Page 9 of Backhanded Compliments

Juliette rolls her eyes at the responses.

@lanadelkovic

You are a true class act @luca_kacic

@goatkacic

kind words from my champ!

@flopicci

nice words! Now go win the next one, Luca!

@idemoluca

queen shit

Juliette knows it isn’t good for her to dwell on Kacic, but her thumb presses Kacic’s profile, and she scrolls through the mundane and frankly boring tweets. Maybe Kacic has a PR person run her account for her, and that’s why there is little to no flavor in any of her posts. Eventually, Juliette returns to her main feed, but her mind keeps snagging on Kacic. She’s like a scab that won’t heal. She doesn’t always bother Juliette, but occasionally if Juliette twists a certain way, she feels her. If she closes her eyes, she can almost feel the luminous and staticky feeling of Kacic’s touch on her skin.

It’s annoying.

A knock on her door puts an end to her thoughts. “Go away,” she croaks, not wanting to get up.

A key card swipes and the door beeps as it unlocks. Antony steps into the dim room, carrying a plastic bag hopefully full of food and Gatorade. Everyone except Livia calls him by his first name. A habit they picked up as a result of him being their coach. Now, it almost feels wrong to call himDad.“How are you feeling?” he asks, setting the bag down on the bedside table and twisting it open.

Juliette shrugs, her arms like noodles as she tries to lift herself into a sitting position.

“I would say to pull out, but you won here last year,” Antony says, handing her a plastic shot glass of scarlet cough syrup. Juliette pinches her nose as she swallows it, but the bitterness still pools on the back of her tongue.

“I know,” she says around a half-stifled gag. Antony grimaces and hands her a blue Gatorade. “But it’s early in the season.”

Antony sits on the end of her bed, looking at her. He presses the back of his hand to her cheek, humming, as if it tells him something vital about her condition. “It is.”

Juliette can see him arguing with himself internally. As a coach, he wants to encourage her to keep going, but as a father, he’s clearly worried. So, he stays silent and lets her make the decision. She knows he wants her to play. He always does. She also knows he hates watching her lose.

She looks down at her phone, swiping her thumb over it. Thescreen unlocks and opens onto one of Kacic’s tweets. With every win she has over Juliette, she pulls farther ahead in the rankings. The five hundred points awarded to the winner of Monterrey would certainly help Juliette’s overall ranking. There aren’t many top players besides Juliette playing, so she could sweep through and claim the points easily if her lungs weren’t swimming in mucus.

“What do you think?” she asks finally, still teetering on the edge of a decision.

Antony’s mouth thins. “I think you should play. Anything to boost your ranking.”

Juliette swallows, her throat scratchy, and nods. “Okay, I’ll stay in.”

Antony smiles and pats her shoulder. “Good. Now, eat this soup and then rest up.”

LUCA

March is home to Luca’s favorite tournament: Indian Wells. The dry California air, wide-open sky, and skyline of palms and mountains combine to create a sweeping atmosphere that Luca looks at with stars in her eyes.

On the night before the tournament starts, Vladimir drags her out to dinner at a surprisingly nice restaurant.

“I admit I have an ulterior motive,” Vladimir says as they’re brought to the back patio by a hostess who smiles at Vladimir as if she knows him.

“What do you mean?” Luca asks, wishing she had worn a nicer pair of pants instead of jeans. Vladimir only smirks at her, a glint in his eyes that makes her stomach churn. She starts to protest when the hostess stops next to a table that is already occupied.

“Vladimir.” The woman at the table rises, sweeping her shining golden hair off her shoulder and down her back. Luca knows she’s gawking, but she can’t stop. Karoline Kitzinger is one of the best tennis players of all time. “Lovely to see you as always.”

Vladimir kisses her cheeks like they’re old friends. “It’s been too long, Karo.” He turns to Luca, and she snaps her mouth shut. “As you know, this is Luca Kacic.”

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