Youre not playing your opponent, you understand that, yes? I stared at him, unsure. But I needed him to believe that I understood everything I was supposed to beit seemed like an unbearable betrayal of our mission for me to be confused about any of it. Every time you get out on that court, you must play a better tennis game than you played the time before. Did you play your best game of tennis today? No, I said. Next time, I want you to beat yourself. Every day you must beat the day before. I sat down on the bench next to me and considered. What my father was proposing was a much, much harder endeavor. But once the thought had been put in my head, I had to rise to it. I could not expel it. Entiendo, I said. Now go get your things. We are driving to the beach. No, Dad, I said. Please, no. Cant we just go home? Or what if we went out for ice cream? This girl in my class said there is a place that has great ice cream sandwiches. I thought we could go. He laughed. We are not going to condition your legs sitting around eating ice cream sandwiches. We can only do that by I frowned.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid