Love Match (4 page)

“Was she really that bad?” Renee asked with concern in her voice. Renee and Nicole had been friends and roommates since before Maya came to the Academy. Technically they were still friends even though Renee didn't like all the stuff Nicole had put Maya through.

“No, actually. It was a good game. It's just …” Maya was about to say something about Nicole's wrist but decided against it. Gossip was a powerful weapon at the Academy. If Nicole
was hiding an injury, there were definitely people who would use that information to their benefit. Maya trusted that Cleo and Renee would keep any secret she told them in confidence, but she didn't want to run the risk. There was enough tension between her and Nicole. She didn't need to add more.

Once it became clear that Maya wasn't going to finish her thought, Renee bounced up off the squeaky springs of Cleo's bed. She reached for the small pink box she'd brought with her.

“I got something to celebrate your homecoming.” Renee lifted the lid, unveiling a trio of red velvet cupcakes with fluffy white frosting. “They're Vegan Velvet cupcakes, from that new café by the villas. The healthiest cupcakes outside of California.”

“‘Healthy cupcakes' is an oxymoron,” Cleo said, eyeing the small pastries skeptically.

“Just try it!” Renee prompted.

Cleo sneered at the cupcake as she lifted it out of the box.

Maya was suspicious of them also, but she smiled politely as she took her own. It smelled okay and certainly looked and felt like a cupcake. But she was with Cleo on the idea of healthy cupcakes. What was the point?

Renee had enough enthusiasm for all of them. She raised her cupcake into the air as if she was giving a toast. “To victory,” she said. “Whether or not you actually won.”

“To victory,” Maya and Cleo echoed as they “clinked” their cupcakes together.

Maya pulled at the wrapping and took a small, tentative bite. The burst of flavor on her tongue was immediate and intense. The Vegan Velvet cupcake was disgusting. The dry
cake sat in her mouth like a stone. She was too afraid to swallow it and spread the horrifying taste through her body.

Cleo spit her mouthful of cake into a tissue without bothering to hide what she was doing. She'd taken out half the cupcake in one bite and wasn't shy about retching from the taste. “Oh my God, that's awful!”

Cleo shoved the box of tissues in front of Maya. She didn't want to be rude to Renee, but she had to get that taste out of her mouth. Maya took a couple of tissues and deposited the slightly chewed bit of cupcake into them, before smiling shyly at Renee. “Sorry.”

Renee shrugged it off, putting down her own cupcake. She hadn't bitten into it yet. “If I'm going to cheat on my diet, I'll wait for a tastier treat.”

Cleo finished chugging the energy drink she'd grabbed out of the tiny dorm fridge, then turned her attention to Renee's laptop. “Doesn't look like you saved any of my articles.”

Renee blushed. “Well …”

“It's okay,” Cleo said. “I already saw them.”

“Oh, Cleo.” Maya had read them, too. Even though Cleo had come in first at the Savannah Junior Golf Invitational, no one had written about her game.

“It's not the first time people have commented on my look,” Cleo said. “I get stares all the time in class.”

Maya had stared the first time she met Cleo, but mainly because she thought her new roommate had committed a bloody murder. In truth, she'd just been coloring her hair red. That was several weeks and at least three different hair colors ago.

Cleo now rocked purple highlights on one half of her head while the other half was black, spiky hair growing back in. It had been completely shaved when Maya had met her. Combine that with the leather skirt and red tank top Cleo had worn during the Invitational and it gave the bloggers something to blog about.

Cleo typed something into the browser and handed the laptop over to Maya and Renee. “Grant Adams is the worst.”

She'd brought up a page titled: “Adams Addresses the Ball.” The headline of the top article read: “The Death of the Gentleman's Game.” It was one of the stories Maya had read on the trip home. And it was horrible.

Maya closed the computer. She couldn't bring herself to read it again. It was all about how Cleo was disrespecting the sport by refusing to dress “normal.” As if a sport known for men wearing awful plaid pants knew anything about normal.

“Honestly, though,” Cleo said. “I kind of like it.”

