She's back ~ L. Hamilton

27. | Nicki Li

At breakfast the next morning. Liam is sitting outside on the hotel patio, eating scrambled eggs and toast.

I toy with the idea of turning around so that Liam can't see me.

He lost to O'Hara yesterday. It wasn't just a defeat but a bloodbath. I saw the highlights last night on the sports channels. The commentator said "someone come out here and put Liam Black down"

I can't afford to sit here consoling him. I have a match to focus on. My uncle is meeting me down in the hotel lobby at 8 to practice.

"You could at least not stare" Liam says suddenly, not even lifting his head up.

"I wasn't staring" I say "I was....trying to gauge whether you wanted company"

Liam laughs without a smile "you were trying to figure out if you could ignore me because you're afraid losing is contagious"

I look at him. He looks handsome in his regular clothes - a pair of jeans and a black polo jumper, his hair combed back. It's like seeing an entirely different person

I pick up my smoothie and walk over to his table. "I'm sorry you lost"

I grab a chair and sit.

"Thank you" he says "that's kind of you, given that i wouldn't do the same for you"

"Is that true?"

"One time after after Geller lost to Borg. I wouldn't even look at him for the rest of the clay season in case he was bad luck"

"And did you win a lot? That clay season?"

Liam cocks his head "no"

"I actually don't think luck has much to do with any of this" I say

Liam rolls his eyes "if it wasn't bad luck that got my ass handed to me yesterday, then what was it?" He holds his finger up before I can respond "don't answer that"

"It's you" I say "luck didn't lose. You lost. Because you didn't break his serve in the first game like I told you to"

"Oh, like it was that fucking easy?"

I shrug "could have been. If you used the platform stance my uncle taught you. It has been working for you the whole tournament and then I looked at the footage from last night and you're using your pinpoint again. Like a fool"

Liam shakes his head "you're lucky I'm on the first flight out of here. That way I can't stick around to watch you get ripped to shreds by Wade"

"Oh fuck off" I say as I get up from the table "I was just trying to help you"

"Telling me what I should have done, helps absolutely no one. You know Delaney, you get a bad rap, but some of it is deserved"

"Or maybe some boys are too fucking sensitive"

Liam looks up at me, his eyes narrow "you are-"

"What?" I say, daring him

"This whole thing. It's just not worth it" he says "at all"

"All right. Fuck you kindly" I say and walk away

I don't look back as my uncle comes down out of the elevator with my kit in his hand. He is scanning the crowd but doesn't spot me until I walk up to him. The smile on his face is the biggest I've seen in years.

"Oh" he says "I didn't see you over there. Were you celebrating?"

"Celebrating?" I ask

His smile only grows wider. "Nicki Li tore her ankle against Swift. She's out for the rest of the tournament"

"No way" I say

My uncle nods

"I could take this" I say

"Yes. Yes, you could"

"I could take the whole goddam tournament" I exclaim "while she's nursing a bum ankle from her bad form. I can set this whole thing back to where it belongs"

"Yes you can Delaney" he says "but not if you keep standing here talking about it"