by Jake Maddox
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Middle School
Chapter 2: The Team Roster
Chapter 3: Number Four
Chapter 4: First Match
Chapter 5: Push Yourself
Chapter 6: Intimidation
Chapter 7: Challenging Morgan
Chapter 8: The Big Time
Chapter 9: A True Tiger
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Glossary
Tennis Words You Should Know
Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
Other Books By Jake Maddox
Internet Sites
Copyright
Back Cover
CHAPTER 1
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Alexis Fletcher rolled the tennis ball around in her fingers. She bounced it three times on the court. Then she tossed the ball into the sky.
Whoosh!
Her arm came forward. Her wrist snapped like a whip.
Alexis hit the ball hard. It bounced inside the four straight lines of the service box, just across the net.
The ball quickly sailed past the arm of her opponent. Then it crashed loudly into the fence behind the court.
“Wow! Do that again,” Coach Taylor shouted, walking next to the court.
Alexis tossed another ball up. Whoosh! Again, the ball landed in the service box before bouncing sharply to the left. The other player didn’t have a chance.
As the coach watched, Alexis hit over several more serves. It seemed like her plan to impress Coach Taylor was working.
Coach Taylor was the head coach of the Fairfield Tigers. Today was tryout day for the Tigers high school tennis team.
Alexis was only in seventh grade. She’d thought long and hard about even coming to tryouts.
She had worried that trying out for the high school team while she was in middle school was a mistake. What if the older girls made her look bad?
After several more killer serves, Alexis looked around. Many of the other players were crowded around, watching her.
“Hey Coach. Mind if I step in?” Olivia Hamilton asked, walking over to Coach Taylor. Alexis knew that Olivia was the best player on the team.
“Sure, Olivia,” said Coach Taylor. “Go ahead.”
The tall senior girl trotted onto the court. “Let me see what you’ve got,” Olivia shouted at Alexis.
Alexis took a deep breath. Olivia seemed really tough.
Alexis served the ball toward Olivia, who pulled her racquet back, preparing for a forehand shot.
Olivia made one quick step to her right. She smashed the ball back across the net.
Alexis jerked to her left, but it was too late. She missed.
“Hey, Middle School,” shouted Morgan Gunderson, another senior girl. “No more tricks up your sleeve now that you’ve got some real competition, huh?”
Alexis tried to ignore her new nickname. She took a deep breath and got ready for another serve.
“Same as before, Olivia,” Morgan shouted.
Smash! Alexis served the ball high above her head.
Olivia took a giant step to her right, but the ball whizzed by her racquet and into the fence. The other players hooted and hollered.
“Okay, players,” shouted Coach Taylor. “Bring it in.”
Alexis heard Morgan say, “You’ll get her next time, Olivia.” She patted Olivia on the back and narrowed her eyes at Alexis.
“Good job today, all of you,” said Coach Taylor. “I think this season is going to be great.” She looked at each girl before continuing. “You all should be proud of yourselves,” she said. “I hate to cut anyone, but I have to. So, check the locker room door tomorrow morning for the list of players who made the team. If you didn’t make it this year, I hope to see you back next year.”
The girls jogged off the court. Another player ran up alongside Alexis. “Hi. You’re Alexis, right? I’m Erin. You were amazing out there today.”
“Thanks,” said Alexis.
“No, really, you were great,” Erin said. “Everyone said they’d never seen anything like it.”
Alexis was shocked, and proud. “Really?” she asked shyly.
Erin nodded. “You’re going to make varsity for sure, and you’re only in seventh grade!” she said. “That’s wild. I’ll be happy just to make the ninth-grade team. But varsity? Wow.”
“We’ll see,” said Alexis, smiling.
CHAPTER 2
THE TEAM ROSTER
The next day before school, Alexis’s mom dropped her off at the high school. She couldn’t wait to check the team roster. As she walked toward the locker room, she saw a group of girls gathered outside.
Erin stepped out of the crowd and ran up to Alexis. “Way to go! I told you you’d make varsity!” she said.
Alexis hardly believed her. “Are you sure?” she asked.
Erin nodded, smiling. Alexis let out a deep breath. Her dream to play varsity tennis was coming true!
“What about you?” she asked Erin.
Erin smiled widely. “I made the junior varsity team!” she said.
Just then, Olivia and Morgan walked up. “Step aside, girls,” said Morgan. She waited for a few seconds for the crowd to part. Then she and Olivia walked up to the locker room door.
Olivia and Morgan looked at the team list. When they turned around, neither of them looked happy.
“Middle School!” said Morgan, looking out at the crowd. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Middle School made varsity? Has Coach lost her mind?”
Then she walked over to Alexis and said, “So, I bet you think you’re pretty hot stuff, making varsity when you’re what, ten?”
“I’m 13,” said Alexis.
“Well, good for you,” said Morgan. “You know what you did yesterday? You knocked one of my friends off the team.”
“I’m really sorry,” Alexis said quietly. “I didn’t mean to.” She saw Olivia comforting a girl who had tears in her eyes.
