XIII. BREAKTHROUGH.

2019.

It was eerily silent at the tennis court. As it should have been since it was only five in the morning. Sitting in the seats was one sole person. Aaliyah. Dressed comfortably in a turquoise pantsuit, with her hair styled in a sleek bun, she had the phone to her ear emphasizing that she was in yet again another important call. Despite her eyes being covered with shades, she still had them trained on one person. Carmen.

A grin could only appear on her face as she looked at Carmen. Carmen who'd stood on the court looked at Patrick with the shake of her head. In her hands was a racket.

"3, 2, 1." Let the yelling commence.

"Patrick," Carmen called out from the bench, fingers snapping as she tried for the man's attention. "We've been going at this since four. It's already five. It seems as though I'm the one who can see the problem but not you?"

The 'game' quickly came to a sudden halt. Patrick heaved tiredly, bending over to catch his breath. He had yet to run a full practice match and it was steadily bothering him. Each try was interrupted by Carmen Dowyner, whose perfectionistic nature was on a thin line of borderline insanity as she was the coach for the morning. Having barely gotten any sleep last night after her sudden conversation with Art it's safe to say that she was running on crankiness and smoothies. (Hated coffee).

"We've been going at it for hours now and I am exhausted."  Began Patrick, his blue eyes glaring into her darker ones. With his hands placed on his hips, he continued. "Don't you have a competition today?"

"And you do too. Being exhausted is not an excuse it's pure laziness. So what we're gonna do is run it again! But this time you against me." Motioning for the tennis boy to take a seat. With her racket in her hand, Carmen made her way over to the opposite side of the court. "Patrick, serve."

"Me?"

"Yes, you!"

Aaliyah could only watch through tinted shades, a small frown marring her face as she watched the little practice turn into the real thing in a matter of seconds.

A droplet of sweat trickles down Carmen's neck, the feeling alone makes her wipe it away with a towel. Looking up, she stares directly at her appointment. Amanda Seinfeld, a young 27-year-old from New Mexico from what she'd been told got sent to Challenger because of her unruly behavior after matches. Primarily alcohol. Her team thought it would be a good rehabilitation process if Amanda was away from the big stage and started from scratch. Aaliyah did inform her about the level of intensity that Amanda did have but out of her ego Carmen simply brushed it off.

And god what a workout it had been. It was the third quarter and so far Amanda was giving Carmen the workout of a century. She hadn't dealt with this level of technique since — well since Tashi and it made her feel a little bit excited.

So now Carmen stood tall at seven and Amanda at five.

With every swing that managed to be sent in Carmen's way, the energy within the court was tense and thick and everyone in the audience could feel it.

Amanda's shots were precise, strong, and filled with heat. With anyone else they'd easily be beaten but Carmen wasn't the type to lose. Hated losing. And she wouldn't lose especially at some event where she felt as though she didn't even belong. Losing at finals would be all too embarrassing. Which is why she was sending equal blows in Amanda's direction.

Battle of the Fittest where two-star female tennis players played and fought to come out victorious.

Carmen felt a great surge of adrenaline and power crawl up her veins as she continued to push herself on the court. Driving herself through exhaustion and desperation to win. A laugh of relief escapes once Amanda's ball hits against the white fabric of the net which ultimately gives Carmen the score.

"Keep your eyes on the prize," She mutters looking up at the stands only to see Art already looking at her. How long had he been there watching her? Giving her a nod of support made her insides churn specifically her heart. Just seeing him made her feel all the things she'd felt all those years ago and this time instead of ignoring it she didn't know how to quite feel.

"You're gonna win this." She muttered, reminding and herself to stay focused, remain determined, so she could come out on top, win the finals, and take a break from everything that is the sport tennis.

"Dowyner, serve."

Positioning herself into a position that she's done all these times. The ball flew in the air and was flung to the other side of the court. The ball soon comes flying in her direction yet again and she hits it with an even greater amount of force which as a result gives her the point.

"Point, Dowyner."

Yet again she left the court a winner.

No matter the amount of wins, or losses she'd been given this one felt all too different. Carmen appeared visibly exhausted but still had the strength to wave at the audience. With Aaliyah discreetly holding her steady, they eventually made it inside.

"Are you okay?" Was the first thing that Aaliyah asked noticing how disoriented and flushed her sister appeared.

Carmen could only nod, her eyes blinking back as she took a sip of her water. "I — I'm fine. Just a little tired that's all. Hopefully, back at the suite, I'll be able to buy an entire tub of mango ice cream as a way to treat myself."

Soon enough, Art makes his way over to where Aaliyah and Carmen stand. Aaliyah who had her eyes narrowed, could only stand back as her sister made her way over to him.

They only looked at each other for a moment, their eyes doing most of the talking. With his hands shoved in his pockets, Art spoke up with a smile. "Yet again a champion. Congrats."

Nodding, Carmen was about to say something when all of a sudden she couldn't. Looking at him with confusion, the feeling of dizziness, exhaustion, and emotion came at her all like a full throttle.

"Carmen, are you okay?"

Not even having the chance to utter anything, her eyes rolled back and with that, she fell backward. Before she could even hit the floor, Art was quick on his feet to catch her.

The last thing she sees is Art and Aaliyah looking down at her with a panicked gaze and then it all grows dark.

authors note
Carmen pushed herself too hard. And that is something that happens to a lot of people in sports. They push and push until they can't anymore.