Jason was exhausted as he watched the trainer set up for the next workout ''Fuck. My entire body hurts. I thought that this was just going to be a quick test. How much longer is this going to be?''


    But despite hisints and the pain he was feeling all around his body Jason didn''t miss a beat in following the exercise after the trainer exined it.


    "You''re gonna hold on to these ropes, one in each hand, and I want you to move them up and down as fast as you can.


    For the range of motion your hands holding the rope should go higher than your shoulder and should go down to your knees.


    I also want you to bend your knees and keep your back straight as you stand in a defensive stance.


    During the workout I am going to give you different directions such as different ways to move the ropes or different ways to move your body.


    Like telling you to start sliding side to side. I want you to follow the instructions until I tell you to stop okay?"


    Jason nodded his head as the trainer gave him the thumbs up to begin whenever he was ready.


    Even though his arms were dead tired and they felt like they were made out of lead Jason forced them up as he began to swing the ropes up and down.


    After just a few seconds Jason could feel his face and the rest of his body heating up as his breathing becamebored. Soon a trail of sweat was flowing down the sides of his face.


    ''Up, down, up, down, fuck! Keep moving arms!'' Every movement of his arms was a struggle as Jason could feel the muscles tightening up.


    Just as Jason''s movements began to slow down he heard a set of footsteps approach him. He couldn''t turn his head to see who it was but as soon as he heard the voice he recognized who it belonged to.


    "Is that all you got? I thought you said you were ready to join the 16 and up group? You''ve barely been working the ropes for a minute."


    Hearing Kawhi say that brought Jason back to his past.


    - - -


    A eighteen year old Jason was standing in the basketball court back at UCLA. Jason''s thin frame was covered in sweat as he was kneeling on one knee struggling to catch his breathe.


    The coach shook his head as he looked at Jason "Is that all you got? I thought you were a nationally ranked yer?


    You don''t have much of a handle. You can''t score and you''re shooting mechanics are horrible. You probably need to build your shooting form back up from scratch.


    I don''t want to sound like an asshole but you should probably call it quits kid. I don''t think you''ll be able to crack our rotations let alone make it pro.


    Focus on your schoolwork and get an education. That''s probably your best bet. You already made it further than most people."


    - - -


    Jason had been told multiple times before that he would never make it. Or that there were things that he would never get done.


    In his first year his college coach never thought that Jason would be able to crack the rotations because of hisck of offense.


    But after a tiny opportunity presented itself Jason found himself in his first game as he yed a total of three minutes.


    It might seem insignificant but those three minutes soon turned to five. And those five soon turned to ten.


    By the middle of his second year at UCLA he was ying consistent minutes as one of the first guys off the bench. Jason did it by pushing through and not giving up.


    What Kawhi said and the memory that it invoked stoked the fire burning in Jason''s chest as a second wave of energy filled him up.


    Jason seemed to havee back to life as he began to move the ropes up and down with renewed vigor.


    Kawhi continued to watch Jason "Now instead of moving the ropes up and down I want you to swing them side to side while you slide.


    I heard that you were famous for your defense. I want you to show me how you move your feet."


    After hearing Kawhi say that Jason changed the way he moved the ropes as he began to slide side to side.


    Kawhi saw Jason begin to do the defensive slides "You call that a defensive slide? You couldn''t guard a eighty year old man with how slow you''re moving your feet."


    Jason picked up his speed as he forced his arms to swing the ropes while trying to move his feet faster.


    ''Come on Jason! You can do this! There''s no such thing as a wall. Just push through it! Push push push!''


    Kawhi stood behind Jason "Is this how much you want it? Because if so you must not really care. Show me that you want it. Show me how dedicated you really are!"


    Jason pushed his body even harder as he tried to squeeze out every ounce of power that he had left "AHHHHH!"


    Kawhi started pping "That''s it. That''s what I''m talking about. Now keep it up-huh?" Just as he was starting to cheer Jason on he found that the boy had fainted as his bodyid sprawled across the floor.


    - - -


    Jason saw that he was still in the gym doing the ropes ''Gotta keep going. Gotta keep pushing. I want this more than anything.


    I want to get better. I want to keep on ying the sport that I love. I want to get to the top of basketball!''


    But despite how much Jason didn''t want to stop his body just wouldn''t listen. His arms began to feel heavier as his shoulders began to tighten.


    The ropes felt like they were chained to the ground as they became harder and harder to swing.


    ''No! This can''t be it. I don''t want to stop. Please not yet!'' His hands didn''t feel like they belonged to him anymore as the ropes slipped from his grasps.


    Just as the ropes were about to hit the floor Jason bolted upright ''Huh?'' He took a look around him and saw that he was back in the room where Patricia had taken his measurements at the beginning of the camp.


    He wasying on one of the padded benches with a thin white sheet over his body. He tried to get up from the bench but stopped as soon as he felt a pain in his shoulders "Ouch!"


    "Well look who''s up. I hope you enjoyed your little nap. You definitely earned it considering how hard you pushed your body.


    You''re lucky that you didn''t fall outside of the mat. Otherwise you would have more problems right now than just some muscle soreness."


    After hearing what Patricia said Jason could piece together what had happened "So I fainted during the workout huh?


    I probably just blew one of the best chances that I''ve ever had then. I can''t imagine that fainting during a workout would have left the best impression on Mr. Leonard"


    Patriciaughed "I don''t know if I would say that. In fact I think you left a really good impression on him.


    And you can just call him Kawhi. He doesn''t like people calling him Mr. Leonard. If you really have to call him something even slightly formal he prefers Mr. Kawhi."


    Jason quickly turned his head toward her "You think I left a good impression on Kawhi?! Did he say anything?"


    Patricia pulled a chair out and put it in front of Jason before taking a seat "Well he didn''t say much.


    All he said was ''Damn, the kid fainted. Patch him back up Patricia. He seems like he''ll be interesting to watch.'' And then he left the room."


    Jason slumped his shoulders in disappointment "Oh." He tried to straighten up his sitting position but as soon as he put any weight on them his shoulders would hurt.


    Patricia noticed Jason wincing in pain "You fainted because of a drop in blood pressure. You were pushing your body really hard which caused it to go up and when you rxed your blood pressure dropped quickly.


    Strongmen and power-lifters sometimes suffer the same thing. But other than you''re muscles being overworked there shouldn''t be any other damage that was done to your body."


    Jason nodded his head before smiling at her "Thanks Patricia." She kindly smiled back "You don''t need to thank me for anything.


    I didn''t even need to do much. The range of motion for your arms and your shoulders may be limited but that should onlyst for a day or two. You should be feeling back to a hundred percent in just a few days."


    Just as she was going to say something else she got a text on her cellphone. After reading it she cracked a slight grin.


    "You must have some amazing luck Jason." He turned to her with a questioning look "What makes you say that?"


    Patricia smiled as she shifted her gaze from her cellphone to Jason who was still sitting on the bench with his legs hanging off the edge.


    "I just got a text from the very man you were asking about." Jason gulped as he held his breath awaiting to hear what the text was about.


    Patricia closed her phone before slipping it back into the pocket of her white coat "Kawhi said that he wants to see you."