Page 13 of Long Shot

As soon as her feet hit the bright orange clay, she was struck by just how bouncy the surface was. Feeling her chest swelling with concern, Mac sucked the fresh, French air into her lungs.You’ve got it.

As she came into view, there was a smattering of applause from around the arena. Setting her bag down by the bench to the left of the umpire, Mac scanned the sparse bleachers. Attendance at these matches was usually pretty low. All anyone really cared about was who made it past the qualifiers.

But there was one face she could always count on being there. In the front row, next to Babs, Piper Bennett smiled down at her daughter. As Mac turned toward them, Piper waved and winked. Just from the look on her mother’s face, Mac got all the reassurance she needed.

With a nod, Mac refocused on unpacking her bag. She pulled out her trusty blue racket, a lighter shade that balanced well with her new tank top and skirt.

Mac’s opponent, a French native named Adeline Garnier, stretched her back on the other side of the umpire’s stand.Following suit, Mac tried to get her legs ready with some high-knees. With each hop, she lifted the opposite knee to her chest until blood was pumping through every vein.

The umpire called the players to the court after reading them the rules Mac had heard a thousand times before. The match was made up of three sets, and each set was comprised of at least six games. To win a set, a player needed to reach six total game wins with a two game lead. If the players tied a set at 6 - 6, a tiebreaker game would begin. The first player to ten in that game would win the set.

Striding to the baseline, Mac prepared to receive the first serve of the match. Garnier had won the coin toss. Even from on the court, Mac could feel Babs’s approval.Receiving the first serve is a benefit. The opponent has all the pressure to come out strong. All I have to do is hit it right back.

Mac gulped as she squatted down, keeping her racket centered with her spine. Bouncing lightly from one foot to another, she waited for the Frenchwoman to serve. The bounce of the neon yellow ball against the clay – once, twice, three times – filled the arena. Then, with a deep breath in, Garnier lifted the arm holding the ball.

A moment of crushing silence enveloped the arena as the ball floated in a high arc above her head. Then, with the swing of her racket and a tremendous shout, Garnier shattered the silence, hurtling the ball toward Mac’s side of the court.

Mac regarded the comet carefully as she tried to map its exact course. Trusting her instincts, Mac hustled toward the back left corner of the left service box and pulled her racket into a backhand. With one hand gripping the racket and the other guiding it from behind, Mac swung from below her hip and toward the net.

With acrack, the racket met its target, shooting the ball right back toward the French player. Mac kept her eye on the ball,only registering Adeline’s movements within its periphery. She was in great shape, lean and strong. She had a delicate build, making it easy for her to run from each corner of the court.

Clay flew up from under Adeline’s feet as she stretched and slid to send the ball back.

That’s my window.Mac smirked as the ball returned to her side. From there, she used her backhand again, this time sending Adeline running to the opposite end of the court. The bouncy clay would force Adeline to slide again, ruining her chances at an accurate shot.

Sure enough, the ball hurtled to the far corner and bounced just before the baseline. Adeline slid, but by the time her racket met the tennis ball, Mac’s topspin redirected its trajectory. Adeline’s head dropped as the ball crashed straight into the net.

“Fifteen, love,” the umpire announced from the stand.

Mac’s nerves began to dissipate as she turned her back on her competitor and headed to the baseline. In the stands, Mac watched as Babs calmed her own excitement. A simple fist pump and a wink was all Mac needed to see to know her strategy was working.

Each volley was a fight. With every serve, Adeline and Mac struggled for their spot in the tournament. But Mac took the first set 6-2. The crowd cheered as the players switched court sides for the second set.

A ball boy bounced Mac three balls. The felt snagged on Mac’s calloused palms. Bouncing each, Mac decided which one she wanted and rolled the discarded balls toward him. Squaring up to the baseline, Mac let the ball bounce against the court, sending up small puffs of clay with each toss. Once she had a sense of the surface’s mannerisms, she bent her knees and prepared to serve.

In one swift motion, she lifted her left arm and released the ball into the air. As it reached its apex, Mac brought herracket over her head and slammed it into the felt. A sharpcrackresounded through the small court as it sailed through the air and onto Adeline’s side.

As Mac’s eyes lowered from the sky to the court, her gaze caught on a face in the crowd.What is she doing here?

In Prada sunglasses, sleek beige trousers, and fitted polo, Taylor Young stared down at Mackenzie from the bleachers. As her heart leapt into her throat, Mac’s brow furrowed.

“Fifteen, love,” the umpire called.

Mac hadn’t even heard the ball get hit back. But as she looked over her shoulder, a glimpse of yellow rolled toward the barrier behind her. Whipping her head up, Mac saw Taylor standing to leave. A part of her wondered if she had hallucinated it. But seeing her move… well, Mac would have recognized that strut anywhere.

As the ball boy bounced her another ball, Mac looked up to Babs. Confusion was plastered across her coach’s face, until she followed Mac’s gaze to the bleachers on the other side of the court. The glimpse of Taylor’s back was all Babs needed to recognize the star.

Mac bounced the ball, trying to recenter herself.Well, now Ihaveto qualify.

But from her periphery, Mac could help but watch as Babs smacked Piper on the arm and nodded toward Taylor’s disappearing figure. Covering her mouth, Piper tried to disguise her shock.

Before she could get a time violation, Mac got into position and slammed another serve across the court. Motivated by the sight of her rival, Mackenzie pushed herself even harder in the second. She couldn’t be sure why Tay had come by, but Mackenzie refused to be embarrassed by her or her family ever again.

The rest of the game passed in a blur. Mac managed to win the first set but lost the second. The third and final set sat at 5 - 4, with Mac leading by just one game. Mac could hardly believe they were already at matchpoint. With a score of 40 - 30, she just needed to nail this last volley to advance to the next round of qualifiers.

The crowd had grown slightly since the start of the match. Mac knew it was probably becausetheTaylor Young was spectating, which didn’t ease the growing pressure in her chest. Wiping sweat from her forehead, Mac felt burning hot under the Parisian sun.Just one more serve.

Despite her exhaustion, Mac performed her serve just as meticulously as she had over the last two hours. A deep groan escaped her lips as her racket met the ball.

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