"Skill shot!" I exclaimed, as my perfectly stricken tennis shot touched the baseline, out of reach for my opponent Sebastian.
"Ah shut up, that was a pure fluke!" Sebastian grinned back at me.
I considered Sebastian's statement. There were 11 good shots in the entire tennis match, and we had been playing for two hours straight. Fortunately, I didn't keep track of the bad shots, lest I'd be in a catatonic state, or I'd smashed my racket in frustration. You always got to remember the positive aspects of life. I tell myself that I am a successful author, that my books have been translated into nine different languages, thanks to online book forums. However, I don't try to remind myself that my books have yielded me a grand total of just two dollars.
Still feeling the buzz after my skill shot, I studied the bleak crescent moon that was shining through the hazy cloud cover. It shone roughly as bright as Sebastian's tennis skills, which is rather dim.
"Cut it out!" my inner voice yelled out. "If Sebastian is bad, how come you've lost five straight tennis matches to him?" my inner voice continued. I listened to this voice of reason and concluded that I had to defeat the insurmountable obstacle that stood on the other side of the court. It was time to regain my honour as the Raleigh Park tennis court champion. Or at least, be the best player within my circle of friends.
"You're right," I admitted as I shook Sebastian's hand as we switched sides.
"Of course. The final game of the match. Ready to choke and lose to the fatty, as you always do?" Sebastian smirked.
"Nah, today will be different," I replied, and we resumed playing.
Ten balls later, after hitting the net, the trees, and the neighbour's car, the opportunity came. The ball bounced up perfectly towards my racket. I focused on hitting the ball, and I got the perfect hit. The ball bounced just before the baseline, unreachable for my somewhat immobile opponent. A beautiful winner!
Sebastian approached me and spoke: "Impressive, you didn't choke for once."
I nodded and replied: "Indeed. And I have many more wins ahead of me. Because that shot my friend; is how one a losing streak kills."