Follow the Cues

He approaches the court, quickly glancing down at his phone. He checks his surroundings to confirm that this is, indeed, the correct spot. It is. Satisfied, he pockets his phone and stretches his lips into a friendly grin.

He sees the players now on Court 1. They rallying at a speed quicker than the other courts. They’re good. Maybe the best players present. Good. He likes mixing in with the best. He deserves it. It’s where he belongs. He watches the rally, the ball bouncing back and forth in a smooth rhythm. This is what he likes about the game. Drops turn into dinks and a drive earns one team the point. As they regroup, it’s his chance. His cue.

“Hey guys!” He makes his tone friendly. He enters the court uninvited but that’s fine. They’ll warm up to him soon. They look wary of him which is understandable. They don’t know him yet – but they will. “Mind if I join you guys?”

One of the players, an older blond man, looks at him with a look that says “who the hell are you”. He watches as the blond man hesitates for a brief moment before holding his hand out for a handshake. “Hey man. Yeah, but we’re finishing up this game first.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Go ahead.” And just like that, he’s in. He watches them finish and quickly realizes that the blond guy who shook his hand is the best player on Court 1. His smile grows within. Score.

It isn’t long until their game is done. They all tap paddles and reconvene at the bench for water and a chat.

“Hey man, I didn’t catch your name. I’m Barry.” The blond guy, Barry, looks at him. It’s not a welcoming look. It’s more questioning. And he understands that, really. He takes his cue again.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Clark. Actually, I just moved back into town and was looking up courts on Tiktok. That’s how I found this place actually.” Not a lie. He was definitely into pickleball. He picked up the sport recently in his old town. He was quite good too, by his own standards.

“Oh really? That’s interesting. We don’t really post on Tiktok.” The woman beside Barry finally piped up. She too had the look of “who are you and what are you doing here”. He didn’t realize that these courts were private play. He made a move to recover.

“Are you sure? I saw this place awhile back and that’s how I recognized your group.” Clark pulled out his phone, clicking on the already open tab. It was her video. It showed the current group of Court 1 celebrating a birthday party on the court, all of them playing and laughing.

“Oh!” The tall guy with spiky hair said as he wiped off his sweat. “That’s Hailey’s vlog.” Clark took his cue again.

“Yeah, I’m her ex.”

All the faces suddenly look at him in a different light. It was almost comical, how quickly these expressions turned from wary to surprised in a matter of moments. Clark pocketed his phone and pulled out his paddle.

“So, are we gonna’ play?”

The games went by smoothly. Sure, he lost a couple games but that was because he either hit the ball too hard and it went out or his partner was too slow and the ball got past them. Either way, he knew it was only a matter of time.

He had seen her walking in from the distance and was waiting until she came close. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she saw him. There. He saw her glance over.

“Hailey!” He called out. He knew his voice sounded surprised. They locked eyes through the mesh lining. He wasn’t sure if she could see him properly through the gated court. But she greeted his anyways.

“Hi!” Her voice sounded different. Perky. Cheerful. Confident. He frowned. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He was still in the middle of his game but he kept his eyes on her as she entered into another court.

She had filled out in a couple places since the last time he actually saw her. That was over ten years ago. She looked womanly now. Tall and confident. She never looked his way again.

Well, that just wouldn’t do. Clark finished his game and sat down to think. He kept his gaze on the game but his mind raced elsewhere. Did he miscalculate? He was so sure she would end up on this court. Why was she playing over there? As quickly as the evening had begun, it ended with everyone packing up.

“Hey guys, thanks for letting me play.” Clark slipped on his backpack. In his peripheral, he saw Hailey doing the same. But he also saw her talking to a guy next to her. Who was he?

“Yeah, no worries. You aren’t half bad.” Barry clapped him on the shoulder. “Come play again.” Clark smiled wide. Of course, they wanted him to play again. It was only natural.

Clark headed back to the entrance. He was very aware of the fact that Hailey was still on the courts and still wasn’t looking at him. He had even lobbed the ball over “accidentally” to her court but it was her partner who tossed the ball over. Was he really going to leave without talking to her? She sounded so friendly. No, he had to be patient. An opportunity would present itself soon. He had waited ten years and she was finally in his sights again.

