Nolan hit it back easily.
Deliberately keeping my paddle too close to me, the ball sailed past me and onto the floor.
Nolan grinned. Already overconfident.
Yeah, you keep on smiling,I told him silently.
Parker scooped up the ball and tossed it to Nolan.
Grinning at me like I might as well give up right now, Nolan placed an easy serve over the net, which I returned.
He blinked, surprised I'd managed to do that much. I considered pretending to miss again, but I didn't want to get too many points behind.
I flicked the ball back over the net, right to the edge of the table. Too close for him to hit it back.
"Beginner's luck," I said. "I bet I could never do that again."
Of course I could. And I did, for the rest of the game and the game after that.
He managed to score a couple of points off me, but in the end I took the match in under thirty minutes.
In the corner of my eye, I caught Logan and Bruno both clapping. Sanun was sitting lower in his seat, watching me like I was now his mortal enemy, which I guessed was accurate.
"Nice fake-out," Hunter told me. He grinned at Nolan, who backed away a couple of steps, but couldn't avoid the bullet that went straight into his brain.
I closed my eyes and flinched, but forced myself to open them again and look.
If I hadn't won, that would be me on the floor. I had to remember that. I couldn't lose sight of it for a second during this entire Tournament. The minute I did, I'd be done for.
I placed the paddle back down on the table and returned to my seat between the two men.
"Good job, baby," Logan said. "I figured you might be a dark horse."
"It's those boots," Bruno said. "Anyone who wears boots like that has to be a badass."
My gaze went to Sanun. His despair was almost palpable. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure if he'd be down for it. If I could convince all three of them, we might just make it through.
"Next up is—" Hunter called out.
Another pair of opponents approached the table. Then another. And another.
The next couple of hours became a blur of ping pong and death. Death and ping pong. The room held the tangy smell of blood and sweat.
Logan, Bruno, and Sanun all won their matches, each playing in their own unique style.
Logan hit the ball aggressively, smashing it across the table.
Bruno was a bit more subtle, dancing back and forth as he put the ball exactly where he wanted it.
As for Sanun, he barely moved, somehow flicking the ball with the slightest movement of his wrist. Each time barely making it above the net, but somehow, always out of reach of his opponent.
All three of them were going to be very dangerous for the rest of The Tournament.
I was counting on it.
FOUR
BRUNO
