Chapter 37
Inés
You Asked for This—Halsey
The minibus moved up the congested street, trapped in a sea of cars ahead and behind. The late-summer sun hung low but stubborn,
the thick air still hot and sticky, pressing against the windows.
“It’s been forty minutes already,” Chloe complained beside me, her slick ponytail still immaculate despite the heat. “How
much longer till we get to the hotel?”
We were stuck in the middle aisle, the bus packed with our teams, the atmosphere stifling. I scrolled through social media,
praying that the traffic would miraculously clear.
Calvin turned around from the row ahead, not even sparing her a glance. “You know you’ve got a physio session before you’re
done for the day.”
Chloe groaned in frustration. “I want to order room service and finish my book.”
My hand found hers on the seat, fingers curling briefly over the top of hers, the friendship bracelets catching in the sunlight.
A quiet reassurance. “We’re close. The hotel is around the corner.”
I wanted to talk to her about the magazine offer, about what I’d said to Selene. But not now, especially since my manager
was sitting in the car with us.
My attention turned back to my phone as Chloe began to argue about her evening plans with Calvin.
I just smiled, knowing that no matter what, she’d end up in my bed.
Scrolling down, the usual feed of US Open coverage popped up, a collection of the “best shots” from today’s matches catching my attention.
My grin only grew as one of Chloe’s second-set backhand returns made the list, every movement of her strong body perfect in
the snippet of video. Every piece of footwork was perfect, her arms a loaded spring that launched the ball crosscourt. I tried
to “like” the video, except my stupid thumb caught instead on the comments, the section opening up on the screen. My heart
stopped in my chest as I took in what had appeared, the hate.
@ATPeeved: Sick of seeing CM everywhere.
@umpiresaysno: One second she’s dating Henrik, and now Inés? Talk about sleeping around.
@realtennisfan: Isn’t it sus how Murphy only got good in the last few months? Does anyone else think she’s doping?
I wanted to look away, wanted to erase what I was seeing from my mind, but as I scrolled deeper, it got worse, my stomach
twisting as I took in the words, the messages, some even bordering on homophobic, others straight up hateful.
And all of them about Chloe.
I looked back at her as she rested her head on her hand, a hot flush across her perfect face. Even when I’d hated her, when
I thought she was my biggest threat, I never would have said anything close to what these strangers were saying about her.
My heart ached like a wound I wasn’t sure would heal.
“Why don’t we walk?” Mallory suggested from behind us, Zackary sitting beside her. “Today was a long day but I’m sure we can handle a block or two.”
Everyone murmured in agreement, me more than anyone needing the fresh air and some time to process what I’d seen, but Calvin
looked unsure. “Okay, but we’ve got to stick together.”
Chloe gave him a flat look. “What, you think the mean streets of New York can’t handle us?”
He rolled his eyes, but the unease in his expression didn’t budge as we slid the door open and climbed out one by one.
The heat hit instantly, thick and relentless, the sun burning the back of my neck. I waited for my team to follow, Maya and
Calvin taking their time to get out. My shirt was already sticking to my back before we fell into step, moving as a group
towards the hotel.
“See? This is so much better.” Chloe looked over her shoulder, flashing a smug grin. “I couldn’t take another minute on that
bus.”
I tried to force a smile, but I could only manage a weak one. I tried to keep up with her, needing some contact, to figure
out if she was aware of what exactly was being said.
“We really need to work on your impatience,” Calvin said dryly. They continued bickering like it was second nature, and I
let them, not wanting to interrupt. Chloe kept glancing back, her green eyes locking onto mine, like she was making sure I
was still there.
“You guys are so cute,” Zackary said beside me, his voice laced with amusement. “No wonder it’s gotten so much traction online
with the memes, and the fanfiction. ChloNes trends every time you guys are spotted together.”
My stomach twisted, finally realizing how big this had all gotten. Swallowing, I finally built up the courage to ask, keeping
my voice to a whisper so the conversation wouldn’t be overheard: “And the negative comments? Are we doing anything about those?”