He stopped to the side to tighten his shoelace. He could feel her coming closer to him. He could hear her footsteps. He looked up, ready to take his cue. But she still wasn’t looking at him. No. She was whispering with the same guy he saw earlier. Clark frowned.

That was fine. He would take his time. They would face each other soon enough.

She wasn’t showing up. Clark had been to the courts every night. He had mingled with the other groups he noticed her playing with. It just seemed that she was avoiding him. Whenever he was playing on court 2, she would be on court 4. If he was playing on court 3, she would be on court 1. Maybe she wasn’t ready for him after all.

Or, maybe she was being distracted. Maybe she didn’t notice that he had changed. Maybe she didn’t appreciate the way he had been supporting her from the shadows. He had followed every Instagram account she made. He watched all the vlogs she put up. She hadn’t even blocked his LinkedIn account. So surely, he wasn’t misunderstanding her. If she hadn’t blocked him, she must be open to rekindling their friendship.

“Clark, you’re next.” He got up, ready to smash some balls. His patience was wearing thin. The next time someone popped one up, he was going to Nasty Nelson his way to victory.

He just couldn’t understand her not wanting to talk to him. He had treated her so well. Their last communication had been before he left for his job. He wasn’t able to see her due to his last-minute flight, but didn’t she find it romantic that he had left her a heartfelt letter? Wasn’t it enough that he wished her the best? Wasn’t it enough that he had even come back for her?

He still remembers that night. It was 2am in the morning. He had just flown in from a business trip. They had been texting and he said he had a surprise for her. So, she waited up for him. He always had gifts for her. She had been wary to start talking to him after how their relationship had ended but he felt he was able to woo her back to friendly terms.

It hadn’t been easy. He had to play it smart. He knew he needed to not come on too strong, or else she would block him again. He asked her about hair products for his female friends. He sent her dumb photos when he was away on her trips. He even sent her “good morning” and “good night” texts so she wouldn’t be lonely.

It had all led up to this night. He would come to her front door and she would reluctantly sneak out to meet with him, just like they did in high school. She didn’t want her parents to know, which was understandable. To his belief, her parents were still very cross with him. They were the ones that separated the two of them after all.

They had sat in the park where he bestowed upon her his collection of things he was sure she would like. She barely looked at him. He struck up light conversation, telling her all about his travels. She didn’t seem impressed. Finally, he went in to hug her. He just wanted to say goodbye properly. To correct their missed opportunity.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. She was hurrying along and he just couldn’t take it anymore. “Time out." He left the courts and ran after her.

It was dark in the parking lot. The lights were dim. He shouted, “Wait up! Hailey!” He was about to touch her when she whirled around with a strange look on her face.

“You better back it up right now!” She shouted at him. What?

“Hailey—“

“You’re a real piece of work. Stalking me! Telling everyone you’re my ex! You keep my name out of your damn mouth.” Her voice felt like punches to his ego. Why the hell was she yelling at him? He felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

“I never—”

“No, you don’t get to gaslight me AGAIN. It’s been ten years, Clark. TEN. Why can’t you just let me go! Stay the hell away from me and out of my life!” Her voice was wavering with emotion and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. No, that wasn’t right. She wasn’t the victim here. He felt himself growing angry.

“Listen—”

“No, YOU listen. If you continue to follow and stalk me, I’ll make sure everyone knows what an awful, narcissistic creep you are. I’ll tell everyone how you abused me and made me feel like shit. I’ll tell everyone how you burned me and gaslit me into thinking it was my fault. I mean it.” She was glaring at him like he was the scum of the earth. He felt the hatred so intense and it confused him. Where had this come from?

He had no idea what she was talking about. If anything, she was the crazy one! She would get so angry whenever he talked to other girls. He had just been teaching her a lesson.

He tried again. “Hailey—”

“I mean it, Clark.” She began walking backwards, away from him. “You stay the hell out of my life. You have a wife. So, leave me alone. I don’t want you.” With a final look, she turned away from him and walked away.

He frowned. That wasn’t really fair of her. He barely got a word in. A conversation is a two-way street, after all.

He took his cue. He followed her.