Selene’s head tilted to the side, a sad expression across her face. “I didn’t want to psych you out before Wimbledon. I was hoping if you did well, then we’d be able to drum up some more sponsorships.” Her voice softened, almost apologetic.
I’d signed with her eight years ago when I was seventeen. She’d managed my entire professional career. Through the highs and the lows, Selene had always been by my side.
Selene paused for a moment, calculating her words. “The supplement brand, SmartServe Gummies, is still interested.”
“No,” I said firmly.
“It’s a good deal,” she pressed. “It’s youronlyoffer.”
“They are frauds,” I said. “These supplements can’t do anything that they claim.”
“Inés...” she said. “Without a sponsor, it’s going to make paying for all of this incredibly difficult.”
Her words hung in the air like a weight. I clenched my fists under the table, thinking of the growing pile of medical bills, the money I’d been sending home to my family, and my quickly dwindling bank account.
Mi familia.The thought wrapped around me tightly.This was supposed to be for them, but all it did was take me farther and farther from home.
“How much longer can I survive? I’ll work with anyone.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Almostanyone.”
“Months. If that. And that’s not including any future medical bills you might have.” Her words cut me like a knife. “And that’s with the bare-minimum team. You know how quickly these expenses add up.”
She was right. Between my coach, a hitting partner, fitness trainer, physiotherapist, nutritionist, sports psychologist, and theentirePR team who handled the huge task of my social media, keeping everyone on really added up. I couldn’t even blame them for being expensive. Each person was a cog in the fragile machine of my career.
I was lucky I didn’t outright pay Selene. But then again, a slice of nothing didn’t really come to much.
“Are there really no other options?”
She shook her head. “We can try to drum up something you’re happier with. Let’s go over your schedule for the next few days.”
“I’m supposed to be out in the Hamptons with my friends; there’s a charity tennis event.”
I’d been dying to get away. A long weekend of friends, sun and beach. It felt like my first opportunity to unwind all year. While I’d been keeping Henrik at arm’s length since he started dating Chloe, it would be nice to have some extended time to reconnect without her around. I’d missed our friendship.
Selene looked brighter at my information. “Okay, that could be some good press. Who are you going with?”
“Henrik will be there. And Scottie, Dylan, their partners...”
“They both are really popular at the moment. The media is obsessed with Scottie and her brand.”
I swallowed my discomfort at boiling down one of my closest friends to her social media metrics. “Yeah, we’ve known each other for a while.”
“Do you think you could get them to tag you in their socials? Maybe you can increase your visibility; you never know what offers might come in from being around them.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t like the idea of using my friends like that.”
Even saying it made my stomach churn. They’d been there for me during some of my worst moments. It felt wrong to use them for something like this.
“Ask them. I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out,” she pushed.
“Technically, they’d be helping their competition,” I pointed out, hoping it was enough of a counter argument to end this.
“And theirfriend,” Selene stressed. “The best you can do is ask. I know Scottie has a big sponsorship with ELITE, but Dylan has a few different ones. It could even be as much as catching their attention or upping your follower count.” She clearly read the remaining discomfort across my face. “It’s this or the gummies.”
“Fine, I’ll try it,” I reluctantly agreed. My mind raced, already dreading how I’d frame this task without sounding desperate. “Who are ELITE moving on to anyway?”
Selene shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but I’ve heard it’s a huge launch they are doing in the next few days. I thought maybe Jasmine Carter or Ruari Reilly but only time will tell.”
I sighed, resigning myself to the ruthlessness of the industry.
