Beside

14 - distractions

"Fox, do you think things can get sad? Maybe our tree's sad 'cause it's losing leaves again."

"Jellybean, that's not—why are you crying?!"

"What if it gets cold when the snow comes? I just—how do we make it feel better?"

"...Do you want to go sit with it?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

F O X

"Either you're not working hard enough, or you're holding out on me. Both options earn you 10 burpees."

I grunt, slamming the medicine ball into the ground harder, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.

"Again," Cam says.

I reach down and heft it above my head, my abs aching, and slam it down. It's a gunshot every time the rubber hits concrete.

"You're hateful," I mutter.

Cam rolls her eyes, leaning against the wall. "Keep this up, and I'll smack you with a bat. You wanted a fight. Here it is."

I glance at the whiteboard. Prelim fight prep. Seven days to cut two pounds and make weight. Four days to run through all sparring partners. Barely enough time to catch my breath before the next schedule gets slapped in my face—if I win.

"I despise you, Sport."

"You're not making weight if you keep whining like a little bitch."

"I've got it handled."

She raises her eyebrows. "Then go clean up."

I toss the towel over my shoulder and walk out.

After I'm showered, I run my hands through my hair as I walk back into the locker room. I sit down on the bench, towel wrapped around my neck. I could cancel the day at Goldwen. Cam would approve. But then I think of Chris's damn smile, the way she laughs at the dumbest shit I say. The way she looked at me last night, the way she felt, the taste, the heat...

I groan, knocking my head back against the locker.

I'll follow the plan starting tomorrow.

Today, I'm taken.

I drive back to the apartment so drained that I nearly run a red light.

Inside, the place smells like food, but not in a good way. Jed's sitting at the kitchen island, a jar of pickles in one hand, dipping one into...

I gag. "Jesus, Jed. That's disgusting."

He nods, shoving the pickle into a jar of mustard, then into his mouth. "It's an acquired taste."

I kick off my shoes, then grab a water bottle from the fridge. "You're just broken."

Jed nods again, licking mustard off his fingers.

I head down the hall, knocking on Chris's door. It takes a minute before she opens it, a lollipop sticking out of her mouth. She's in little shorts and a tank top, the kind that makes memories from last night flash in my head.

I crack my neck, sighing. "All business today, darling, so I'm gonna need you to change. We're crashing a chem class. We made a deal."

She pulls the lollipop from her mouth, lips wet and red, mumbling, "We made two deals."