Morgan shook her head. “Oh, you didn’t mean to?” she said angrily. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to you, Rachel will be playing junior varsity. This is her senior year. This was her last chance. And because of you, she’ll never play varsity.”
Alexis felt awful. She didn’t know what to do or say next.
“Are you just going to stand there?” asked Morgan. She stepped even closer to Alexis. Alexis saw Morgan clench her fists.
Olivia raced over. “Come on, Mo,” she said. “It’s not worth it.” She pulled Morgan away. “Let’s go.”
Erin looked at Alexis and said, “Wow, nice way to start the season.”
Olivia looked Alexis in the eyes. Then she shook her head and followed Morgan through the locker room door.
CHAPTER 3
NUMBER FOUR
Before practice that afternoon, Alexis and Erin warmed up together.
“You’re really good, Erin!” shouted Alexis across the net. She hit a backhand shot, reaching across her body to the left to hit the ball.
“Thanks,” said Erin. “I’m better at doubles, though. Then I get to spend a lot of time hitting volleys up at the net. Go ahead. Hit me some.”
Erin went closer to the net. She returned Alexis’s shots, smacking each one back with a crisp, sharp volley.
Alexis was impressed. “Nice,” she said.
“So, are you still worried about Morgan?” Erin asked, continuing to return Alexis’s shots.
“Kind of,” Alexis replied. “She seemed really mad earlier.”
“Forget about her,” Erin said. “She’s just a loudmouth.”
“But is it true?” Alexis asked slowly. “Did I knock Rachel off the team?”
“Well, sort of,” Erin admitted. “But it’
s not your fault. Coach wants the best players to play on varsity, and you’re one of the best.”
Alexis hit a ball hard along the sideline. Erin couldn’t even touch it with her racquet.
“Nice shot,” yelled Erin.
“What about Olivia?” asked Alexis. “She seems okay.”
“She’s nice. I don’t know why she’s friends with Morgan, though,” Erin said. She shook her head.
“She didn’t seem too happy with me being on the team either,” said Alexis.
“Olivia, Morgan, and Rachel planned on being on varsity together this year. Now they aren’t,” Erin said, shrugging.
“Okay, girls. Bring it in!” yelled Coach. The players gathered around the coach. She said, “Welcome to the first practice of the Fairfield Tigers tennis team!”
The girls all clapped. Coach Taylor said, “Congratulations to all of you for making the team. I’m not going to waste any time. I’m going to give you your positions right away, and then let you challenge each other to move up to higher spots during the season.”
Alexis knew what that meant. Each girl would be ranked in order of talent. If someone wanted to get a better rank, she’d have to play for it.
After calling out the varsity doubles teams, Coach Taylor read off the varsity singles positions. “At number four will be Alexis, number three will be Stephanie, number two is Morgan, and number one is Olivia,” she finished, smiling. “Congratulations, Olivia. You’ve earned it. Now make us proud this year.”
“Thanks, Coach,” said Olivia. “I will.”
“Now, about the challenges,” said Coach. “You can make two per week. And you can only challenge the player directly above you in the ranks. You play a one-set match. If the girl with the lower position wins, she moves to the higher position. Simple. Got it?”
All of the players nodded.
“All right then, let’s practice,” Coach Taylor said. “Twenty laps around the courts!”
Alexis couldn’t stop smiling. Number four during her first year on varsity, and as a seventh grader? It was a dream come true.
CHAPTER 4
FIRST MATCH
Two weeks after the Tigers’ first practice, Alexis looked across the net at her opponent. She was playing against a girl from Oak High in the first match of the season.
The first player to win two sets would win the match. Alexis had lost the first set of the match. But in the second set, Alexis had come back to beat her opponent six games to four. Then the match was tied.
So far in the third set, Alexis had won four games to her opponent’s five. She was close to losing the match. Her opponent only needed to win one more game to win the match.
Alexis wished she was serving, but it was the other player’s turn to serve. The player who served always had more control over the outcome of the game. Alexis didn’t like to give up that control, especially when she needed to win this game.
Alexis was ahead. But her opponent came back with two sharp serves. The game was tied.
Alexis was pumped to receive the next serve. She bounced on the balls of her feet and waited. The ball flew across the net and curved directly at her.
In a flash, Alexis took two giant steps backward and hit a shot across the net. It landed at her opponent’s feet. The girl couldn’t hit the ball back.
The score was 30–40. Alexis was one point away from winning the game and tying the set at five games to five.
Alexis got into position to receive the next serve. The ball was up high. Alexis’s eyes got big. She tried to end the game with one shot. But she hit the ball too hard, too flat, and into the net.
Alexis planned to keep the ball in play on the next two points. If she could hit good shots, she could wait for her opponent to make a mistake.
She never had the chance. First, Alexis accidentally hit the ball into the net.
On the next point, her opponent hit a serve so hard that Alexis didn’t even touch it with her racquet. It was an ace.