Zackary looked concerned, as if he knew exactly what I’d seen. “I’m still keeping an eye on it,” he said. “There’s been a few negative mentions here and there, but nothing we can’t delete or report. People will twist anything to suit their own unhappiness.”
I wanted to believe him, but the serious look across his face did nothing to ease the wariness washing over me. I knew they
were strangers on the internet, but if their words hurt me, what would it do to Chloe if she saw? Did she already know?
But as we turned the corner to the hotel entrance, I realized exactly how much they cared.
“THERE THEY ARE!”
A single high-pitched scream split the air, and then, chaos.
A wave of fans rushed at us, bodies pressing in before we could even react.
“OMG, I LOVE YOU GUYS!”
“YOU ARE SO CUTE!”
“CAN I GET A SELFIE?”
Zackary’s arm hooked around mine, practically hauling me forward as the crowd swallowed us whole. Hands grasped at me, tugging
at my bag, my clothes, my wrist. The sheer force of it stole my breath.
But even as Zackary pulled me away, my focus was somewhere else. Chloe. I craned my neck, searching for any sign of her or
Calvin, my chest tightening with urgency.
Then the voices turned cruel.
“WHY ARE YOU WITH HER, INéS? YOU COULD DO SO MUCH BETTER!”
“CHLOE, I THOUGHT YOU WERE STRAIGHT?”
I felt the words like a slap, sharp and cutting, but there was no time to dwell on them.
Suddenly, a path opened up, hotel security forcing their way through the mob, creating a break in the chaos.
I shoved past grabbing hands, breaking free as Zackary propelled us forward. In a blur of movement and pounding hearts, I
caught sight of Chloe, and with relief fueling me, we ran towards the hotel entrance, the doors closing behind us with a rush
of cool air.
The crowd stopped at a wall of security guards, but their voices didn’t. They kept screaming, their phones pointed at us, capturing every second.
I glanced across at Chloe, my heart still hammering, trying to check if she was okay without giving them more to film. But
she looked steady, her calm facade in place, as if this was any other day.
And maybe, for her, it was.
But the attention online had just become real. It had happened before; Cincinnati had been bad, but this was worse. The crowd
was bigger, wilder, their energy out of control.
“We need to do something about this,” I cried, once everyone on our team was accounted for. I could barely find a full breath
in my panic as we headed through to the lobby.
Calvin was already storming ahead. “I’m calling Dad, Chloe. We need proper security for the rest of the trip.”
Chloe tsked, rolling her eyes. “Don’t overreact.”
I stared at her. Was she serious?
“That is not an overreaction.” My voice was sharper than I intended. “They were out of control. We never should’ve left the
van.”
She looked at me, and for a second, her mask slipped. Enough for me to see what she was trying to hide. She had been scared.
“Dad’s just going to worry.”
“That’s his job,” Calvin snapped. “Let him.”
I stepped closer, sensing her reluctance and wanting to take her hand, to let her know I was there, that I would protect her
as best I could. But I never got the chance.
Chloe stopped suddenly, turning towards reception. “Wait, I need to pick something up.”
Calvin frowned. “Now? Is that even safe?”
“Security’s keeping them outside,” she said, waving off his concern. “Besides, it’s my medication refill. I have to get it.”
“Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
Before she left, Chloe glanced at me, a small, reassuring smile on her lips. “I’ll let you know when I’m in my room.”
I didn’t have a second to respond before she turned away, Calvin following, still lecturing her about not taking things seriously.
I wanted to follow. Nearly did. But then the elevator dinged, and before I knew it, Zackary, Maya, Mallory, Selene and I were
inside, the doors sliding shut.
We’d all been staying at the same hotel for convenience. My team’s floor was on a lower level, with Selene and I on the same
floor a few levels up.
As soon as we started moving, Maya murmured, “That’s interesting.”
Zackary frowned. “What is?”
“The medication.” She glanced between us. “Don’t you think it’s a little . . . suspicious? Given what people are saying online?”
My eyes narrowed on her. And after today, I was too exhausted to entertain anyone believing whatever rumors and lies they’d
seen online. “No. It’s just medication. We’ve talked about it before.”