“Sports marketing is all about branding these days,” Renee agreed. “You could promote yourself as the Death of the Gentleman's Game.”

Maya was horrified. “Renee!”

“What?” Renee asked. “As long as they're talking about you, it doesn't matter what they're saying.”

Maya doubted that Nicole would agree, considering what was being said about her coming out of the Ontario Open. “Who is Grant Adams, anyway?” Maya asked. “He writes like he swallowed an etiquette guide from the nineteenth century. Is he for real?”

Cleo shrugged. “More or less. He's like the most conservative voice in a conservative game. I always expected he'd hate me. No biggie.”

Cleo wasn't fooling Maya. There was no question the girl was strong, but being bullied online sucked no matter who you were.

Renee didn't seem fooled either, because as soon as there was a lull in the conversation, she changed the subject. “Let's hit the Underground.”

Maya picked up her history textbook. “I'd love to, but I have a ton of homework to catch up on.”

Cleo took the book out of Maya's hand and dropped it on her bed. “Maya, you just got back from a huge tournament.”

“It wasn't
that
huge.”

“Maya, you just got back from a
midsize
tournament,” Cleo said. “Manjarrez will let you slide for a couple days. These articles about the tournament are a ‘get out of homework free' card.”

“You haven't gone out in weeks,” Renee said.

“I've been practicing,” she insisted.

“You've been avoiding,” Renee insisted right back.

Maya didn't have to ask what her friend was talking about. She knew. And she didn't want to discuss it.

“Look,” Cleo said. “This isn't up for discussion. I've still got the taste of Vegan Velvet cupcake in my mouth. It's going to take some real food to get rid of it. Besides, I just won the Junior Invitational. There are some people whose faces I need to rub my victory in. You're not going to deprive me of that, are you?”

Maya was stuck. She had been avoiding places like the Underground for the past few weeks. Basically, she'd stayed away from anyplace she might run into
them
.

But Maya was tired of hanging in her dorm room when she wasn't on the court. She also didn't want to stop Cleo from having the fun she so totally deserved in light of her win. Part of her wanted to watch Cleo as she reveled in that victory.

And part of her hoped she might run into the guys she'd been working so hard to avoid.

Even though it was late on a Sunday night, Maya knew the Underground would be packed. It was the best hangout on campus and nobody ventured off school grounds on the last night of the weekend because of early Monday-morning training sessions.

Everyone was going to be there. Which meant
they
were going to be there. No doubt about it. Maya hadn't worked up the nerve to walk through the front door yet, and her friends were starting to notice.

“How many shoes do you have down there?” Cleo asked. “It's sure taking a long time to tie them.”

Maya finally stood. “Sorry. Just want to make sure everything is good and tight.”

“Uh-huh,” Cleo said, nodding. She wasn't buying it.

Maya couldn't hide behind her training any longer. The Ontario Open was over. Sure, the Skyborne Cup was coming up and there would be another tournament after that. Tennis didn't have an off-season like other sports. But that wasn't the
point. She couldn't hide from her life anymore. No matter how much it improved her game.

Maya took a breath and started to cross the small parking lot with Cleo and Renee by her side. “I can do this,” she said to no one in particular.

“Of course you can,” Renee replied.

Cleo let out a snort of sarcasm. “Yes, I believe you can manage—Look out!”

A car horn blared. Tires screeched. And a cobalt-blue Audi R8 swung into the parking spot Maya was about to cross in front of.

“Hey!” she yelled, jumping back with her friends. It took all her control not to fall back on her butt. Her legs strained as she gave her muscles an even more intense workout than she'd had in the game.

The driver's window went down and a perfectly manicured hand waved backward at them. “Sorry. Wanted to get that spot before anyone else.”

Maya didn't recognize the car, but she knew the voice. Nicole's direct flight must have gotten in early.

Nicole liked to celebrate her victories with a major purchase. This was the second car she'd bought in the little time that Maya had known her. She probably had to keep winning tournaments to have any money in her bank account.