Just like that, the match was over.
Alexis jogged up to the net. She shook hands with her opponent. Then she left the court.
“Good job,” said Erin, who was waiting on the sidelines. “You almost did it.”
“Yeah,” said Alexis. “But I didn’t even win a game in the first set. I was so nervous.”
“That’s okay,” Erin said. “These girls are tough. Only one girl on varsity has won so far. Junior varsity didn’t win one match.”
“Who’s still playing?” Alexis asked.
“Olivia,” said Erin. “Let’s go watch.”
Olivia was in the middle of a tough match. She was playing against the other team’s number one singles player.
“That girl was on the doubles team that won the state championship last year,” said Erin as she and Alexis neared the court. “She must have switched over to singles this year.”
“Let’s go, Olivia!” yelled Morgan from the sidelines. “Show her what you’ve got!”
“Morgan lost too,” said Erin.
Olivia was amazing to watch. She moved quickly on the court, hitting back nearly everything her opponent could send to her.
“Man, Olivia is good,” said Alexis.
“Tell me about it,” said Erin. “But you’re as good as she is.”
“No way,” Alexis said.
“You are. I can’t wait to see the two of you play,” Erin replied. “When you challenge her for the number one spot.”
Alexis glared at Erin. “Dream on,” she said. “I don’t plan on challenging Olivia.”
Olivia served the ball. When it came sailing back, Olivia smacked it deep into the court. She moved to the net.
Her opponent went for a lob, trying to hit the ball over Olivia’s head. The ball sailed toward Olivia.
Olivia leaped up. She extended her arm for a backhand smash.
It was an extremely tricky shot. To do it right, Olivia had to turn her back to the net, jump as high as she could, and hit the ball above her head and backward.
She did it easily. The ball slammed into the far court and away from her opponent. Olivia had won.
Erin looked at Alexis. “You and Olivia. It’s going to be a good match,” she said.
CHAPTER 5
PUSH YOURSELF
A few weeks later, Rachel challenged Alexis for the last varsity singles spot for the third time. And for the third time, Alexis beat her.
After the match, Alexis went to the end court to grab some water.
“Beat her again?” asked Erin from behind the fence.
“Yeah,” Alexis said.
“Well, don’t act so excited!” Erin said, smiling.
“I kind of feel bad for her,” Alexis admitted. “You know, since she’s a senior and everything. I’d probably hate me too if I was in her shoes.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” said Erin. “Besides, you’re better than she is. That’s clear. What are you going to do, let her win?”
Just then, Coach Taylor yelled, “Alexis! Come over here!”
“Uh oh,” said Erin, laughing. “You’re in trouble.”
Alexis jogged over to the bleachers and sat down next to her coach.
“How are things going?” asked Coach Taylor. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yeah,” said Alexis. “I love playing tennis. And it’s really cool to be on varsity.”
“Good,” Coach Taylor said. “You’re a very talented player.”
“Thanks,” Alexis said.
The coach looked out at the courts. “So, Alexis. When do you plan to challenge Stephanie for the number three spot?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Alexis replied. “I’m happy being number four. I think that’s a good spot for me.”
“But Alexis, you and I both know you’re better than that,” Coach Taylor said. Her voice was serious. She went on, “The only reason I put you at number four was because I wanted to see you earn a higher ranking. But now I’m a little disappointed.”
; “Oh,” Alexis said. She felt awful. “I’m sorry, Coach.”
Coach Taylor relaxed a little. “Don’t be sorry. Just push yourself. I want to see you push yourself, and you aren’t.”
“But I’m only in seventh grade!” Alexis said. “I’m happy just being on the team.”
“That’s not good enough for me, Alexis,” Coach Taylor told her. “I want to see you be your best.”
“But Coach, the older players can’t stand me already. If I start challenging them, they’ll really hate me,” Alexis said.
Coach Taylor shook her head. “That’s their problem, not yours,” she said. “Did you know that Morgan beat two seniors her sophomore year to earn the number three spot?”
“No,” Alexis admitted. “I had no idea.”
“She’s been there. So have the other girls,” Coach Taylor said. She smiled at Alexis. “Just tell me you’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” Alexis said finally. “I’ll challenge Stephanie.”
CHAPTER 6
INTIMIDATION
At practice the next week, Alexis and Erin hit ground strokes back and forth across the net.
“Nice match with Stephanie the other day,” said Erin. “You creamed her. I’m so glad you decided to start making some challenges for a higher rank. Now everyone will really be able to see what you can do.”
Alexis ran down a ball in the corner and hit it back to Erin.
“It’s not a big deal,” said Alexis. “I really just want to play tennis.”
“Are you sure about that?” Erin asked, smiling. “You’re challenging Morgan today for the number two spot, aren’t you? Something tells me you want to do a little more than just play tennis.”
“Be quiet and hit the ball, would you?” Alexis said with a laugh.
Erin hit a shot that pushed Alexis behind the baseline, which marked the end of the court. Alexis stepped back and hit the ball.