Chapter 70

“This, isn’t what I was expecting.” Dan said as Peter parked the car. He’d been expecting they go to the mall. After all, it had both a Dick’s Sporting Goods, as well as a few other sport related stores. Usually, when Dan was getting his soccer gear, he got it at Dick’s. However, Dan had taken him not towards town, but away from it. They’d driven for over an hour, down roads Dan didn’t recognize, until they’d arrived a massive tennis facility.

“You were expecting Dick’s, huh?” Peter asked with a laugh, climbing out of the door, a slight breeze blowing his hair about. The smile on his face was genuine. “Sorry to disappoint buddy, but no Dick’s here.”

Laughter erupted in Dan’s mind, telling him that Syn, and his buddies, were 100 percent watching him at that moment. Because of course they were.

“So, what exactly is this place?” Dan asked, doing his best to ignore the phrasing from Peter, as well as the laughing from Syn.

“It’s a tennis club, obviously.” Peter said, motioning towards the courts. There had to be over a dozen of them, and Dan noticed immediately that there were both hard courts, as well as clay courts. Even more interesting, was the massive bubble like building that Dan could see, had indoor courts.

“I thought we were going to buy racquets.” Dan trailed off, his mind catching up even as Peter began to respond.

“We are buddy. But first, you’re going to need to test out a few, and figure out what you like. From there, we place the order, and bam, new racquets.” He laughed and started walking towards a medium sized building. Above it, the word ‘Clubhouse’ was easily visible. All around them, the sounds of tennis were in full swing, as almost every court had people playing on it.

Unlike his school, there was a variety of not only player types, but ages, skill levels, everything. The biggest thing in common, as he glanced from games, to what he figured were lessons, to even practice with ball machines, was everyone seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. Everyone here, loved tennis.

“The reason I brought you here,” Peter continued as they walked past a few players, covered in sweat, who were heading into the parking lot. “Is because I want you to get a feel for different racquets and see which one best suit you. With how your game has been developing, it is important we find a racquet that fits you. One that you will continue to grow with and become familiar with. After all, once you make this plunge, there’s a good chance you’ll be using the same racquets, or at least same variations of them, for years to come.”

Dan had only used a total of three racquets in his, two whole months of tennis. The first one he’d held, only briefly, before promptly getting hit by a truck. The second one, he’d used until its strings broke, and then he’d gotten to use Peter’s RF for a short amount of time. And, even with his limited exposure, he’d been able to tell a difference. Plus, the fact he could see actual stats on the racquets helped. But it was more than that. And he had a feeling Peter was going to teach him all about those differences.

“So, we get to demo racquets here?” Dan asked as they moved closer to the clubhouse.

“Yeah. Usually it’s something only for club members, considering the expertise they offer here is second to none, but I happen to know the owner pretty well, and she likes to help me out when she can.”

Even as he spoke, a middle aged woman stepped out of the clubhouse, her eyes focusing on Peter immediately. She had dirty blonde hair, tied tightly in a ponytail, and fierce eyes. Even without pulling up her stats, Dan could tell she was athletic. She was dressed in typical tennis attire, and he could see the definition of her muscles. As she waived towards them, a smile crossing her face, Dan could tell she was on a different level than the other players he’d been observing. Something about her told him right away, she was of a different caliber.

“Peter.” She called out, her gaze shifting from Peter to Dan, “and you must be Dan. I’ve been expecting you.”

Peter laughed as he walked up to her, shaking her outstretched hand, smile plastered over her face. “Unlike me, Danny boy here can’t just skip out on classes. He’s a good student ya know.”

The women smiled and nodded, reaching out to shake Dan’s hand as well. He did, and he immediately felt the callouses on her hand.

“Well, glad to know he hasn’t completely tainted you.” She laughed and let go of Dan’s hand, motioning into the clubhouse. “Name is Maddison by the way, but you can call me Maddie if you want.” She kept talking as she moved into the clubhouse. “Peter said you’ve got the potential to rival even him, so of course, I couldn’t turn down the chance to fit you with a racquet to help you grow.”

“Not just rival me.” Peter said with a glance at Dan. “I’m telling you Maddie. Give him some time, and he’s going to beat even me. His senses are ridiculous. He’s a natural.”

Maddie froze at that, turning to look Dan up and down with a new, more critical gaze. “He’s a freshman, right?”

“That’s right. He’s in crazy shape for a 14-year-old, and you should have seen the serve he did the other day.” Peter rose a hand, stopping Maddie’s question before she asked it. “We’re taking it easy for the next week. He overworked himself. So, no, you can’t see it.”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “Am I that predictable?”

“I mean, I’ve known you how long?” Peter laughed; Maddie laughed. And Dan just stood there. He’d never seen Peter interact with someone in this way. The way they looked at each other. The way they spoke. He could tell they had a deep connection. If Peter hadn’t mentioned he’d learned tennis from his brother, Dan would have assumed this lady had taught him.

“Fair.” She moved over to the counter, and Dan took the moment to take in the actual clubhouse. All around, racquets of various makes and models hung, unstrung, on the walls. Everything in the clubhouse was focused on tennis, with not just equipment and gear, but also shirts, skirts, jackets. Everything. It was a tennis player’s dream. It also made it painfully clear that tennis was not a cheap sport. As a soccer player, Dan could get by with some cleats, shin guards, and a nice ball. All of that, maybe, if he went crazy, was a couple hundred dollars. Peter’s racquet alone, cost more than all of that. And that wasn’t counting strings, grips, appropriate attire… What had Dan gotten himself into?

“If you see anything else you want buddy, just let me know.” Peter said as he moved over to the counter with Maddie. She was pulling out over a dozen different racquets, looking them over, and talking quietly with Peter as she pointed to each one.

“I, uh…” Dan trailed off. This was too much. This was all too much. He swallowed hard, fighting down his emotions, and walked over towards the counter. Peter’s kindness. He didn’t deserve it, did he? Was this just his charisma score? Was Peter only doing this because Dan’s magical abilities had somehow affected him? He wasn’t sure. Peter seemed genuinely proud of his progress and was speaking highly of his skills. Those, while courtesy of his magical gifts, weren’t things that would cloud Peter’s judgement.

Dan had to figure then, that Peter really wanted to do this. Peter was excited about having a protégé who could make him proud, and Dan was that individual. On top of that, Dan knew, deep down, he was helping combat the loneliness that Peter had been hiding. And if Peter insisted on getting him his racquets, and helping him on his journey, Dan knew better than refuse the offer. That being said, Dan wasn’t a shitty person. He wouldn’t stop Peter from buying the racquets, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to abuse his generosity.

“I think just the racquets will be enough man. Seriously, it’s too much as it is.”

Peter ruffled his hair, and Dan noticed Maddie’s eyes seem to brighten at the action, a small smile creeping on her face as she continued to look over the racquets, pretending not to see.

“I told you man, think nothing of it. I want to make sure your path to greatness, has no obstacles. And, besides, if it makes you feel better, I’m doing this for me, not just you.” He grinned. “After all, the quicker you get better, the quicker I have someone to actually practice with.”