Chapter 1: Introduction
The sun was a blazing orb in the cloudless sky, its rays reflecting off the diamond-hard surface of the tennis court like a thousand tiny, blinding stars. The air was thick with the scent of newly cut grass and the faint, lingering burn of sunscreen. Sweat dripped from my forehead, stinging my eyes and making my grip on the racket slippery. But I loved it—the feeling of the ball connecting with the strings, the gentle smack of it hitting the court, the satisfying grunt from my opponent as I scored another point.