First real crash of my career, and I’d walked away looking like a half-wrapped mummy. Not bad. If nothing else, I had a great story for the team… and one very unflattering video clip for the archives.
CHAPTER 21
OLIVIA
I've been in such a good space lately. Not just because of the matches where I was striking the ball clean, serving with confidence, but because Bianca and I were… well, sisters again. Properly. We’d been messaging every night since, sending silly photos, half-baked jokes, even me begging her to ship me Beijing snacks. It felt like before.
And then, just when I thought I couldn’t be happier about us mending things, she dropped the biggest bomb: Her long time boyfriend, William had proposed. My sister was engaged. The photo came through, her hand stretched out, diamond catching the light, her grin so wide I could almost hear her laugh through the screen.
It was simple, it was constant, and it made me feel like I had her again. Like the one part of my life I thought I’d lost for good had found its way back to me.
“You look annoyingly confident,” Maddie said, side-eyeing me with a grin.
I smirked, toweling off. “Annoyingly?”
“Yeah. Like the kind of confidence that makes the rest of us feel underprepared,” she teased, then softened. “But seriously, you’re playing really well, Liv. It’s good to see you happy on court again.”
I glanced at her, caught off guard by the gentleness. “Thanks. I feel… balanced, I guess. Bianca and I sorting things out probably helped more than I realized.”
She smiled knowingly. “Funny how family stuff can sneak into your game, huh?”
“Massively,” I admitted. “I thought I could just box it all away and focus on tennis, but turns out, nope.”
She nudged me with her shoulder. “Well, whatever you’re doing, keep at it. This is the best I’ve seen you in weeks.”
I let the words settle, warmth prickling at the edges of my chest. It wasn’t just the tennis. It was Bianca, it was finding rhythm again.
Maddie hesitated then, twisting her bottle cap. “There’s… also, well, someone else who’d probably be glad to see you this way too.”
She faltered, lips pressing together. For a second I thought I knew where she was going, and my chest tightened. But she shook her head lightly. “Never mind. Just… keep this energy going, alright?”
I exhaled, grateful she let it drop, even if part of me already knew.
It had been weeks since Alex’s Asia Triathlon Cup. Weeks since I’d found out, quietly, almost by accident that Alex had won gold there, and barely a week later, she did it again in Europe Triathlon Cup, two wins back-to-back. I hadn’t messaged her. I hadn’t dared. But that didn’t stop me from following along, like some silent ghost drifting through the edges of her life.
Her Instagram had practically turned into an energy drink campaign overnight. First came the announcement post: a bright red-and-blue banner behind her and thatunmistakable can in her hand. Then the clips started rolling in.
The strangest part was how it made me feel. Proud, definitely. She was brilliant, even if she’d never admit it out loud. But also… restless. Because the triathlon media had started speaking about her nonstop.
I’d been stalking her account more than I cared to admit, scrolling through every new post, rewatching her race interviews. I caught myself smiling like an idiot at my phone screen. Again.
I caught myself thinking… maybe it would be easier to just risk it. To stop running from how I felt about her. Because keeping it locked away was the real distraction and it was costing me more than I wanted to admit.
“Olivia Smythe,” Maddie’s voice cut through my bubble, sharp and laced with amusement. “If you stare at your phone any longer, I’m calling it a relationship.”
I jumped, snapping the screen dark. “Don’t you knock before barging into people’s thoughts?”
She only smirked, arms folded. “Please. I’ve known that look since juniors. You’ve got it bad.” Then, with zero transition, she tossed a black envelope onto my lap. “Also, before you combust with longing, here’s something that actually needs your attention. Porsche dinner tonight. All their top endorsers will be there. You’re one of the faces.”
I blinked down at the envelope. “Dinner? Tonight?”
“Yes, food, speeches, shiny cars, very expensive suits. You know, the part of sponsorships that isn’t just posting ads on Instagram.” Maddie arched a brow. “And don’t give me the look. This one matters. Porsche pulled strings to gather everyone. That means you charm, you smile, you play nice.”
I sighed, envelope still in hand. “Great. Just what I need, an evening of forced small talk while I’d rather be...”
“Scrolling through Cadiz’s face on your phone?” Maddie interrupted sweetly, clearly delighted at how fast I shut up. “Thought so. Now go shower, put on something they’ll call ‘effortless,’ and don’t be late.”
•••••
