The Competition

Yelena

On Monday nothing special happened, but on Tuesday it did. First period P.E. and I hate that. No, something did happen on Monday during Food and Tech together, Viktor started to get a little clingy, I would say. Carson and Natalia definitely noticed and were giving each other weird looks. To be honest, I don't care. I'm just glad things aren't awkward between me and Viktor.

I stood in the gym, the smell of sweat and polished wood filling the air. It was gym time, and today we were fencing. I adjusted my mask and glanced across the room at Natalia. Despite the tension of the morning, I was trying to concentrate.

"Ready?" the coach shouted. Natalia nodded, her eyes locking with mine through the mesh of our masks. I take a deep breath and raise my foil, the cold metal glinting under the fluorescent lights. We began, our movements swift and precise. My heart pounded as we parried and thrust, the clink of our foils echoing through the gym. Natalia was a formidable opponent, but I held my own, matching her move for move. The intensity of the fight pushed aside my earlier worries and focused my mind on the fight. Finally, with a quick lunge, I scored a point. The coach calls a halt and we remove our masks, both breathing heavily. "Good fight," Natalia says with a hint of a smile on her face. "You too," I reply, giving her a high five. After P.E., we showered, changed and met up with Viktor and Carson for our next class: Food and Technology.

The tension from earlier seemed to have dissipated somewhat, but I could still sense an undercurrent of unease. In class, Viktor was unusually affectionate. He sat close to me, his hand occasionally brushing against mine as we all worked on our project. I found it comforting, yet very distracting, as his thumb made patterns under my skirt. As we prepare our ingredients, Viktor leans in, his breath warm against my ear. "Need some help with that?" he asked, his voice soft and intimate. I smiled and shook my head. "No, I've got it. Thanks, though." We continued to work, the proximity and casual touches creating a charged atmosphere. It felt like we were in our own little bubble, separate from the rest of the class. Even Carson seemed unusually quiet, focused on his own assignments. Carson. Can you believe this?

Just as I start to relax, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and glance at the screen. A message from the same number that sent the party invitation. Noah. My stomach tightens. What could he possibly want? I open the message, My breath caught in my throat as i read the text.
"Thought you'd like to see this," it said, followed by a video file.
With a trembling hand, I pressed play. The screen filled with a grainy video of the party. My heart sank as I recognized the faces. Natalia and Carson, wrapped around each other in a dark corner, oblivious to the world around them. The video ends the moment Carson picks her up and carries her into what looks like a bedroom. I feel the blood drain from my face, my hands tremble as I see a hint of regret in his features as he snatches a two hundred dollar bill out of Noah's hand a short time later. After that, the video stops again. And that was when Noah bumped into me. Viktor noticed immediately, his expression changing to one of concern. "Yelena, what's wrong?" I look over at Carson and Natalia, who are already looking at me.

"I... I have to go to the bathroom," I stammer, quickly shoving my phone back into my pocket before he can see it. Without waiting for an answer, I storm out of the classroom, my heart pounding in my chest. In the bathroom, I lean against the sink and try to calm my breathing. As I watched the video again, the image of Natalia and Carson burned itself into my mind. What was I going to do with this information? Telling Viktor would... I don't know... crush him, but keeping it to myself felt like a betrayal. I splashed some water on my face, hoping it would help me think clearly. The shock of the video was still pulsing through me, but I knew I had to compose myself before I could go back. I take a few deep breaths, trying to push the overwhelming emotions aside, at least for now. Back in class, I forced a smile and sat down next to Viktor. He gives me a worried look, but I just shake my head slightly, indicating that I don't want to talk about it. Not here, not now. We continued our project in strained silence, the weight of their... no, Carson's secret weighing heavily on my shoulders. This was what Viktor meant by him acting strangely.