Chapter 25
FOR INDY, THE DAY BETWEEN THEIR WALKOVER AND SECOND-round match flew by faster than one of her serves.
She had a good practice session with Jasmine, watched Penny win, even if it was by the skin of her teeth, and then it was straight to dinner and bed, avoiding all contact with both Caroline and her dad.
They were staying at the same hotel, but whenever she’d seen them in the distance, she’d done a quick about-face and even once hid behind a column in the lobby until they passed.
She hadn’t had to avoid Jack, because it seemed he was avoiding her.
She figured he was freaked out enough to stay away from her for good.
Now, she was back in the players’ lounge, dressed in the match outfit she and Jasmine had picked out together, a traditional white pleated tennis skirt paired with a bright turquoise tank. The color looked good on both of them, a rare thing for two people whose features were so opposite.
If only the color of her outfit were her biggest worry.
She wished Lutrova and Grishina hadn’t dropped out.
Then these nerves would already be gone and she wouldn’t have to think about going out onto the court for the first time.
Maybe the Kapur sisters would drop out, too.
Maybe they would wake up with a mysterious virus and withdraw from the tournament.
Her throat tightened and her stomach lurched.
Why was this happening again? When had she become this player who wanted to throw up before a match or hoped her opponents forfeited?
That wasn’t who she wanted to be. She had to get over this and get over it now.
She felt like she had before the final of the Classic, jittery and ready to burst out of her own skin. What had she done to calm down then?
Nothing. She hadn’t done anything; she went out there a total wreck and fell behind in the match. She couldn’t do that again. There was too much riding on it and their opponents were too good. If they fell behind, a comeback would be almost impossible.
“Hey,” someone said from over her shoulder, and she jumped in her seat. “Whoa, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Penny stepped into view. “Dom was looking for you. He needs you down in the prep room in five.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll just… I’ll just go, then.” She stood, wiping her palms against the sides of her skirt.
“You okay?” Penny asked, tilting her head in concern.
“Hmm?” Indy stalled for a second. “Yeah, I’m fine. Amped up, you know?”
“Look, I… I’m not going to be there. I’m all over the place right now. I don’t want to bring any negative energy to your box, so I’m going to watch from here, okay?”
Indy shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”
“Okay, I’ll see you after, then?”
“Definitely, see you after.”
Indy started down the hallway that led to the locker rooms.
“Indy, hang on,” Penny called out. “I almost forgot. Ana Kapur—her serve is tougher, so that’s who you’ll be facing.
She tends to start off really powerful and then back off later in the match, opting for more consistency than velocity.
If you wait her out, you should be able to handle her no problem. ”
“Right. Thanks.” Dom had reminded her of the same thing earlier, but she’d forgotten about it as her nerves took over.
“You’re going to do fine. Relax and let your training take over.”
Indy nodded and made her way to the locker room. Jasmine was getting her ankles wrapped for some stability on the slippery clay courts, but she looked up with a smile as soon as Indy walked in.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Jasmine said.
The last of Indy’s nerves faded. She was about to play in the French Open against two of the best players in the world.
A month ago, she was just another college student wondering what the hell she was going to do with her life.
There were six thousand miles separating her from that girl, but she may as well have been on Mars.
Jasmine was right. The match, win or lose, would be the greatest moment of her life, and she was going to enjoy it.
“We’re ready for you,” a tournament official said from the doorway, headset in place, instructions coming from courtside.
Time was up.
They stepped out of the tunnel and onto the court.
The Kapur twins were already stretching and getting warm.
The stadium was at least twice the size of the OBX main court, with double the number of speakers pumping in music.
There was a sizable crowd and she caught sight of Dom in the player’s box.
One row back, her dad and Caroline were both dressed to the nines and sitting with the bored disinterest that people who sat in expensive seats at any sporting event always seemed to exude.
Indy looked away, focusing instead on the rest of the crowd, all of whom were there to watch her play.
She wasn’t going to let anything negative get in her head.
A tap against her arm drew her attention and she turned to Jasmine. “Let’s go.”
The chair umpire announced that warm-ups should begin and so they moved onto the court.
