Chapter 77

Dan was quiet as he watched Peter. The senior’s face was unreadable. His body language, impossible to decipher. He’d never seen Peter like this. And that, was what made him the most nervous.

“As I’ve told you before,” Peter started, “I have a brother.”

“Right.” Dan remembered as much. “You said you learned to play tennis from him.”

“Mhmm.” Peter nodded. “He’s what got me into tennis. And without him, I doubt I’d be half the player I am. Even still, I pale in comparison to him.”

“You what?” There was no way. Peter was ridiculous. And he was implying his brother was even better? That just wasn’t realistically possible.

“In his prime, my brother was going to be the greatest.” Peter’s eyes took on a distant expression. “The way he moved on the court; it was like he’d been born with a racquet in his hand. He took to tennis easier than people take to breathing. Tennis was his life.”

“Was?” Dan had picked up on that.

“Was,” Peter’s voice went bitter. “Life, is a cruel thing, you know.” He laughed, but it was dark, filled with pain. “He never got the chance to truly shine. Even after everything he’d been through, the one thing he lived for, was taken away from him.” The senior’s fists clenched even tighter, and his eyes seemed to shimmer. It almost looked like Peter was about to cry.

“What happened?” Dan asked softly.

Peter let out a sigh and shook his head. He moved a fist up to his eyes, wiping away tears that had just barely started to show. He offered Dan a half-hearted smile.

“Life.” Peter said simply. “Life, in its cold-hearted way, happened.”

“I don’t,” before Dan could finish, Peter held up a hand, stopping him.

“Allow me to start from the beginning.” Peter sighed. “First, my brother, Paul, is five years older than me.” He started, then stopped. “Well, technically, he’s my half-brother. Which, is where all of his problems start.”

“How so?” Dan asked.

“As I’m sure you could guess, my father is quite the prominent figure. St. Arthurs was actually founded by my Great Grandfather and has been run by family members since. Not only has that greatly benefitted our family, financially, but it has guaranteed we garner and maintain ties to quite, powerful figures. Not only in the US, but abroad as well.”

Dan knew the school was prestigious. He knew attending it would almost instantly guarantee he could get into any college he wanted, as long as he did well in his classes. He hadn’t realized though, that it was family run, nor had he realized Peter’s family had such connections. It was a stark contrast from how carefree Peter seemed.

“Because of the prestige of the school, a certain image is expected of the individual running it.” Peter continued. “There are, certain ideals that need to be upheld.” He scoffed. “And anything that could ruin that public image, is immediately removed from the picture.”

“What’s this have to do with your brother?” Dan hesitantly asked, though he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

“My father had my brother out of wed lock, with a girl he’d met at a party, while he was still in college. She wasn’t from a wealthy family, nor did her family have any sort of prestige. In other words, in the eyes of my Grandparents, she was below the Young family.”

“But, it was your dad’s choice, not-”

“It was an accident. My father did actually like her, but he didn’t love her. He’d just been having a fling, and well, accidents happen.” Peter shrugged. “I don’t know the full details. What I do know though, is Paul’s mother died in childbirth, leaving him without a mother, and my own grandparents wanted nothing to do with him. Paul was a black mark on the family’s honor, and his existence, couldn’t be let out into the world.”

“So what happened?” Dan pressed.

“First, my father made a deal with them. While my grandparents are, old fashioned, my father isn’t a terrible man. He refused to excuse himself from Paul’s life, especially since it would completely orphan the kid. Instead, one of his friends took in Paul, and he paid them a stipend monthly to care for Paul. It also allowed my father to spend time with Paul, and look over him, without directly linking himself to Paul. Because from what I understand, if he’d openly taken Paul in, my grandparents were going to disown my father, and strip from him everything that came with being a Young.”

“Seems pretty messed up.” Dan commented.

“It was.” Peter said. “Trust me, my grandparents are not the types of people you want to cross. Old money has dark pasts and darker secrets, or so I’ve heard my father say more than once. I, try not to think about it. It’s also why I’ve always done my best to live my own life, and follow the path I want.”

“Still, if that was the situation, how’d you get connected with your brother, and how does tennis play into all of this?”