Maya wondered how it was possible that she had the time to buy it. She must have preordered the car before the tournament and had it waiting for her when she got off the plane.

“You like?” Nicole stepped out onto the asphalt in a slinky
blue dress that matched the car's paint job. She was way over-dressed for the Underground.

“Starting your fleet?” Cleo quipped.

“I traded the Aston in,” she said. “It hasn't been running right since it got that ding in the side panel.”

Maya rolled her eyes. She used to be embarrassed by that ding, which she had caused. But Nicole was being ridiculous. The barely noticeable flaw was minor cosmetic damage. On the other hand, Maya was glad that Nicole had not decided to sue. She could see the drama queen taking things to that level.

“See you inside,” Nicole said with a fake smile before turning on her silver heels and sauntering into the club.

The three girls stood in the parking lot, unsure of whether to let loose with some snark or laugh. They just shook their heads in unison and followed. At least it would be easier for Maya to slip in unnoticed. Nicole always made a grand entrance, especially coming off a win.

Nicole was already surrounded by the time they walked into the Underground. Maya had been right. The place was packed. People were even sitting on the pool tables to make room. Everyone else seemed to be making his or her way over to Nicole to congratulate her.

“Guess nobody here agrees with those articles about her win not being a real victory,” Maya suggested.

“Hey, a win is a win,” Cleo said. “Especially when you have a chance to buddy up to that winner.”

Some girl standing by Nicole shouted, “Maya!” and heads turned her way. Maya didn't recognize the girl, but that didn't
matter. Several of Nicole's acolytes peeled off, making their way to Maya.

Hands reached out to high-five her as shouts and cheers of congratulations reached Maya. It felt good. And weird. But mostly, it was uncomfortable since Cleo was standing right next to her and she'd actually won the Invitational.

Maya had no doubt where her sudden fame came from.
Everyone
followed Nicole King news. Maya was just caught up in her orbit. She felt better when some of the golf students pushed their way through the crowd to greet Cleo.

Being the center of attention was unusual for Maya. Which was probably why she was so focused on her friends. Once Cleo was taken care of, Maya noticed that Renee was busy flirting with some random guys. Maya didn't worry too much about her, though. Renee was always the center of attention when guys were around.

Strange hands continued to reach out to Maya and she made sure to connect with each one. She knew how it felt to be ignored when she was one of those hands. But making eye contact was a little too much. Who were these random people who didn't care about her a week ago? What did they want from her now?

As the hands withdrew, Maya took in the rest of the club. She tried very hard to not look like she was searching for someone.

Jake was at a small table in the corner with some girl Maya didn't know. Even sitting, the girl looked tall. Like, basketball player tall. But she could have been into any sport, really. Maya was tall, too. Maybe that was Jake's type.

Maya didn't want to be jealous. She was the one who had called it off between them. The breakup came as a result of Jake's actions, but Maya was the one who had made the decision.

In what was either a huge misunderstanding or, more likely, an evil plot, Jake had slept with Nicole. It came about after a lie Nicole had told him about Maya, but that wasn't the point. He gave up on Maya too easily. That made it easier for her to give up on him.

Easier, but not easy.

At least he wasn't one of the people coming over to congratulate her. He was so into his private conversation that he probably didn't even notice she was there. As much as Maya wanted to believe that Jake was giving her the space she needed, it was far more likely that he was just trying to get lucky.

When Maya saw yet another set of fingers reaching for her out of the corner of her eye, she raised her hand, expecting another congratulatory slap. She didn't actually pay attention until the strong hand gently grasped hers and wouldn't let go.

“Wha—Travis!” Unlike his brother, Travis Reed hadn't hesitated to reach out to her, literally and metaphorically.

“Congrats, Maya,” Travis said. “I saw the blogs. You're the talk of the tennis world.”

“I didn't even win,” she said.

“You won in the court of public opinion,” Travis said. “That's all that matters.” Then he hugged her. It was the friendly kind of hug, nothing more. But it still made Maya uncomfortable. She wondered if she would have minded if the Reed brother hugging her had been Jake.