"

Seeing the shocked looks on Mom and my sister's faces, I said quietly, "Those thugs were having a contest to see who could hurt me the worst."

"They were smashing me with rocks, burning me with cigarettes. They even broke my arms..."

My sister covered her ears. "Don't, please stop…"

Mom was crying, her eyes full of pain.

The doctor shook his head. "What kind of sickos would do something like this? Kid, hang in there, this might sting a bit..."

I shook my head slowly. "It's okay..."

The pain on my body didn't compare to what was happening to me internally.

While the doctor was putting on the ointment, I heard my sister and Mom talking outside.

My sister asked quietly, "Even with Danny like this, should we still spread those rumors online about him getting into the State team by cheating?"

Mom paused for a moment, then said, "Yeah. The good sports colleges, they care the most about reputation. They won't take anyone who cheats.”