“I was just getting there,” Peter said with a sad smile. “You see, Paul’s adoptive parents loved tennis, and they happened to be club members at Maddie’s club. Once Paul was old enough, they enrolled him in lessons. And, from the way Maddie tells it, he instantly caught the eye of everyone there. A once in a lifetime talent. A prodigy.”

“When I was old enough,” Peter continued, “my father began taking me to learn tennis there as well. At the time, he hadn’t told me Paul was my brother, but still, introduced me to Paul, and the rest of the people at the club. Paul took me under his wing, and began teaching me tennis. He was so cool. Everything he did, I wanted to be able to do.”

Peter’s eyes were watering again. “I wanted to stand with him, as an equal, on the court.” His voice cracked. “And, I pushed myself so hard, to try and catch up with him. I was so focused, on passing him, I didn’t notice, the changes.” He stopped as his voice broke. “I didn’t notice, until it was too late. Until it was clear I’d never get to play against him as an equal.”

“What happened?” Dan pressed.

“He stopped competing after the age of 14. He’d previously been climbing the ranks, taking first in any tournament he played in, and was starting to gain attention. But, all of a sudden, that stopped. Then, he wasn’t showing up to the club as much, and when he did, he seemed paler than normal. I noticed he always had bruises, and his shots, which once bore down on me with crazy levels of power, seemed slower, weaker. Then, he collapsed, in front of me. It had been my birthday…” Peter trailed off, tears falling from his eyes.

“I’d begged him, to play a Set against me. Told him it was all I wanted for my birthday. He’d protested, but finally gave in. And then, halfway through, he simply collapsed.” Peter was crying as he looked at Dan. The senior let out a pained laugh. “Can you believe, that’s the day my father told me Paul was my brother? Apparently, my grandparents had wanted to never let me know. But my father, he knew I cared about Paul, and he felt it only right he tell me the truth. Pretty messed up, yeah?”

Dan didn’t have words for that. He simply shook his head. This was all too close to home for Dan. He was no stranger to that cursed disease. After all, that was what had stolen his mother from him. Just how similar, were he and Peter?

“Any who, Paul, he’s a fighter. The cancer stole his future, it stole from his chances of ever standing on the tennis court again. But he refused to give in. And I refused to let the world take him from me. Even now, seven years since his diagnosis, he’s been fighting. We’ve, been fighting.” Peter said. “Luckily, since we are half-brothers, my bone marrow is a match for him, and it’s helped him stay ahead in the fight. And I’ve been carrying his dream for him. It’s why I’m so focused on becoming the greatest. Not just for myself, but for Paul as well.”

“Is that why you were gone the other week?” Dan asked after a long moment.

“Yeah,” Paul responded. “I was donating more bone marrow and visiting with Paul. He’s still pretty weak. Every time we’ve thought the cancer was beaten; it’s showed up again. The doctors honestly can’t believe he’s still fighting. But, like I said, we refuse to give in. I promised Paul, I would win not just a single major championship, but instead, achieve a Calendar Slam, for him. And he promised he would be there to watch it happen.”

That caused a thought to cross Dan’s mind. Something Peter had told him a while ago, about Peter’s own professional career.

“If that was the promise, why’d you pull yourself out of the US Open last year?”

Peter flinched, and he sighed. “Man, nothing gets by you huh?” Peter lifted up his shirt, to show the faintest scar on his right side.

“Paul’s condition worsened. His kidneys went into failure as a result of the cancer. I pulled myself from the tournament, so I could donate a kidney to him. I feigned an injury, because again, Paul and I’s connection, cannot be disclosed. My grandparents money, my families money and power, is pivotal in keeping Paul alive. Which is why, I need you to understand, this secret, this situation, must stay between us.”

Peter looked at Dan, his eyes pleading, his heart laid bare. “I’m only telling you any of this Dan, because I trust you. To me, you’re someone I want to rely on. You’re someone I care about. As weird as it may be,” Peter smiled, and ruffled Dan’s hair a bit. “I can’t help but think of you as a little brother. And, what can I say, when I saw you in distress, I couldn’t help but feel I needed to do something, anything, to try and help you understand, I’m here for you.”

This time, it was Dan’s turn to cry.