Page 127 of Game Point
I knew my answer, but that didn’t mean everyone agreed. The things we’d do to our bodies to win, to reach the pinnacle. We’d pick ourselves up after a car crash and go play in a tournament final. No matter how insane.
‘You weren’t ever what she needed,’ I said, still trying to keep a tight leash on my anger, not make a bigger scene than we already were. ‘You gave up on her. But I, I won’t ever do that.’
She shook her head. ‘I didn’t have to, she gave up on herself. You must have watched her before, in finals. Everyone sits there and watches her unravel over the course of three sets.’ She laughed, ‘Frankly it’s embarrassing she’s still trying.’
‘I can’t wait for her to prove you wrong.’ I hissed, bitterness lining every word. ‘Whether it’s with me or not, Dylan is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever seen. She has the inability to stay still, to accept when she’s injured and has to rest. She puts it all out on the court, time and time again.’
‘The other players are afraid, until she reaches the final,’ she sneered. ‘Then, they know they are going to win. Face it, Oliver. She doesn’t have it in her to win. The pressure always gets the better of her.’
I shook my head once, my jaw set. ‘Not this time.’
And I meant it, despite my anxiety over her injuries; I knew that if she didn’t get hurt again, she would claim her trophy. This was her time. She was playing like a champion because I’d helped her believe she could.
All I needed to do was believe I had done everything I possibly could for her.
Brooke’s eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. ‘You know, Oliver … there’s been some rumours. You should be more careful about how you talk about her.’ I pulled back. Her gaze snaked to the door, just as it opened, revealing a confused Dylan. She paused, looking between us as Brooke added, ‘You can pretty much predict how people are going to react when they find out a player and a coach are sleeping together. It’s never pretty to see.’
How obvious had I been? I replayed my words, wonderinghow she knew. Panicked, I looked straight at Dylan, her features still confused, looking from Brooke to me.
Brooke turned, not saying a single word to Dylan as she looked her up and down, before turning back down the corridor. It wasn’t until she was well out of earshot that Dylan’s attention returned to me.
‘What was that about?’ she whispered, her eyes searching mine for an answer.
‘Nothing,’ I managed, wiping my face with my hand. ‘I don’t even know where she came from. She was talking shit.’
‘About what?’ Dylan pushed, but immediately I knew there was no way I was telling her what Brooke had said, her words still leaving me in a rage. ‘Oliver, does she know?’
I shook my head. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Turning, I grabbed her racket bag from the bench, throwing the strap over my shoulder to get her back to where we weresupposedto be.
‘She knows, doesn’t she? What was she saying?’ she pressed again, catching up to me as I began walking towards the court. All I wanted to do was get her out there playing so we could start to prove Brooke wrong.
I swallowed, turning to face her as we walked. ‘She was saying a lot of shit about you. Stuff you have no business hearing because it’s untrue.’
Dylan muttered under her breath, ‘I bet some of it was true.’
I knew why she wanted to keep us a secret. There was nowhere near the amount of recognition for women as there was for men, for the same accomplishment, less funding and historically less prize money, and the way the media portrayed half of them was fucking evil.
Dylan had worked hard her entire career to never be seen to be weak, she had a reputation for strength and for her brutal playing style. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to hold onto that, for not wanting a relationship to stand in the way of her career or accomplishments, and take away everything she’d worked her entire life for.
But at some point, keeping us a secret was going to backfire. And I knew we could either control it, or let it ruin us. And if it was already getting out …
I sighed, pausing in place. I looked at her, taking in her furrowed brow, the mix of emotions making me hate the last twenty minutes even more. This wasn’t how a pre-match was supposed to go.
‘We are too obvious, Dylan. People are going to figure it out.’ I swallowed, a wave of emotion threatening to wipe me out. ‘I … I didn’t have to say anything because she already knew.’
She bit her lip, a hand pressing against her brow. Slowly, and then all at once, I watched Dylan break apart, heavy hot tears rolling down her cheeks, her teeth biting harder into her lip as she struggled to control her emotions, her face betraying everything she was trying to hide.
I scanned the hallway, trying to see how many people were around. Judging it to be too public, I went to the door behind us, a guiding hand on Dylan’s shoulder as I tried the handle. Thankfully the room was unlocked, as I pulled us into a conference room.
Before the door had even closed behind us, I pulled her into my arms, her face pressing against my white T-shirt.
‘I’m sorry,’ she choked through ragged breaths. I almost didn’t know how to react, feeling panicked as I watchedher open up like this. It took me a moment to realize, to understand, that this was not weakness from Dylan. It was trust she could showmethis side of her. Dylan had many faces: competitor, athlete, daughter, sister, auntie. And I realized, as she sobbed again, no doubt leaving blotches all over my T-shirt, that she had allowed me in, to see all the layers of herself. Even the ones she hid deep down.
Patting her back softly, running my hands across her braids, I said, ‘Just let it out. We have some time.’
‘It’s just … I’m overwhelmed.’ She inhaled deeply, her body rising and falling with the breath as her hands wiped at her face.
‘I’m going to complain,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘They shouldn’t be able to pull you for a test before a semi-final.’