“Do you trust her enough?” Maya folded her arms. “Don’t you think it’s weird how good she got in such a short span of time?
She went from losing in the first round to finals in the space of a year.”
“We’ve been working together for months,” I said, not giving it a second thought. “Of course I trust her.”
The carriage fell into a tense silence, nobody saying a word. I kept looking at Maya, expecting her to explain herself.
“She’s supposed to report her medications to me while we work together,” Maya said. “And she never mentioned more than an
ibuprofen.”
I looked at her dead on. “This isn’t physical. It’s mental.” I hated having to justify it, giving up more details of Chloe’s
private life than they needed. But this kind of rumor? It was better to shut it down.
“If you’re sure,” she said, with a rise of her shoulders. The elevator doors slid open on their floor. Maya looked to me. “I’ll grab my things, and then I can come up to your room and we can finish off our physio work.”
“You know what?” I said lightly. “I’m feeling okay tonight. I can do my stretches on my own.”
Maya hesitated. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “We did plenty at the stadium. That should be enough.”
She seemed satisfied, following Zackary out.
The moment the doors shut again, Selene turned to me. “What was that about?”
I sighed. “I don’t like the way she was talking about Chloe.”
Selene raised a brow. “So?”
“There’s enough online, Selene. I’m worried after today. What’s going on?”
Selene waved a hand. “It’s nothing, just some discourse online, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” I said, thinking of Zackary’s face, of the crowd, of Chloe’s when she let the mask slip and showed
how afraid she’d been. “I think we should let Maya go.”
Selene’s lips parted slightly, as if I’d suggested cutting off my own leg. “You want to change your team right in the middle
of a tournament? Is your head on straight?”
“Probably not.” I exhaled. “But I don’t want to work with someone who would be disrespectful to my teammate.”
Selene studied me for a long moment. I could see the argument forming in her eyes. But then she nodded.
“Okay. If that’s what you want, I’ll start looking. But I won’t lie, it’ll be hard to find someone with the right knowledge
for your injuries.”
“I’ll take that risk.”
She pressed her lips together. “You know, I mean this as much as your friend as your manager, she might not be in your part
of the draw, but if you both make it far enough, you could be facing each other on that court.”
I met her gaze. “So?”
“So how much of a friend do you think she’ll be when she’s on the other side of the net?”
“I don’t need her to be my friend when we play each other.” My voice was steady. “We are professionals, I want her to do her
best. Because that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.”
Selene didn’t argue. Didn’t push the point. Instead, she studied me, eyes sharp, assessing. I knew things had been weird between
us recently, the tension from our earlier conversation haunting the rest of the day, but no matter what, I knew she still
had my back.
She exhaled. “Alright, I’ll follow your lead with this.”
The elevator doors slid open on our floor. I stepped out, Selene following me.
“You know, it was you who convinced me to take this deal in the first place,” I recalled as we walked down the hallway to
our rooms.
“I know, I still stand by it,” she answered. “But I didn’t realize how things would change.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re different when you’re in a relationship,” she said, pulling her key from her handbag. “I would hate to see you lose
focus.”
My heart sank. Did she really think that? “I promise, I’m focused.”
“I’ve been your manager for a long time, Inés.” Selene paused, stopping beside her door. “I’ve never seen you fire somebody
for a simple comment.”
“I didn’t think it was justified,” I argued, the truth ringing in my head.
Chloe worked hard, and knowing how much she’d suffered before the medication, it felt wrong allowing somebody to insinuate
that she was cheating with a simple prescription.
If the crowd outside told me anything, it was that we both needed to be careful with who we kept close. Even if they were
long-term friends, if it was to protect Chloe, I’d do whatever it took.
She nodded once, but I could tell this conversation wasn’t over. Selene smiled softly, her reluctance clear in her eyes. “Get a good sleep. We’ve got one hell of a tournament ahead of us.”
I said my goodbyes, the events of the day hanging heavy on my shoulders, my mind thinking over Selene’s words. Whether it
was this competition or another, one day Chloe and I would be standing across the net from each other.
And only then would we find out exactly where each of us stood.