Page 26 of Clean Point

‘Thank you.’

‘But I need to understand how this happened. I’ll dispute the test with the agency and try to get it straightened out before it all goes public.’

‘Public?’ I repeated.

He waved a hand, dismissing my obvious worry. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let it get to that stage. We know this isn’t right.’

I nodded, trying my best to register his words. ‘My suspension isn’t officially over yet. Could they add more time because of this?

He shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. We’re going to sort this out, I promise.’ He was trying his best to be sincere, his expression relaxed and friendly. I knew Jon and could trust he would do his best to stop this. After all, it had been him who approached me, who came up with this plan for mixed doubles. His career would be affected by this too.

‘Thanks, Jon.’

‘But until then, this is best kept between us. Don’t tell anyone and let me sort it out.’

I paused for a moment, uncertainty ringing in my words. ‘You don’t think we should tell Nico?’

‘He tends to …’ Jon trailed off, his hands motioning in midair as he searched for the right words.

‘Overreact?’ I offered.

He squinted his face before rewording. ‘Nico reacts quicker than he can think sometimes. You haven’t told him about what happened … with Matteo?’ I shook my head in answer. I couldn’t be sure he would have believed me if I told him, and now that there was something else, the truth was even riskier. ‘Then he might not understand. We know how this looks to an outsider, but we know the truth. Let’s figure this out, and we’ll tell him once it’s resolved. It’d be less messy that way.’

I thought over his words, recognizing Jon knew Nico better than I did. ‘Okay, I can do that. But I don’t want to lie to him.’

‘I know, but you aren’t lying about anything. Just … waiting.’

I nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.’ Jon smiled, sitting up straight in his chair as the conversation came to a close.

‘And you’ll let me know as soon as you hear anything?’

‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘But until then—’

‘Keep it inside these four walls.’

‘Exactly,’ Jon confirmed.

Taking a deep breath, I got up from the chair, thanking him again for his help. All the while, my head kept spinning, trying to figure out if there could be any truth to the result. I had to believe there was some sort of mistake, a contamination or mix up. I’d been consistent about giving samples during my time off to ensure nothing else was happening to me without my consent.

As I opened the door of the office and slipped into the hallway, distant footsteps caught my attention.

On the other side of the long corridor, walking away from the office, was Dylan Bailey. She turned, a quick glance over her shoulder revealing the same icy expression she’d been giving me for weeks, but this time there was something resembling a knowing smile on her lips.

14

Scottie

ballad of a homeschooled girl – Olivia Rodrigo

I had planned to try and avoid Nico for the remainder of the week, but apparently, I didn’t even need to try. It seemed, from the way he deserted me after practice on the court and turned around if he saw me walking towards him in the corridor, Nico wanted to avoid me as much as I needed to stay away from him. By Friday, I was ready to request a separate training time. Outside of our tennis practice that we had to have together (according to Jon) he barely looked at me, let alone spoke to me. And the navy cap didn’t leave his head for a moment. I was beginning to suspect he slept with the damn thing on.

When our day finally split up, with yoga down on the beach for me and physio inside the villa for him, I was glad for it. That was, until Dylan and the others showed up for yoga, which had now apparently switched from an individual class to a group setting.

A sharp foot hit mine as I balanced in a three-legged downward dog position, the instructor facing outward across the beach, missing everything. My foot stayed firm on the mat, the lumps of the sand underneath giving me extra balance.

I glanced to my left, where the back of Dylan’s brunette head obscured my view. She’d been doing this throughout the entire class, blocking my space and making me wonder if I’d soon be covered in bruises.

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