Work Text:
This last match on the tennis court would end in a decisive victory for one or the other.
Elisa and Sarah stood on one side of the net, with their opponents Tyrone and Eva on the other. The latter two had done extremely well in the trials against other teams. Now was the real test of strength to see if they were worthy of becoming champions. For Elisa, it had become a test of endurance.
Elisa and Eva approached the net, exchanging fierce determined glances. Determination to defend the champion title and determination to lay claim to victory. Eva glared down at Elisa and smirked, hoping to intimidate her with her imposing height. Elisa, however, looked unfazed, but then again that was how she normally looked.
“You look like you want to say something,” said Elisa. “Spit it out.”
Eva chuckled. “What’s there to say, other than I want to win? I can’t wait for that to happen.”
“Well, I can’t wait to wipe that smirk off your face.” Elisa took out a tennis ball from her pocket. “Hmph. Let’s begin this, shall we?”
The two of them walked away from the net. Lots of people were sitting in the bleachers, but to Elisa, this match just felt like any other. People were cheering her on to win.
These are just normal opponents that I can beat, Elisa thought.
She served the ball high into the air, and with a hit from her racket, the match had officially begun.
The tennis ball zoomed past everyone on the court. The rally seemed to go on for forever. Both teams ran across the court as fast as they could to return the ball. The loud thwack from the rackets echoed.
It seems like Eva was not overestimating how much her team can do, Elisa thought.
“Look out!” Sarah warned her.
Before Elisa could react, the tennis ball flew past her and landed on the court. She panted hard from running and swinging as the announcer updated the score.
“So they plan to tire us out and smash the ball,” said Elisa. “We have to end these rallies as quickly as we can.”
Both teams witnessed their strengths and weaknesses as they blocked incoming shots and saved the ball. The score was updated back and forth between them. Now, both teams were tied, with one more rally to win the game.
“Come on, Elisa, we can do this! We just have to hold out for a bit longer!” Sarah encouraged her.
“We won’t lose here.” Elisa’s voice carried a tone of certainty that motivated her. She gripped onto her racket tightly.
The last rally of the game began. Her focus was at an all-time high. Elisa returned every serve to the other side of the net. Eva was just as determined as her to win. With both of them up close by the net, they could see how determined they were for that ball to land on the opposing side of the court. It was like a life and death situation where if one were to win, the other would leave defeated in shame. They would do anything to win. At the moment, their teammates did not matter.
It all happened so quickly, yet so slow at the same time.
As the ball reached Eva’s racket, nothing could have prepared Elisa for what was about to happen next.
A wink. A simple wink of the eye.
Elisa froze in place, entranced by its bewitching charm. She could feel her focus slipping away as Eva prepared to swing her racket.
How she winked at me… there’s something about her that makes her feel special. I can’t describe it at all, Elisa thought.
All it took was one loud thwack to bring her back into her senses. Before she knew it, she smashed the ball into the other side of the court.
And how she returned that ball… she looked so graceful doing it.
“And that’s the game!” The announcer’s voice boomed on the loudspeaker.
Elisa saw Sarah run up to the net and congratulate the other team for a worthwhile game. Nevertheless, that feeling of being entranced still lingered in Elisa. It overcame her feelings of being accomplished like a crashing wave. What was it about that wink that made her stop and lose precious milliseconds of reaction time? Was it that she never expected to be subtly taunted at before the end of a match? Or was it Eva’s form and figure and how graceful she looked serving the ball?
Or was it… no, it can’t be. I’m being delusional. She just wanted to rub it in, Elisa thought. She saw Eva approach her and dismissed the thought.
“You may have won this time, but I swear by it I will beat you someday,” said Eva.
“Good luck with that,” Elisa said curtly before leaving the court.
Little did she know it, but their self-proclaimed rivalry began on that day.
…
Worrying about keeping her tennis champion title from Eva meant that Elisa also had to worry about keeping her vice champion title in boxing.
Most of the opponents she fought were pushovers anyway. It was imperative to her that she would defend her title at all costs in a male-dominated sport such as boxing.
