Groom Wars

20. A Strong Ally

Leandro ran; his chest expanded as fresh air flowed into his lungs.

The mountain's incline made Leandro's thighs burn, but he pushed on while cameras buried in trees and dirt captured his journey.

The overhead canopy of green leaves was so thick, little light made it through. As he sprinted down the path, Leandro's shoes stirred the red dirt beneath his feet. To his left, a raging river cut across the land. As he listened to the sound of running water, Leandro felt his attention slip and slapped his cheeks. 'Don't get distracted,' Leandro thought. 'Focus. Forget about Adriel. Forget about swimming. Focus on winning."

There was one team ahead of Leandro and Steven. An ebony-skinned man with locks that reached the middle of his back, and a young man with warm ivory skin and shoulder-length wavy blonde hair. The muscles of their naked backs rippled as they reached the wooden steps seconds ahead of Leandro. Ebony and ivory worked in perfect harmony as they raced up the wooden steps.

Seconds later, Steven and Leandro reached the steps and begun their thigh-aching ascent. There was no time to pause; they had to keep their fast pace or lose their lead. Behind the brothers, there was a stream of men, any of whom could overtake them if they slowed and made a single mistake. Over his shoulder, Leandro saw that David and Johnathon were in fifth or sixth place. They ran like beasts, huffing and puffing as they tore across the land. The stairs were the devil's playground. As the brothers rose, the climb steepened, and the steps thinned to the point that they could only fit half of the young men's shoes. Sweat soaked their skin, and they focused on controlling their breathing, keeping a steady stream of air coming in and flowing out.

Running side by side, the brothers had to be careful of tumbling, falling, and possibly injuring themselves. That would end the game for them. They placed their weight on their toes, and with renewed vigour, increased their pace. Leandro ignored his burning thighs. He had to show everyone he was there for the princess, or he and Adriel might become the subject of gossip.

He had to prove that he preferred women.

They were nearing the top. Ebony and Ivory weren't too far ahead. Leandro and Steven glimpsed the backs of their opponents as they reached the landing. They ran across the soft red soil once more, and unlike the harsh wooden steps, the soft ground cushioned their sneakers. Rain pierced through the gaps between the leaves. It mixed with the sweat sliding down their skin. The young men reached a clearing, and the treasure chests came into view. Ebony and Ivory were already working on their math question.

The Valente brothers chose a chest close by. Leandro knelt on the ground next to a dry-erase whiteboard and marker, recognized the quadratic formula, and smiled. A few feet across from the brothers, Ebony swore, but Leandro was already halfway done. More players were settling around them. Murmurs filled their environs. Leandro found the roots of the equation and, using the y-intersection that had been given, spun the lock's dial. It opened. Steven let out a cheer and clapped his brother on the back, forgetting the argument he had initiated on the bus.

Ivory came over to them, a conflicted expression on his face. He said, "Hey, if you share the code with us, we won't vote you in, and if we win, we'll vote in whoever you want into the elimination round."

Leandro glanced at Steven. His brother had asked to be the one who made the final decisions.

Steven studied their adversary and asked, "Do you swear it?"

Ivory nodded.

Steven and Ivory shook hands, and Leandro handed the stranger his solved equation. The young man smiled. Ivory went over to Ebony, and they spun the lock. When it opened, they gave Leandro and Steven a grin and a thumbs up. Other teams were cursing. Some had finished high school years ago, while others simply hated math. Apparently, the creators had assigned the locks the same code; whether it was for drama or simplicity, Leandro neither knew nor cared. He motioned for Ebony to erase the answer, and Ebony did as instructed. Ebony and Ivory wrestled their gold weights from the container; each fifty pound-weight was a sphere with a handhold, roughly ten times the size of a kettlebell the same weight, and incredibly awkward to carry. Ebony and Ivory chose to carry theirs on one shoulder and slowly go down the steps.

Though he dreaded the steep steps, Leandro helped Steven position the weight on his shoulder before carrying his own in one hand. Falling with these would be disastrous.

***