Hello! Sorry it's taken me a bit longer than expected to post an update. I hope you all know that while the intervals between chapter updates might differ, I am 100% committed to this story. As always, thank you to everyone that dropped me some feedback this week. I received some very good pointers from some reviewers, and was given ideas that I even hadn't considered till they were mentioned. I appreciate your time, words and advice. Now, onto Chapter 8!
"Put some more topspin on those forehands Berry. That really throws Fabray off her game!" Santana shouted out, sauntering onto the court.
The crowd that was gathered to watch the world no. 1 having a hit laughed at the Latina's statement, some even clapping. Completely caught by surprise, Rachel glanced towards Santana and as a result failed to get to the return that Quinn sent her way moments later.
"What are you doing here, Santana?" Quinn asked, putting her free hand on her hip as she addressed the newcomer. The sound of camera clicks filled the air, and Rachel noticed that some people were even filming the interaction between the two top players.
Santana took her time answering, sauntering up to one of the empty chairs along the fence and taking a seat first. The woman clearly enjoyed the drama. "Here, at a tennis tournament? Gee, I don't know Q, what would I be doing at a tennis tournament?" Her sarcasm drew more laughs, and Quinn rolled her eyes at her friend. "I'm here to watch you play Fabray. Resting an injury is mind-numbingly boring."
Sue, who was standing in a corner of the court behind Quinn, piped up, "Good to see the injury hasn't affected your mouth Santana. Fabray, let's keep this moving". She tossed Quinn a ball, and the blonde quickly got into position and served to Rachel.
It was a beautiful afternoon in Miami, and Quinn and Rachel were having a brief hit before the world's top player took to the court for the first match of the evening session. This was their third day of practicing together, and yesterday they'd even gymmed together for a couple of hours. Shelby was certain that Rachel's game had already benefitted from getting to play against the world's best player, and even the younger brunette could tell that her coach was telling the truth.
Quinn and Rachel had played actual sets during their first two practice sessions together, and the blonde had won both. On the bright side, she had won six games to one on the first day, and six games to three yesterday. Rachel had been secretly proud despite losing again on the second day, because she realized that her anticipation and shot making were markedly better in the space of twenty-four hours. Sue Sylvester had also been kind enough to talk to Rachel after each session, and had pinpointed precise weaknesses in the brunette's footwork, movement, and other elements of her game. The older woman's assessment's came with advice on how to get better, which Rachel was very grateful for.
Quinn always stuck around to hear Sue's analysis of Rachel's game, and didn't move away when it was time for the tennis legend to point out flaws in her own game. The blonde listened to her coach attentively, asking questions when she felt the need, clearly not minding that Rachel and Shelby were listening in. Rachel's coach had also pointed out some flaws in Quinn's game, and again, Quinn had been happy to take her suggestions on board. In fact, both days Quinn had asked Rachel if it was ok to go back on court for fifteen minutes to test out the advice both coaches had meted out to the pair of them.
Rachel had been pleasantly surprised to realize that all the articles she has read about Quinn over the past few years were not made up. Print journalist's had always stated that the world no. 1 was one of the most liked players on tour, and a part of Rachel had wondered whether the papers at least exaggerated their words of praise just because of the blonde's position in world tennis. Quinn was also famous for inviting up and coming players ranked between fifty and one hundred to her base in Miami for off-season boot camp's, and Rachel had even listened to their locker-room gushing to fellow players with a pinch of suspicion. From the looks of it though, Quinn really was a welcoming and encouraging contemporary.
In two days of practice sessions Quinn, and Sue, had made sure that Rachel spent time implementing the advice that Sue and Shelby had given the younger player that day. For instance, yesterday Rachel's backhand seemed to be the slightest bit off and she was missing marks by a couple of inches, so Sue had suggested a minor tweak on her backswing. The older woman then stood on Rachel's side of the court, giving running commentary on Rachel's shot making while Quinn patiently sent back returns to Rachel's backhand from her side of the court. Of course, Rachel had returned the favour when Quinn wanted to work on a shot, but to be honest, she was amazed at how she was being treated like an equal by both women.
Today Quinn was playing her first match of the tournament, after getting a first round bye. Her opponent was an unseeded Frenchwoman who had come into the main draw through qualifying, but it appeared that the blonde wasn't taking the match against Natalie Nastase for granted. Shelby told Rachel that Sue and Quinn had spent part of the last evening watching videos of the world no. 86, and today they had specifically asked Rachel to send as many low backhand slices to Quinn as she could.
