CHAPTER SIX- THE HAMSTEAD

The Hamstead Tournament began the next day. For the first time in months, Megan woke up that morning without raw fingers. It didn't mean that she wasn't nervous- she still listened to her 'Nice Girls Never Finish First" tape in the morning, and Sebastien organized his breakfast in alphabetical order. Sebastien's match started first, and then Megan's a few hours later. Way back at Cascadia, they'd made a pact to attend each other's games as much as they could, without interfering with their practise or their own games. So, they both headed for the Hamstead Stadium together. They called down a taxi, (Cascadia and the Hamstead Tournament Committee were footing the bill) and were on their way there.
"Aren't you nervous Seb?" asked Megan.
"I uh…what?"
"I'll take that as a yes," she said.
"Meg!" Sebastien turned to face her. "What if I lose?"
Megan shook her head. "Com'on Seb! You're the French Prince, right? You're ranked as one of the best in our age group! I'm the one who's going to lose…"
"You? Megan O'Connor, lose? What are the chances of that?" answered Sebastien.
"Pretty high, if you think about it. Adena WAS three points ahead of me- I have no idea why they chose me to compete."
"They chose you because you would compete- you'd be a challenge to all the other players. Now don't worry- it's just our first match, after all," soothed Sebastien.
"I guess so…but if we don't win this, there's no chance of-" Megan started freaking out.
"Megs! Just relax. Pretend it's only a game during practise, back home at Cascadia."
"All right…"
Megan leaned into Sebastian and he put his arm protectively over her. Memories of the night before were still running through his mind, and he couldn't seem to forget. He bent down to kiss Megan's hair, before the taxi driver stopped the car.
"We're here. You two players?" he asked.
"What…oh yea. Yea, we're playing today," answered Sebastien.
The man smiled. "Well good luck today."
Megan stirred away from her thoughts to thank him, before they walked away from the cab. "What do we do?" she asked.
"Hmmm…we can either try to find Mr. Williams from yesterday, or just figure it out for ourselves," he said. "But I think I see a sign…" So Sebastien and Megan walked toward the Player's Entrance, and Megan helped Seb warm up for his match. An hour later, they heard his name over the intercom.
"Sebastien Dubé and Michael McCabe, please report to Court 4C." Sebastien turned pale and turned towards Megan.
"Seb! Don't worry! You'll do fine- you've seen this guy play; you know where he's vulnerable. Besides, no one can return your ground strokes!" Megan tried to reassure him, and although the colour returned to his cheeks, he still looked scared out of his mind.
"Megan…" Sebastien started. "I can't do this!"

"Don't be stupid, just go!" They both leaned in for a hug before he took a deep breath, and headed for the court. Megan watched him go and climbed up into the stands. She cornered a seat right by him, and smiled at him before settling down. Her own match fluttered across her mind, but she still had a few hours to go.
"Mr. Dubé vs. Mr. McCabe."
The match progressed quickly- Sebastien got the first point. Michael McCabe was a worthy opponent- but he made his weak points much too noticeable, and Seb took advantage of that. McCabe clearly knew this match would be his last in the Hamstead Tournament, and he let it get to him. He played like he'd already lost. By the end of the match, Sebastien was soaked with sweat, but focused and smooth. Megan got shivers going down her back watching him play- it was the first time he'd picked up a racket that made her fall in love with him. He had so much passion, so much power! It couldn't hurt that he was the best-looking guy on campus.
"Match point for Mr. Dubé."
Sebastien glanced up at the stands, where he knew Megan was sitting. He smiled at her before turning back to the game. He tossed the ball high into the air. His arm swung up, rotating around just in time to whip the ball over the net.
"YEAAAAA!" All the spectators were standing- that was the most amazing ace they'd ever seen. Megan was jumping up and down in her seat, and after shaking hands with McCabe, he ran over to her and they kissed, right there in front of everyone. The crowd cheered and yelled for the young tennis star.
Megan spoke quietly, "That was amazing Seb!"
Sebastien could only smile and kiss her again, before grabbing his stuff and heading out of the court.
"SEB! SEB! SEB!" Sebastien turned around wildly to figure out where the chant was coming from.
"Megan!" He finally spotted the young woman coming down from the stands. He picked her up and spun her around, until he almost knocked another player over. "Sorry!"
They ran over every great shot of the game on their way over to a spot near where Meg would be playing. They started to toss a few shots to each other, gradually increasing the speed and difficulty until Megan was all ready for her game. They were just sitting down for a short break when they heard Megan's name over the intercom.
