JENNIE
Lisa's utter look of contempt says it all.
About twenty of us are milling around the marshaling area at the edge of a forested area. It's steaming hot, and the sky is full of dull, humidity-laden clouds. We've been divided into small groups and assigned a team color. The two of us, along with Diana, and some random young guy called Marvin, make up the blue team.
"Yay! Dream team!" yells Diana, emerging from a wooden hut in a blue tank slash short combo. She weaves her way over through a sea of colors and excitedly waves her arms above her head.
Lisa hides behind her hand. "Oh, God. Please save me."
"Stop grumbling." I yank at her sleeve, and she batts me away like I'm an annoying gnat.
"Why would I be grumbling? Diana's in our team, and I look like a smurf!" she whisper-hisses, and I desperately hold in my laugh.
She continues to glare.
"What? It brings out your eyes," I reply with a tiny snort, and she looks like she wants to flatten me.
"You told me we would be indoors doing quizzes. Quizzes! Not sloshing around in a mud pit with bugs and, you know... mud," replies Lisa, her hair starting to curl in the humidity.
Something ominous flutters between her eyes, and she slaps herself. "Ow! What was that?"
"Lisa. It's a team-building challenge, and what can I do if they've had an unseasonal amount of rain?"
I discreetly pluck a mosquito the size of my hand from her back and dispose of it outside her line of vision. I refocus on her unsmiling face, and my stomach flips.
God, even grouchy Lalisa is beautiful.
"Anyway, don't worry. It will be a piece of cake. We just have to work out how to get all four of us through this obstacle course."
Okay, this time, she is definitely checking out my breasts.
"Eyes on the prize?" I ask, feeling bold.
"As if," Lisa scoffs, but a quirk on her lips soon quickens my pulse.
"What's going on with your top? Looks like you put it through the wash again."
I slap her arm. "They ran out of larger sizes! It wasn't deliberate."
Lisa pushes me away, and I have to hide my smile, turning my attention to Marvin.
"Marvin!" I yell, but he's just daydreaming and looking out to sea.
"Why does he look familiar?" mutters Diana.
"Hey, Marvin!" hollers Lisa.
Still, no response.
God, there's always one. What the hell?
"Martin!" screams Diana, almost bursting my ear drum, and he runs over with his spindly legs and shag of black hair. The guy is tiny.
"What the f... " I cover my ear, glaring at Diana, and she shrugs.
To make matters more interesting in this challenge, the coordinator has just announced over the speaker that we need to assign a handicap to each team member - whether it's losing your sight, hearing, touch, or ability to talk. Lisa murders me with her eyes.
"So, piece of cake, huh?"
"Uh-huh." I nod unconvincingly.
Shit.
Regardless, Lisa is a total boss and immediately takes charge. Marvin is muzzled with a cloth wrapped around his mouth, and Diana is blindfolded. I'm fitted with noise-canceling headphones, and a marshal ties Lisa's hands behind her back.