Rachel noticed that Quinn seemed even more focused today, and knew it was because she was getting herself in the right headspace to compete. While the blonde was as courteous and friendly as usual, you could tell that she was hitting her shots with more purpose, and asking Sue more questions between play. Even Santana's clearly unexpected appearance didn't throw her off, and Quinn went right back to zoning in on the yellow ball that was flying between her and Rachel. To the Latina's credit, she had quit the chitchat and was now alternating between watching the two players having a hit and entertaining herself with her phone.
Around twenty minutes later Quinn hit a backhand passing shot that beat Rachel, and put her hand up to indicate that she was done. The two women had just met at the side of the net when a racket-bag carrying Brittany walked in through the little gate. She looked up at Rachel with one of her signature dazzling smiles, asking "Am I early?"
Rachel smiled back, "No Brit. Your timing's perfect."
The tall blonde approached Rachel's chair, and placed her bag down beside the brunettes. She waved hello at Shelby, who waved back, and Sue, who nodded her head at the newcomer before turning back to continue her conversation with her fellow coach.
"Ken's just gone to pick up a couple of my rackets that needed to be restrung" Brittany said, referring to her absentee coach. "He should be here any minute now." Rachel nodded, sipping from her drink bottle. Brittany turned to Quinn, "We didn't really get to talk after our match in Melbourne, so let me properly introduce myself. I'm Brittany Pierce. And I look forward to many more matches against you."
Quinn looked momentarily taken aback by the forward introduction, before shaking her head, smiling at the newcomer and reaching out her hand "I'm Quinn. And I look forward to more matches against you too. You gave me a real run for my money in Australia."
"Brittany and I will be having a practice session after I've had a hit with you" Rachel explained, and Quinn nodded.
The sound of a throat being cleared alerted their little group to another person joining their little party. "Hi, I'm Santana" the Latina said, reaching out to shake Brittany's hand.
Quinn now seemed practically shocked at the sight of her friend introducing herself to the tall blonde. She looked between Santana and Brittany for a moment, then said "Well San, you haven't met Rachel either, so let me-"
The Latina cut her off, "You're mistaken Q. I met Berry in Melbourne."
Quinn looked at Rachel for confirmation, which the brunette gave with a nod. "Okay then, that's settled. Well, I better get going to prepare for my match. It was nice to meet you Brittany. And thanks again Rachel. I hope to have another hit with you tomorrow" Quinn said, raising her hand and crossing her fingers. "You coming Lopez?" she asked, picking up her bag.
"Nah, you go get changed Q. I think I'll watch Berry and Brittany practice for a little bit before coming to find you", Santana replied.
Quinn looked surprised again, but didn't say anything. She thanked the trio when they wished her good luck for her match that night, and then took off towards the gate, where dozens of fans were waiting to get her autograph.
"I'm just going to stretch Rach, and we can start right after, ok?" Brittany asked.
"Sure Brit, just let me know when you're ready" Rachel smiled. The brunette was left standing with the Latina, not knowing exactly what to say. Santana seemed to be quite content watching Brittany stretch, but the silence got too much for Rachel after a few moments, so she asked "So… how's your thigh?"
The Latina shrugged, "I've started light exercises with no pain, but my physio still wants me to sit out Charleston. It's annoying, but I understand that my team doesn't want me to aggravate the injury again before it's healed properly."
Quinn turned to wave to the two women before security escorted her out the gate and through the crowds. Rachel and Santana waved back, and Sue went to follow after her charge. Shelby joined them, "Hi Santana. You're sticking around for a bit, are you?"
Santana nodded, "Yeah. It beats sitting at home."
"You must hate having to sit out a tournament that's being played in your backyard" Shelby noted.
"Oh yeah, it definitely sucks." Santana agreed. "But hey, there's always next year. And I'll be fit for the tournament in my other backyard in May."
"That's a good attitude to have" Shelby complimented, before turning her full attention to Rachel to discuss things she had noted during her charge's brief hit with Quinn. The Latina excused herself and went back to the chair that she was occupying when Rachel was practicing with Quinn.
Rachel glanced at the Latina as she chatted with her coach, marveling at the fact that the woman ranked number two in the world was sticking around to watch her have a hit with her friend and competitor. Even some of the crowd that had come to watch her hit with Quinn had stayed behind to watch her and Brittany, mainly because the famous Spaniard wasn't leaving. The shorter brunette watched curiously as Santana kept glancing up from her phone to watch Brittany stretch, quickly looking back down when the blonde glanced her way. And Rachel also noted how her blonde friend's stare would linger on the Latina when she thought no one was looking. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that they were checking each other out. 'Let's see where this goes' Rachel thought, inwardly smirking to herself as she continued listening to Shelby's pointers.