"Megan O'Connor and Jessica Choi please report to Court 17."
Now it was Megan's turn to get nervous. She turned to Sebastien with wide-eyes. "I can't DO THIS Sebastien!"
"Yes you can! Remember what you told me? You're an awesome player, you know you can beat this Jessica Choi," said Sebastien. "You've beaten stronger players. And besides, I'll be there the whole time, just in case. K?"
Megan took a few deep breaths, and took hold of Sebastien. "You swear? You'll be there?"
"The whole time. Tous les temps. Don't worry!" Sebastien gently untangled her fingers from his own, and looked into her eyes. "I'll never leave you."
"All…alright then. I'm ready!" Seb smiled and waved good-bye as Megan headed out onto the court. This time, he was the one watching.
"O'Connor vs. Choi." Sebastien nervously chose a seat, and leaned in towards the court. He could hear the commentary from a few TV reporters below him, and tried his best to tune it out. He couldn't ignore it when the camera came up beside him though.
"Looks like young Megan O'Connor has company with her at this game. Her boyfriend, Sebastien Dubé is watching closely at the match, having just finished his own a little while ago. Dubé surprised the crowd with an amazingly powerful game. Hopefully, O'Connor can do the same." Sebastien flashed a small smile at the camera and turned back to the game, hoping they'd leave him alone.
This game was much closer- Jessica Choi was from one of the other strong tennis academy's in China, and her training was just as intensive as Megan's. In the final set, they were at deuce. Choi was serving, and Megan was clearly getting a little bit nervous. Sebastien hoped it didn't interfere with her game. The ball flew over the net and went right by Megan before she could make a move.
"Advantage, Choi." Choi bounced the ball in preparation for her serve, while Megan bounced on her toes on the other side of the court. The ball shot over the net, but this time Meg was ready. She shot forward to deliver a powerful volley, which went right by Choi.
"Deuce."
Megan prepared herself for the next serve. Sebastien prayed on the sidelines. This time, Megan returned the ball, but not fast enough. They rallied for a while before Megs slammed the ball down the centre of the court. The next point, Megan shot it down her opponent's throat so fast she never saw it coming.
"Game, Megan O'Connor."
"YES YES YES YES! Sebastien, did you see that? I won!" Seb jumped over the wall and enveloped her in a huge bear hug, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Megan turned to wave at the crowd, her smile lighting up the whole court. Suddenly- the smile on her face faded.
Sebastien turned to face her, "Megan, what's wrong?" She shook her head and ran towards the Player's Area. He picked up her racket and bags and ran off to follow her. When he reached the darkness of that area, he had to stop for a second to let his eyes adjust. "Megan? Megan? Where are you?" As soon as he could see, he ran forward, keeping an eye out for her. Sebastien ran around a corner and found her staring at something he couldn't see- and she looked scared.
"Meg! What's wro-" he finally got a look at what she was staring at.
"My…my father's here," she finally whispered. Sebastien put his arm around her shoulders, as if to create a shield between the two family members.
"Are you Sebastien Dubé?" the man asked.
Seb nodded. Megan reached instinctively for his hand.
"You're my daughter's boyfriend?"
He nodded again.
"So you're the reason she decided to abandon her family, and keep playing tennis!" Megan's dad started yelling.
"Dad! Stop! I kept at tennis because I love it- and because I think I can go somewhere with it." Megan's eyes pleaded with her father to step back.
Sebastien cleared his throat. "Yes sir. She just won her match- it was an amazing game."
Mr. O'Connor gave him a condescending stare. "I saw the match. She-" and he looked at Megan. "-Almost lost."
Sebastien and Megan were lost for words. Not only were they not expecting Mr. O'Connor there, but they didn't expect him to be angry after her winning the match.
"Dad, what are you doing here anyways? I thought you were at home…with mom?" Megs knew this was a delicate area, but she had to know why her dad had suddenly acknowledged her existence.
"If you want to stay at Cascadia, I need to know it's not going to be a waste. But after this match, I've gathered all the information I need."
"Dad!"
"No. Megan, I don't think you understand just how much this family needs you. So…you are no longer a part of it. I'll be expecting reimbursement for the $60 000 a year you've cost us- three years worth." Megan started to talk, but he interrupted her. "And that's ALL I want to hear from you."
