On the Edge of the List

The line was cut into a ten-second clip and passed ten million views within an hour. Mason saw it while icing his knee. He did not turn off the video. He watched the whole thing. Cole's smile, the host's nod, the comments rolling beneath the screen; he took all of it in quietly. The team doctor pushed the door open. "You're sure you want to watch that stuff?" "It's useful." "How?" "Keeps me from forgetting what they said." The doctor sighed and placed a medical report on the table. "The inflammation in the knee is under control, but the load cannot increase. Hayes is letting you play in the internal match this afternoon. Thirty minutes maximum." "I can play forty-five." "Medically, you'd be better off with twenty." Mason looked at him.