Hello readers. My apologies to anyone that's been waiting for an update to this story. It has only taken this long because I have been on holiday for the past three weeks, and was too busy exploring the world to find the time to sit down and write. I'm still on holiday, but should be back to updating on a weekly basis from the end of this month. I also hope to get a couple of extra chapters done soon, to make up for the two week's worth of updates that I should have had ready and uploaded by now. Again, thank you to everyone that dropped me a review, or favourited me or my story. It is all much appreciated, and quite good for my ego.
Happy reading :)
Rachel didn't like waiting. But she knew that she had only herself to blame for her current predicament. The brunette had easily made it past the first round of qualifying at the Miami Open before her main draw dreams were dashed by one Brittany S. Pierce. Sure, the match had been a close one, and at one point Rachel had even been a mere four points away from winning it, but that didn't make the player feel any better after the loss.
Rachel was currently in the players' lounge, an unopened book sitting in her lap. The usually voracious reader had tried reading a few pages of Dan Brown's latest thriller, but gave up when she realized that she'd read the same line at least half a dozen times without getting anywhere. Shelby was seated on the lazy boy across her, watching what appeared to be another ridiculous reality dating show.
The voices in her own head were getting to Rachel, mocking her for putting herself in this position by not making it to the final rounds of qualifying, which were currently being played across the grounds. Rachel decided to break the silence, "Did you have to do much of this when you were starting out?"
Shelby looked at her charge, "By 'this' I assume you mean waiting around, hoping to grab one of the lucky loser spots?"
When Rachel nodded, she shrugged, "I think I did it about five times. Just the one time in the players lounge, FYI. Sitting in here, watching the clock tick and praying for a tournament official to walk your way with a smile is pure torture." She gave the younger woman a pointed look before continuing, "I made it into the main draw twice. I was fortunate to get a few wild cards at the start of my career, which made things easier."
"What was the tour like back in your day?" Rachel asked.
Shelby looked away from the TV screen again, "Less friendly than it is today."
Rachel rolled her eyes, and Shelby laughed at the look of disbelief on the young woman's face. "It's true, players today are much warmer towards one another. Everyone might not be BFF's, but at the very least there's a mutual respect. Back in my day a lot of people were influenced by the Peter Graf doctrine of treating your opponents like your enemies. That sort of mentality might have molded Sue Sylvester into the legend that she went on to become, but believe me, she didn't have any friends on tour until much later in her career."
Rachel was now genuinely curious, "What changed?"
Shelby looked thoughtful, "I think a lot of us realized that we were seeing more of each other than our own families. A lot of us stayed at the same hotels, so we even saw one another at meals. You traveled on the same planes, sometimes trained together, waited out rain delays together, played against each other multiple times a year and, I don't know…we formed real friendships. Younger players coming up the ranks saw that most of us got along well, and that attitude of treating your opponents with respect and making meaningful relationships continued on well after we'd retired."
"What about Sue?" Rachel asked.
"Like I said, Sue made friends towards the end of her career. She was still a dominant force in tennis at the time, so it wasn't like losing made her humble or anything dramatic like that. I guess she realized it wasn't healthy to psyche yourself into believing that the person on the other side of the net was someone to be destroyed. I also know she genuinely began enjoying the sport more in the last few years, which probably made a world of a difference" Shelby said.
Rachel had read Sue Sylvester's autobiography, so she understood the context of what Shelby was saying. The Hall of Famer's family had migrated to the US from Italy when Sue was a toddler, and her domineering father had forced his daughter to take up the sport after spotting her obvious talent for it at the age of five. Sue's book plainly stated how she'd detested having to train for hours a day while other kids her age got to lead normal lives, and how she'd even considered retiring after winning a few Slams and making enough money to ensure that future generations of Sylvester's wouldn't have to work a day of their lives.
"Of course the ultimate irony is that Sue now manages a player whose father is amongst the least friendly on tour. You know that Fabray and Lopez went to the same tennis academy, and have been friends since their pre-teens, right?" When Rachel nodded, Shelby continued, "Well, Russell wanted Quinn to end that friendship when she graduated to the professional level. He didn't think his daughter would have the killer instinct if she was playing against a close friend, and told her she should sacrifice her friendship with Lopez for the sake of her career aspirations. It also didn't help that Lopez is very open about her sexuality, and Russell Fabray is a Bible-thumper that conveniently picks and chooses the parts of the Bible he wants to follow. There's a term for that…Cafeteria Christianity, or something like that. Anyway, I hear that he and Sue had quite the argument over who Quinn could and couldn't be friends with. Obviously Sue won that one" she finished.
By now, Rachel wasn't even thinking about the on-going qualifying matches anymore. Shelby had her full attention, as she stated, "If that's the case then I'm surprised Russell even hired Sue to train his daughter in the first place."
"And I was just as surprised that Sue took the job" Shelby replied. "I'd heard rumours of the Fabray camp negotiating with Sue at the end of Quinn's first year on tour, and know first-hand that Sue didn't want to take the job after her first meeting with Russell and Quinn. I think it was the USTA that set up the initial meet, despite the fact that neither the camp nor Sue were particularly keen on the partnership. But then Sue met Quinn on her own, which was followed by a one-on-one hit and training session, and the next thing I knew, they were a team."
"A successful team", Rachel pointed out.
Shelby nodded, "Sue has been good for Fabray. Apart from the actual tennis knowledge and coaching that she imparts, she's also instrumental in keeping Quinn sane and mentally ready to play when Russell gets overtly…difficult. I think Sue's experiences with her own father give her a unique understanding of Quinn's situation."
"Wow. Stories like that make me appreciate my father's even more than I already do" Rachel said.