Megan seemed to crumple under the weight of his words. She tried weakly to call to him, but couldn't seem to find the words. Sebastien led her over to a seat, and ran after Mr. O'Connor.
"Sir! Please, Megan is going places with tennis, I swear. Even with this one match, there'll be endorsement offers, publicity, everything. Family is the most important thing to her, that's why she's here," Sebastien pleaded with him.
Mr. O'Connor turned around to face him. He started to walk menacingly towards Seb, so that he was forced to walk back. "Family is important? No, to her, stupid teenage love lives are important. The only reason she stayed at Cascadia was because of you, wasn't it?" Seb was too afraid to answer. "WASN'T IT?"
"No! Megan stayed because she needed to make it- for you!"
"Oh, so she's doing this all for me, is it? You've been filling her head with crazy ideas of this far-off dream of being a tennis star, and you're bringing us all down with it." Sebastien had been backed into a wall- right next to where Megan was. "You TWO, you two have ruined us all!"
"Please…sir, just give us a chance. I'm so sorry…"
Mr. O'Connor flinched. "You're SORRY? Sorry doesn't fix it!" He raised his arm and Megan gasped-
"Dad, no!"
His fist collided with Sebastien's face before he could make a move. Seb heard a crack as it made contact- and then he felt something move in his head as it hit the wall behind him. He fell to the ground- barely conscious. But when Mr. O'Connor turned to Megan, he jumped up to protect her.
"Don't ever touch her." Even through blood was streaming from his head, he looked more fierce than anything.
Mr. O'Connor stepped back, and walked away. Sebastien fell back down to the ground, as Megan tried desperately to catch him.
"Sebastien…I'm so sorry! He's never done anything like that before…" She grabbed her towel from her bag and tried to soak up the blood.
"No…he was angry. He…" Seb didn't have the energy to keep talking. Megan cradled his head in her lap as she tried to stop the bleeding. Her tears mixed with the red liquid and they sat there for a long time, until the wound closed and Sebastien could stand up again.
"Seb…it's ohkay. Just lean on me, and we'll get help." Megan started to walk, but Sebastien stopped her.
"No. No, just call a cab. I'm fine."
"You can't play like this…" Megan started.
Sebastien didn't want to agree, but he had to. If he wanted to finish the tournament, he needed a doctor. Even as he thought this, he knew Megan needed one too. However, he knew this wasn't the time to ask her about that. They walked slowly until they could find a committee member. They were told to sit down, and wait for help.
"Oh my…you're the young man needing a doctor, I suppose?" a small woman with a Scottish accent stood in front of the pair.
Megan looked up at her, and back at Sebastien. "Yes…can you fix it?"
The woman chuckled, and gently took the towel off of the wound. She examined it for a long time, before reaching into her rather large bag and pulling out a bandage and some spray. "This'll sting, but your wound will be cleaned." Sebastien nodded, and squeezed Megan's hand until the pain ebbed away. Then the woman wrapped his head with the bandages, finally handing him a small bottle of pills to take. "Take one of these for pain. They won't interfere with your game, I promise. But just to be sure- when is your next match?"
Sebastien couldn't think back, so Megan answered the question. "Three days from now."
The woman thought back, and nodded. "You'll be fine. Just keep changing the bandages. By that time, you won't even need to wear them. Don't practise today- and not until at least noon tomorrow. Otherwise, you'll aggravate the wound. Besides, I think you scrambled yourself up a little up there!" She laughed, and gently tapped his head. "I'll call you two a cab."
When it finally came up, Megan helped him stand up and get into the car. Sebastien spent the cab ride with his head in Megan's lap, wincing every time the taxi was jolted. They made their way up to the room, and Megan helped him into the shower.
"I'd help you with that too, but I don't think it would be appropriate." She blushed before walking out the door. "By the way, I left the door open in case you DO need any help."
"Thanks Meg, " called Sebastien weakly.
Megan smiled sadly before walking over to the door. She put all their things away, called down to the desk for some dinner, and walked over to the huge picture window. She watched the water for a long time, before Sebastien turned up behind her.
"Oh! I didn't realize you were done…" she started.
"No, no it's okay. It doesn't really hurt that much anymore. But would you help me change these wrappings? They're a little wet."
Megan unwrapped the white cloth and replaced it. Their dinner arrived, and they ate, mostly in silence. Megan took a shower as Sebastien settled down into bed. They knew they'd have a lot to talk about before they went to bed.