#thornfah

And so he resorted to getting help from someone I think even he knew deep down wasn’t good for him. But it got him on the court again, so he listened and learned from Coach Tuan. And he became someone he wasn’t just to reach this goal that he thought he wanted, to be the best basketball player, at whatever cost. Because he had falsely attributed his hurt after his injury to wanting this.

Thorn hurt his friends and betrayed his morals to get there, and we saw him hit rock bottom during his game against Fah’s team. Irritable, mean, selfish. He absorbed so much of Coach Tuan’s beliefs, so much of who he is, that Thorn lost sight of himself.

Then, off the court and alone with Fah, it hit him all at once. That what he was feeling when he was first injured was not a fear of falling behind but instead… being left behind. He was lonely. Everyone got to do what he loved without him, and he so quickly felt forgotten.

Thorn got back on the court after his injury and felt lonelier than ever, because basketball doesn’t mean anything to him if he’s doing it by himself. If he doesn’t have his team. He’s never been the kind of player who can be selfish, and he never will be. That’s okay.

Because the thing about Thorn, and Fah, and all of their teammates, is that relying on each other does make them better. Better players, better friends, and better people.

There can be two kinds of basketball players in this world, and it took failing at one for Thorn to realize which of the two he is.