The gossip mill was working overtime around the training center. Everyone had expected me to fall apart after everything that happened. Instead, I pulled off a comeback that made people do double takes. I won two matches in a row with scores that left no room for doubt.
But when it came to facing Rosalind, most people still bet on me losing. The chatter outside the courts did not rattle me at all. If anything, it sharpened my focus during practice. Every swing sent the ball exactly where I wanted it to go. My toughest opponent had always been myself anyway.
My indifference bored the gossips after a while. They soon wandered off to find more interesting drama. The ball machine fired serves at me nonstop and I returned each one with precision. Then Rosalind appeared unexpectedly at the edg