She had to keep her feet moving. That was the key. Keep her feet moving and use her serve. Get as many aces as possible so they could save all their energy for Jasmine’s and their returns. And keep her feet moving.
The chair umpire signaled the end of warm-ups.
“You ready?” Jasmine whispered as they retreated to their chairs.
“Damn right I am.”
Indy’s legs were giving out. No match she ever played had taxed her like this. The Kapur sisters were legit. It was like they could read each other’s minds. Hell, it was like they could read her and Jasmine’s minds, too.
But Indy was proud of their effort so far, even if she couldn’t feel much below her knees anymore. It was close. Very, very close, but most tennis matches were close, until they weren’t, and as they neared the end of the third set, it had begun to slip away.
“Balle de match, Kapur et Kapur,” the chair umpire called.
She and Jasmine walked toward the baseline together.
“Let’s not make this easy for them,” Indy said softly so only her partner could hear her.
“We fight,” Jasmine agreed, and they knocked fists and took their positions on the baseline.
Pallavi was serving, the slightly weaker of the two, and Indy prepped to receive it, stepping inside the baseline.
The serve was solid, but Indy was ready, and she fired her return down the line—but Ananya was there to receive it, and she fired it crosscourt to Jasmine, who charged and volleyed it back near the net.
And then it was on, back and forth, a long lob from Pallavi that sent Indy chasing it back to the baseline to return it with a backhand just to keep the ball in play, and then a screaming forehand from Ananya that Jasmine blocked back, sending Pallavi sprawling to get her racket underneath before it hit the ground.
She did a little drop shot that barely cleared the net.
Indy raced forward, her thighs screaming in protest, using every last bit of energy she had in the tank as she hit the ball in stride down the line.
The world ground to a halt, the ball clearing the net in slow motion, their opponents caught flat-footed, too far to reach it, and it landed… just beyond the white chalk line.
Out.
“Jeu, set et match, Kapur and Kapur.”
Indy bowed her head and tried to catch her breath. It was over and she’d wanted to win. Of course she wanted to win, but she couldn’t be upset with the result. They’d fought hard against the best team in the world. There was definitely a victory in this defeat.
“6–2, 4–6, 7–6,” the chair umpire said as they shook hands with their opponents, congratulating them with a kiss on each cheek.
“We will see you again, I think,” Pallavi said, grinning, before she released Indy’s hand.
The crowd cheered their effort as she and Jasmine gathered their things and exited the court. Her eyes darted up to the player’s box where Dom was on his feet and applauding for them. Caroline and her dad were nowhere in sight. She lifted her hand and waved a thank-you to him and the fans.
About a half hour later, Indy and Jasmine were both showered and changed into their street clothes, packing up their gear.
“That wasn’t bad for a first time out,” Jasmine said, and Indy turned to her.
“A couple of shots go differently and we might have won. We could really do some damage in our next tournament.”
The door to their locker room slammed open and they turned to see Dom standing in the archway. “Ladies, that was amazing! Phenomenal. I am so proud of you both.”
“Thanks,” Indy said, her chest tightening.
She knew he’d see this loss for what it was, a first step on a really exciting path. And her mom, she would have loved every moment of this, even in defeat. But her dad? The man who was supposed to support her no matter what, win or lose? He didn’t even stay to watch the end.
No. No, she wasn’t going to let him ruin the moment. She wasn’t going to let him ruin anything ever again.
“Thanks, Dom,” Jasmine said. “And I really appreciate you giving me this chance, even after what happened.”
“I take it you’ve worked out your differences.” Looking between them, he grinned when they both nodded. “Good, because I have plans for the two of you.”
Indy had plans, too. This was only the beginning for her and Jasmine, both on the court and off.
As soon as they arrived back at the hotel, Indy excused herself from the group, finding a chair in a quiet corner of the lobby.
She just wanted to sit and think for a second.
She and Jasmine had done really well, and her nerves hadn’t been a problem at all.
Now she could go into Bari and dominate, like she had at the Classic.
“Indiana.” Her dad’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“What do you want?” she asked, her eyes snapping up to his.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone?