Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

41. Jax Flores

Jax P.O.V

Date: December 14, 2238

"You ready for this?" Troy asked, over the roar of the crowd echoing through the tunnel. The Senior team stood opposite us, waiting for the second round of the game to begin.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and smiled shakily. "Yeah, yeah."

"Are you sure?"

No.

Yesterday, my nerves sent me rushing to the bathroom to spew my guts before the game even started. I knew Troy was worried that that would happen again, but today was different. I was different. Don't get me wrong, I was still nervous, but my need to prove everyone, including myself, wrong outweighed it.

"Yes." I finally answered, my voice much firmer this time.

He started to nod but stopped as the lights in the hallway flickered, silencing everyone.

"Are we still live?" Mr. Armstrong's voice blared from the speakers. "Sorry about that, everyone. Today, the seniors and sophomores will compete against each other. Whichever team wins will advance to the final round. Because the seniors won yesterday's event, they will receive a fifteen-second head start. That slight time advantage may mean an easy victory for the seniors, but you'll just have to keep watching to see what happens. Remember, whichever team finds the key and unlocks the box first will win today's event."

"Easy victory? Damn! What's the point of even going out there if everyone thinks they'll win?" Ashley grumbled from beside me.

I said nothing and just rested my back on the wall as Sergeant Carter limped past us. "I'll go and check if everything is still on schedule. Everybody stay here." He said, heading down the hallway.

"Do you think the electricity will go out, and they'll cancel the event?" I asked, trying to keep the wistfulness out of my voice.

"Nah, they may just delay the games a couple of hours until they get it working," Cleo answered from across the way.

"Oh."

"Why?"

"Ju-"

"Isn't it obvious? He's scared." Larry cut in, drawing everyone's attention. "Everyone knows we should be facing the Juniors anyway."

Before I could respond, a dark-skinned boy beside Larry spoke up. "Juniors or not. It doesn't matter as long as it's challenging and we give the people a good show."

"Well, that won't happen. They won't even last two minutes out there." Larry smirked, eyes fixated on me, leaving no question on whom his words were directed.

Troy stepped forward, and Nova's arm quickly shot out, grasping his hand and stopping him.

"Come on, Larry. A couple of them aren't bad." The dark-skinned boy chimed in again.

Larry rolled his eyes, dismissing the boy's statement. "Those few won't matter when they have a bunch of dead weight on their team. They got lucky yesterday. But it won't happen again today."

I already knew most people considered our placing second place a stroke of luck and a fluke. I'd heard the gossip, but that didn't stop the sting of his words. Nearly everyone favored the seniors to win. Yesterday had changed nothing. We were just a minor setback in their path to victory.

Troy advanced on Larry with his lips twisted in a scowl and his fist clenched. But before he could get too far, Nova stepped in front of him, blocking his path with a hand on his chest.

"Don't be an asshole, Larry," Ciara Evans, the senior team captain, said as she approached us. Her tone was sugary sweet, but her pinched brow and the murderous glint in her eyes made it clear she didn't tolerate his words.

"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking." Larry looked around the tunnel, waiting for one of his teammates to agree with him.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes with her hand on her hip. "You're being a dickhead and trying to get in their heads. But we don't need those kind of underhanded tricks to win, alright? Just play the game."

"Okay." he mouthed, stepping back with his hands raised in surrender.

Ciara turned to face me. "Don't listen to him. Every year, I wish he wasn't on my team so I could shoot him."

"Me too." Cleo agreed with her as she shot a look over her shoulder at Larry.

"You guys have to promise me something," Ciara said, looking at each of my teammates while grinning impishly.

"What's that?" Sky asked.

"If one of y'all do end up shooting him. You got to tell me... both of us all the details." Ciara said, gesturing between herself and Cleo.

"You got it," I promised as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Mrs. Stevens called us to attention from the middle of the floor. "This is a neuro-tranquilizer dart." She held up a silver-encased dart about the length of my pinkie. "Each of your guns is equipped with them. If you get hit, you will first experience the pain of getting shot before it releases a tranquilizer that will put you to sleep."

"How long will we be asleep?" Ashley asked.

"An hour. So you won't even know if your team won until after the competition has ended."

"Damn." Sky cursed, voicing my thoughts and probably the feelings of our entire team.

"Exactly. So if you get shot, one of the medical personnel will come and remove you from the field." She gestured to her right at the six guys in line behind us.

They all wore heavily padded black suits and reflective vests with white crosses on the back and front, designating them as part of the medical staff.

"You'll be brought into the infirmary, where Nurse Brad will watch over you until you wake up." She continued. "Oh, and one more thing. You only get five darts each. So, I suggest you make sure your shots count. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." We answered in unison.

"Alright, let's go! Seniors grab a gun and follow me to the other side of the arena." She instructed, leading the way over to the rack of guns.

Ciara turned to me before walking away and whispered, "Good luck out there."

"You too."