Chapter 36

There. Dan rushed towards the location of the next shot, just as Jason made contact with it. They’d been playing for who knew how long, and Dan was well aware of the fact his stamina was nearing the 50 percent mark. Given his edge over everyone, what with his magical powers, it was clear Jason was wearing down as well. They’d been playing a lot of tough games, with more than a few going to deuce. Now though, Dan was up, 5 to 4. Originally, it was supposed to have been a set of four, but the Seniors had changed their mind after watching the match.

If Dan didn’t know any better, they were actually enjoying the match more than they let on, and had just wanted to see it play out. So when the match had been 4 to 3, with Dan up, they claimed he needed to win by 2. Which was standard practice, when Jason won the next set, stealing the winning point from Dan because Dan happened to slip on the clay court, Ben had declared they would just turn this into a match to 6, claiming he didn’t feel like making the two of them do a tie breaker. Which was all good in Dan’s mind. He’d seen tiebreakers play out in some of the matches he’d been watching, and even still, they confused him slightly.

Dan turned his focus back to the match at hand, his feet pounding on the clay as he rushed towards the location of the ball. His Minor Skill assist was clutch, allowing him to get himself into a suitable position before the ball actually landed, giving him to time to adjust and react, and return each shot. As far as he could tell, he’d actually been returning a high percentage of the shots being sent towards him. Unfortunately, some of those shots went into doubles alley, meaning they were out of bounds, or would set Jason up for a winning shot. After all, being able to see where the ball was going to land, wasn’t all that helpful if it was landing far behind you, making it impossible to reach in time.

Well, maybe not impossible. Dan was certain Peter would have been able to get to those shots. Or, more appropriately, Peter wouldn’t allow someone the chance to get off shots like that on him. But Dan wasn’t Peter. And he was nowhere near the Senior’s skill level. At the very least though, Dan was rather proud he was holding his own against Jason. Sure, the sophomore was the lowest player on the JV team, but he was still on the JV team. Meaning he wasn’t terrible at this sport, and Dan had only been playing for a few weeks.

He stopped hard on the clay, sliding slightly as he tried to find his footing, watching the tennis ball come towards him. One thing he’d noticed, as the match had continued on, was that Jason’s shots were becoming weaker. Not, per say, in speed, but they were becoming flatter. Early on, Jason had been using top spin in his shots, making the ball arc as it flew, and bounce up with a little extra force when it landed.

Now, Jason’s shots were flat. It seemed the more exhausted Jason got, the lazier his form and technique became. Even without his Minor Skill Assist, these flat shots were easy enough to gauge, and they bounced in a very predictable manner. For the most part. Dan cursed as the ball hit the tape of the service box, causing it to skid, instead of hop. It was lower than Dan had been expecting, and had a strange ricochet to it, meaning it not only hit the tape, but it hit one of the nails that held the tape down on the clay court.

Dan cursed as he swung at the ball. He managed to connect, but it was with the upper portion of the strings on his racquet, not the center, sweet spot he was used to. As he twisted his torso into the swing, he lifted himself up with his legs, having had to crouch low to catch the ball. The motion added a little more spin to the shot, and it curved over the net rapidly. Dan and a surprised Jason watched the ball barely clear the net as it flew to Dan’s left, landing past the service box, just besides the double’s alley line. The ball hit the ground, and the strange spin imparted to it made it kick even further to Dan’s left. The tired Jason, didn’t’ get there in time.

“Yes-“

“Wide.” Ben called from the sidelines. The Senior was looking smugly towards Dan, his arms crossed. “That shot was wide. Don’t celebrate just yet.”

There was murmuring from the other players, and Dan shook his head. He was getting tired, both physically and mentally, but more so, emotionally now. Ben was being an asshole. It was clear as day that the shot had landed in the court.

“That was in.” Jason said before Dan could respond. The Sophomore looked up towards Ben, his body shaking from exertion. Jason had been giving it his all. Likely because he wanted to impress the others, even if he didn’t approve of their bullying tactics on Dan. Still, of the two, Dan was definitely the one in better shape.

“And I’m saying it’s out.” Ben glared down at Jason. “Are you doubting my judgement?” More murmuring. Ben had done this a few times during the match, making rather questionable calls. Still, Dan hadn’t bothered much with them then, after all, it had just fueled his anger, and he’d worked harder to ensure the next point he won would be indisputable.

This shot though, this point, had been for the final game of the set. It was the final point Dan had needed, to finish with this farce. Granted, Ben had claimed Dan would have to play another person afterwards, and Dan was certain he would lose, considering his current physical state, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to, he had to win this match. And he just had. Yet Ben was trying to prolong the match.

“Maybe it’s just hard for you to see through your emotions.” Dan heard Jason mutter under his breath. A few of the people closer to the court chuckled at that, but Ben didn’t seem to hear it.

“So it’s Jason’s point, and now it’s a deuce.” Ben motioned to them. “Don’t let me down Jason. If you lose this, you lose your spot on the team.”

Jason shot a pained expression between Dan and Ben. He could tell the Sophomore had been working hard to gain his spot, and he loved the sport. After a moment, Jason let out a defeated sigh, and walked back to the baseline, tossing Dan the ball. It was Dan’s serve, after all.

“You heard him.” Jason said bitterly. “Serve it up.”

Dan nodded, bouncing the ball on the ground slowly as he looked at Jason. He wanted this, didn’t he? He bounced the ball again, looking at Jason. Before, this had been just to gain the right for him to keep practicing during the week using the team’s equipment. Somehow though, this had now turned into a match that decided if Jason could stay on the JV team. If Dan won this game and claimed the set and match, Jason would lose his spot. Though, Dan had noticed, Ben never said he would give the spot to Dan if he won.

“Prick.” Dan muttered under his breath, as he made his decision. He looked towards Jason, offering the worn-out Sophomore a smile, and tossed the ball up. Dan knew what he needed to do.