Well, that was one of her reasons. The true reason was quite selfish.
Being the vice champion meant that she could act as some kind of protector for Matt. If she were to lose, then she would believe that his downfall would’ve been her fault.
The other reason was so she could brag about being the best woman in boxing. That also meant other women sought for that title as well.
And one of those women happened to be Eva.
Both women stood in the boxing ring, ready to fight. The people in the crowd cheered for their names. Ever since that tennis match, more people started to root for them.
“So, you can beat up your tennis partner in a fight,” said Elisa.
“I can say the same for you,” said Eva. “Tyrone wasn’t holding back at all. Now, I ask the same for you. Come at me with all you’ve got.”
The bell rang, indicating the start of the match.
The crowd was mesmerized by their evasive maneuvers, which was a spectacle to behold on its own. Their punches, hard as steel, bruised their arms as they defended themselves. Every punch knocked out a bit of their strength. As Elisa landed one final, clean hit on Eva, she was knocked down to the ground.
“One, two, three,” the announcer continued to count down, “four, five, six, seven—.”
Eva stood back up, although it took all of her strength to do so. It didn’t take long for Elisa to knock her out again. The countdown played in full.
“Knockout!” the announcer called out.
Elisa watched Eva weakly grab onto the railing for support. At this point, all she wanted to do was wipe that smirk off her face at any chance she got. Whether it was in boxing, tennis, anything that would give her the pleasure of seeing this woman in defeat.
Though it was quite disheartening to see that Elisa was ranked as the worst player in baseball. Luckily for her, Matt was also on her team, so that made her feel less awful about being inferior to Eva. They could struggle together, and it wouldn’t be so bad, right?
Alright Eva, I’ll let you beat me in baseball, just this once, Elisa thought as she threw a ball.
…
News of a sports resort being opened on Wuhu Island spread far and wide. They promised to offer new sports like basketball and table tennis. All sports athletes were invited and were even offered to live there. Three years had passed since then.
Like all of the other athletes, Elisa was optimistic to try out the sports there. Sure, it was nice maintaining the title of a tennis champion for three years, but it wouldn’t hurt to get out of her comfort zone. Maybe she would find another sport she would be really good at. Like table tennis.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
No matter what sport she played, Elisa found out she was average or the worst of the worst. She ranked pretty low on basketball and table tennis. The latter came off as a huge surprise as she performed rather poorly in matches. People were confused how the champion of tennis could play terribly in a similar sport. Elisa convinced herself that she would get better with time.
But compared to Sarah, she felt like she was getting nowhere despite being proud of her.
Eva, however, felt like a force to be reckoned with.
She ranked consistently high on most sports and even earned herself the title of vice champion of basketball. And she happened to be on Tommy’s team, so she technically counted as a champion.
So she did fulfill her promise after all, Elisa thought while rallying a ball in a game of table tennis. Jealousy surged deep within her. Why do I feel inferior to you? Why should you be the one that’s getting better every day? Why should I be the one that’s struggling? It’s not supposed to be like this!
The ball bounced off the table as Elisa lost yet another game.
Why, just why? Am I really getting that worse?
…
These past few days had been insufferable for Elisa. Her mind was too preoccupied to the point it was all she could think about. She played terribly (although terribly was her average performance nowadays), but she also became more irate to the rest of the champions. Every so often she would say something out of turn and when she was bombarded with questions, Elisa would brush them off and say that was how she normally acted. It didn’t help that this was the new champions’ first impression of her. She felt bad, especially for Matt and Sarah.
All of this to cover up her immense jealousy for Eva was taking a toll on her.
Eva.
Even her name was like an intoxicating poison to her mind.
Eva.
How she managed to look stunning and captivate Elisa with her makeup and hairstyle was a mystery to her.
Eva.
Her mannerisms outside of sports were so different compared to how she was three years ago.
Eva.
Eva.
Eva.
I’ve got to stop thinking about that woman, Elisa thought. Why is it so hard for me to do it? I blame that tennis match from years ago.
