The Mating Games

chapter 5- Did you do something different to your hair?

The air was thick and heavy with moisture; the sun pelted down with an unrelenting force that had me begging for release. Like being caught in a gravitational pull, my body moved with forced control; we had been running for over an hour and my legs were starting to shake. April was fearing no better; not use to running for so long, she had slumped over and ducked into a bush at least a kilometre back. This was the latest challenge for our training; some kind of endurance test to show case different kinds of strengths. The only problem was, most of the girls were used to low impact exercise and therefore struggled to keep up with the guys; there was a small group of girls that had powered on, Blake's sister Susan and myself included.

The scenery definitely made up for the long run though; beautiful shades of green and the vibrancy of the summer flowers, it was like a mirage. The tree's gently swayed to the warm breeze, their leaves rattling together like wind chimes; the grass crunched under my feet, trampled down and forgotten.

"Hey Summer, enjoying the run?" A voice called out beside me. I turned, coming face to chest of a 100% male specimen; Greyson had jogged up, shirtless might I add, black running shorts and sneakers. Sweat pooled in his hair, slowing dripping its way down his face and onto his toned chest. Damn, these guys make it so hard to stay focused; he reached up and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, his arm bulging.

"I love it, soooo much," I replied sarcastically. He chuckled to himself, the soft sound drifting off and floating high into the air.

"Yeah, I've got say, you're doing much better than some of the girls,"

"You should see April; I think she's in a bush somewhere," we laughed together. Moving in sync, we jogged into the forest.

"Maybe I should have picked a less physical task," he murmured, breaking the peaceful silence we had slipped into.

"Are you saying girls aren't as good as guys?" I quipped, slightly irritated by his insinuation.

"No! It's not that, I just think that the guys have more of an advantage; you know, coz we're biologically made stronger," alright, that's done it.

I pushed my legs harder, feeling the burn of my calf muscles; Greyson was yelling behind me, picking up his pace. I was determined to beat him back to the house; then we'd see who was better. My arms pumped harder, swinging in front of my body like a maniac; I sucked in a huge breath, filling my lungs to capacity and then expelled it back out. Sweat was pouring down my back and collecting between the swell of my breasts; the sticky feeling consumed my whole body but I can't let him win, I can't let them win. The trees started thinning out and the field came into view; just beyond the horizon was the old style country house, not long to go. I could feel Greyson getting closer, his feet heavy on the ground; but that was my advantage, he might have brute strength but I have less weight to heave. It also helped that I ran every day; I burst into the field and pushed harder. My lungs burned with every breath and I could feel a cramp forming in my leg; Greyson wasn't far behind but I clung to my lead. The long grass brushed my naked legs, tickling the smooth skin as I ran by; off in the distance I could make out a group of people who had finished their run, causally sitting by the steps. This was it, the last dash; Greyson was getting very close, I could almost feel the heat from his body.

I gave my all, swinging my arms faster as my legs pushed off the ground; I hurled myself the last few steps and collapsed on the ground in a heap. I had won! Greyson followed a few steps behind and fell down beside me. The only sound we made was the erratic breathing and blood rushing through our ears. I placed a hand over my heart, feeling the muscle thump against my skin. I had never felt this exhausted in my life,