“I prefer Mere; you’re the only one who’s ever called me that.”
He perks up. “Yeah? Not even that prick?” Prick being what Noah now prefers to call Vance.
I swallow hard. “Baby was his preference.” And then I decide to change the subject before we can focus on this. “Are you seriously getting excited because calling me Mere when no other boyfriend has is...what? Like one-upping those ex-boyfriends or something?”
“In a way, yeah. It’s kind of in my nature to be competitive and be the best. Considering you’re the most important person in my life, that part is amplified. I want to be your best everything.”
“Aw, you’re such a fucking sap, Rams,” I hear Marc say in the background before he starts laughing.
“Shut the hell up.” To me, he says, “Sorry. Text me, okay?”
“I will,” I promise.
“And Mere?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ll do great.”
I sure hope so. It could be what I end up doing for the rest of my life.
“I’m sticking you with the freshmen because you can’t possibly make them any worse,” Erica tells me.
Gail shoots her a stern look. “That was uncalled for. Your personal issues with her need to stay out of this.” So, I guess Gail now knows why Erica didn’t want to hire me. Gail turns to me with a sympathetic smile. “This is my last week, so observe today. Feel free to interact with the girls and ask any questions. I’ll help you learn the ropes.” Erica walks out of the room before she can finish. “Sorry. She was really hoping she and Noah could work through their problems. You’re an easy person to direct her anger toward. She’ll come around.”
I nod, but I don’t believe her. True to her word, I shadow at first. Gail and I get the baskets of balls out onto the court as well as a few ball feeding machines. By the time we finish, Erica joins us and girls slowly file onto the courts. Gail is telling me their names as they arrive and checks them off on a clipboard.
“O.M.G! You’re Meredith Quick!” a girl, Carrie, screams so loudly, I struggle not to wince. It’s like everyone suddenly notices me and swarms in on me.
“Girls, girls,” Gail says, and they quiet down. “Meredith is my replacement.”
“No way!”
“Seriously!”
“This is awesome!”
The chorus of excitement helps me relax a little until a girl near the back asks, “Are you going to rally with us?”
“Don’t be stupid, Kira. She had a career-ending injury. If she can’t play in the pros, how can she rally?” Carrie snaps at her with a roll of her eyes. It’s tempting to correct her because I’m still holding onto hope that I can continue with my career versus continuing with my backup plan.
“Watch it,” Gail warns. “Meredith will not rally unless she feels as if she can. She’s going to be a great asset in teaching you how to play, for those of you ne
w to the game, and bettering the skills of those who are more familiar.”
“Why did you and Vance Powers break up?” Carrie asks.
Gail jumps to my rescue once again. “Personal questions like that have no place in practice. If you wouldn’t ask me or Erica about our relationships, then you don’t ask Meredith. She’s a coach and questions will be about tennis. Got it?”
Their heads nod in agreement.
“Good. Someone lead the stretches and then run your laps.”
The girls disperse. This is going to take some getting used to. While they do as they were told, I learn that some of these girls have never played before. Erica usually works with the top-seeded girls while Gail works with those new to the sport. I expect Gail to throw me in head first, but she gives me another assignment.
“Watch the girls as they rally. All of them. Take notes, so we can help them improve. As a fellow player and having never watched them before, you may see something we don’t.” She hands me a clipboard with a pen and paper. “I’ve listed the courts and the girls’ names, so we’ll know who you’re talking about while you’re learning names. They’ll practice with the ball feeder later and I’ll have them call out their name the first time through, so you can make a new list.”
It’s easy enough, but also interesting to watch and critique the way someone else is playing. I’m used to being the person who gets critiqued. One girl who seems to have the most trouble and the least amount of help from anyone is Kira, the girl who asked if I would rally. After I have, hopefully, plenty of notes, I find Gail.