She recalled how she was given the opportunity to see her up close. She saw how she played and how she acted. How she winked and how she swung her racket. Her sickly sweet voice echoed in her mind. How that managed to stay fresh in her mind for three years straight was a surprise.
There was something about her that made her seem… charming. Charming in a way that felt indescribable to Elisa no matter how she felt. Her heart fluttered at the thought of her.
The realization hit her harder than anything Elisa could’ve imagined.
She had only one thing on her mind. She was going to confront Eva about it.
…
Elisa arrived at the basketball court late at night. As expected, Eva was there with the entire team. Elisa watched through the chain link fence until the game ended. The opposing team parted ways by then. Eva noticed Elisa’s presence, who took it as a cue to enter the court. With every step she took, Elisa tried her best to maintain her composure.
“Elisa,” said Eva, “I wasn’t expecting you to show up here. Here to cheer us on?”
“Hey,” Elisa directed her attention to Tommy and Tyrone, “can you two leave for a moment? I’ve got something important to talk about with Eva.”
“Sure thing,” said Tommy. “See you later you two. Go have fun with your lady talk.”
Elisa and Eva watched Tommy and Tyrone leave the basketball court. Soon, it was just them that remained.
“Lady talk? What’s this all about?” Eva asked, perplexed by the sudden discussion. She gasped. “Wait, don’t tell me. You’re here to admit that I’m finally better than—.”
“Don’t forget who can beat you up in a fight,” Elisa interjected sternly, her words containing as much power as her punches.
“And don’t forget who can cut you down.” Eva’s scathing remark was as sharp as a blade, perfect for someone who was a professional at swordplay.
“Hmph, I still see your haughtiness has not left you. Although,” Elisa started, “I’ll admit that you are better than me. I won’t deny it.”
“So, what are you here for then?”
“Eva, please bear with me here. I want you to promise me you’ll keep it a secret from everyone.”
“A secret?” Eva took note of Elisa’s serious expression. She nodded in response.
The predicament they were put in felt all too familiar. Just the two of them in their own little bubble. No Tommy or Tyrone or anyone else. Just them.
It feels like that tennis match with you, Elisa thought.
“Eva, I’ve come to realize that…”
Now was the moment of truth. With every passing moment, Elisa felt like she was becoming undone from the inside. It became more difficult to keep it together. She felt like a worn out piece of thread that was about to snap at any moment.
The thread was cut in two pieces.
“… I like women.”
The truth had stunned both of them even though Elisa had suspected it. Still, saying it out loud felt unreal.
“To be honest, I was envious of you,” Elisa explained. “You worked so hard to be good at everything. You strived to become a champion and you did it, sort of. I saw you as my rival and wanted to beat you at everything. Was I a good rival in your eyes?”
“Yeah. You seemed like you were the best at most things to me. Finally beating you at something was an accomplishment for me,” said Eva.
“Well, there’s something else too.” Elisa broke eye contact and looked down, becoming more flustered. “There’s something I’ve always thought about you. Remember when we played against each other in tennis?”
“How can I? It was my first time playing against you.”
“When you winked at me, I think something stirred inside me. I know you were going to rub in your supposed victory, but that did the opposite. Whatever it was, I don’t think I was the same after that.” Elisa’s face flushed red like a tomato. “And seeing you up close, I realize you’re one of the most stunning people I’ve ever met. You look so pretty with that hair and makeup. And you also feel unattainable. To me, you’re the charm and allure of Wuhu Island.”
Eva was left speechless as she tried finding the right words. “Elisa, I’m flattered… and flabbergasted. You really think that? And what about Matt? I thought you liked him.”
“I still like Matt that way. The funny thing is I tried so hard to keep my vice champion title so I could be close to him. And so I could prove I was better than you.” Elisa chuckled. She could feel her confidence coming back.
“But Elisa, I’m still confused on one thing,” said Eva. “Why are you telling me this? I understand you see me as your rival, but wouldn’t it make more sense to tell Sarah? You know, your tennis partner you’re also close to?”
“Because,” Elisa made eye contact again, “you made me realize I like women.”