Shelby laughed out loud, "As they should. Tennis players might be nicer to each other these days, but I look forward to the day when tennis is completely void of troublesome stage parents."
The two women sat in silence for a few moments, before Shelby spoke again, "To get back to what I think you were hinting at with your first question, no, this waiting isn't fun. And it's also not a good feeling, sitting around hoping that someone else drops out or pulls up injured just so you squeak into the draw. But that's the sport we play, and the sport we love. Yesterday Brittany beat you, tomorrow you'll beat her. It'll hurt to lose, and you'll feel bad beating your friends. But you have to want to win. Like, really want to win. Otherwise this sport will chew you up and spit you out mangled and broken. It's difficult to explain how lonely a sport tennis can be, especially when you're getting your ass whooped in front of a few thousand people that are all supporting the person on the other end of the court. Out there it's just you, your desire to win, your ability to hold your nerves during crux points, your composure, your presence of mind. All you."
Rachel took a deep breath, and Shelby's expression softened as she continued, "Yes, it takes talent to be a champion of this sport, but more than that it takes more mental resilience than I can even put into words. And I honestly believe that you, Rachel Barbra Berry, have what it takes to make it to the pinnacle of this sport. We're not there yet, not by a long way. But I believe we'll get there if you continue to work as hard as you already do, and keep adapting and learning as quickly as you are at the moment. You have that thirst to win, to be the best, and that's half the battle won."
Rachel was touched at her mentor's words, "Thank you Shelby. That encouragement means a lot, coming from you. But", she hesitated, "do you think this sport will change who I am?"
Shelby opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a gale force that entered the room and stopped across her.
"I'm in!" Brittany Pierce squealed, staring down at Rachel with a shit-eating grin. The blonde girl had obviously come straight from the tennis court, her playing shirt soaked with perspiration from running around under the blazing Miami sun. "I absolutely demolished Mehta, Rach!"
Rachel let out a squeal of her own as she jumped to her feet and wrapped her friend in a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you Brit!" The two women parted before she asked, "When's your first game?"
"I haven't checked the draw yet" Brittany shrugged. "I wanted to come tell you the news first, and see if you'd had any luck?"
Rachel shook her head, the smile never leaving her face "Nothing yet. But hey, it isn't the end of the world. I'm just glad one of us gets to play in the main draw. Yay!"
Brittany smiled, "Thanks Rach. Ok, I'm gonna go shower and check if they've released the draw. Lemme know if your situation changes, ok?" Rachel nodded, and Brittany turned to leave, "See ya later Rach. Bye Shelby."
Shelby waved at the departing girl, and smiled at Rachel as her charge sat back down, "I think that answers your question Rachel. The likelihood of tennis changing who you are is about as probable as me coming out of retirement."
"Please don't", Rachel laughed. "I would really hate having to kick your butt on the tennis court!"
Shelby mock glared at the giggling brunette, "Now, to take your mind off this exhausting and in all likelihood pointless wait, may I suggest you join me in watching what has to be the worst date ever?"
Rachel jokingly huffed, "Oh, alright. If I have to." She watched Shelby look back at her screen, before saying her coach's name again. When she was met with a questioning gaze, Rachel said "Thanks for sitting with me while I wait."
Shelby opted not to verbally respond, and simply waved Rachel's thanks away. "Now let me watch this date, goddammit" she joked, and the two women turned their attention to the screen where a nerd was about to undergo a physical transformation.
No words were exchanged for the next half hour, and the reality show was moments away from the big reveal when Rachel and Shelby were alerted to the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up, they were met with the sight of Sue Sylvester staring down at them, the amused glint in her eyes hard to miss.
"Sorry to disturb you from watching what is clearly quality television, but I was hoping we could all talk" Sue smirked.
Shelby smiled warmly at her friend, "Hi Sue. What can we do for you?"
"I hear the odds of a lucky loser spot opening up this week are pretty bad, but I was wondering if I could convince your charge, and you of course, to stay on a few extra days, maybe even the whole week. My charge's usual hitting partner seems to have caught a bug after trying some of this city's famed Cuban food, and I doubt he'll be able to drag himself away from the men's room long enough to be of any real use anytime soon" Sue said, her gaze alternating between Shelby and Rachel as she spoke.
Shelby looked at Rachel, allowing her to make the decision. A shocked-looking Rachel was staring up a Sue, "You want me to hit with Quinn Fabray?"
"Yes", Sue said.
Rachel looked at Shelby with a question in her eyes. The older brunette just shrugged her shoulders, letting Rachel know that she was okay with whatever the girl wanted. Rachel looked back at Sue, "What happens if I do manage to get into the draw?"
"The offer is still on the table, whether or not you're competing this week" the retired player said.
Rachel nodded her head, "Okay then. I'd love to hit with Fabray this week."
"What sort of schedule are you looking at?" Shelby asked.
"We hit for two hours in the morning or late afternoon on days when Q doesn't have any matches scheduled, and for forty-five minutes about two-and-a-half hours before the game on match days. What about Berry?" Sue replied.
"More or less the same. We can figure it out if Rachel gets a spot in the draw later today, or early tomorrow. Otherwise we'll work around Fabray's schedule on days that she isn't competing, and put in some extra yards ourselves on days when Fabray is playing", Shelby answered.
"Done" Sue smiled, "I'm off to book a court for practice tomorrow morning. We'll be on court at 7:30 am. I'll text you the court number when they tell me which one we're using. It'll probably be 4 or 5. Enjoy the rest of your evening ladies", and with that Sue took off.
Shelby turned to look at Rachel, who still seemed shocked at everything that had just transpired. "You might not get any real match play this week Rach, but I have a feeling that this will be just as good. Oh look, he looks completely different!"
