Big Bad Wolf

07

I woke up when I felt my phone buzzing beside me. Groaning, I reached for it and squinted as the screen lit up—so bright it nearly burned my eyes. It was 4:15 in the morning, and Kevin was already calling me.

"Wake up, sunshine," Kevin said when I answered.

I just grunted, ended the call, and looked around the dark tent. Everyone was still asleep.

I chuckled quietly when I saw Garret pulling Earl closer to him, Earl's head resting comfortably on Garret's upper arm. They honestly looked like a real couple.

Shaking my head, I stood up and walked over to my bag. I dug out my jogging pants and jacket, slipped them on, and carefully stepped over the sleeping bodies as I made my way outside.

I headed toward Ariel's tent. They were already making noise inside, and just as I got close, Justin came out chuckling—and jumped the moment he saw me.

"f**k! I thought you were a ghost," he said, clutching his chest.

I laughed. "Pussy."

He smirked and flipped me off.

**

We went for a jog with Coach, and Kian—our libero—kept grunting the whole time because he was still half-asleep. We were messing around as we jogged until Coach joined us and told us to get serious.

We jogged around the huge place until five in the morning and eventually ran into the basketball team, who were also doing their morning run.

After that, we lined up and Coach had us do push-ups, then jump up, then back down again—for what felt like forever—until our arms and legs were screaming. We finally collapsed on the ground, grunting in relief when he told us to stop. We did some cool-down exercises before heading back to our tents to change for breakfast. I was beyond glad breakfast was already ready to be served.

"Let's hang our shirts there," June said, pointing to a tree a few meters away from their tent. It had long branches stretching out in every direction.

We hung our sweaty shirts there and headed to the shower room. It was the same kind we had at school—open, no stalls—so you could see everyone showering. I was used to that, showering with the team, but it felt a bit different this time since the basketball guys were there and they'd kind of claimed the place for themselves.

They all glanced at us as we walked in. Garret, who was already sharing a shower with Earl, motioned for me to come over and join them.

I shook my head. The two of them could barely fit in the single shower space already.

We stepped out and decided to come back after they were done.

Once we'd all showered, we had breakfast, which had been prepared and served by our coaches and managers. About half an hour after eating, the coaches gathered us again.

"I know you're all familiar with low ropes," Coach said.

"This'll be exciting," Justin said, and I nodded in agreement.

There were two sets of low ropes, and we had to compete with another team while the remaining two teams waited for their turn. My team was up first, against Dean's team. I chose to go last.

Coach handed out gloves to prevent rope burns and cuts.

Garret was the first to run. The first obstacle had us step one foot at a time through a line of hanging tires. Michael followed, then Kevin, and then Dave. I waited for Dave to get through a few tires before starting. Dean, on the other team, also moved—he was their last runner too.

I kept my focus, carefully stepping through the tires. Then came the next obstacle: ropes hanging from above, with narrow wooden planks beneath our feet. We had to cross from one end to the other while balancing on the planks and holding the ropes. If you lost control, you'd end up swinging like a damn pendulum.

Michael was stuck in the middle while Kevin was trying to help him steady the rope. Dave was still struggling on the second one.

"f*****g help me!" Michael laughed as he tried to transfer to the next rope. Kevin reached out, trying to hold it steady for him.

I glanced over at the blue team. They were stuck too, but two of their players had already cleared the course and moved on to the next one.

We had to climb a net of square-shaped ropes, then slide down to face the next obstacle. This one had us balancing across a thick wooden cylinder used as a bridge. The other side of it marked the final part of the course.

Dave kept falling off the damn thing and had to start over each time. Then it was my turn—Dean's too. I noticed him watching me, almost like he was trying to mimic my moves. I didn't know for sure, but it felt like he was copying me.

Naturally, I wasn't about to let him beat me. I sped up, crossing the obstacle as fast as I could, carefully balancing myself.

I grinned when I made it across. But right as I stepped down from the bridge, I lost my balance. I braced my hands to break the fall, but someone grabbed me mid-motion and pulled me down—right on top of them.

It was Dean.

Despite how sweaty he was, he smelled... good. It hit me instantly—his scent was strong and clean, almost distracting.

Before I could react, he rolled us over, flipping me onto my back so he was on top. My whole body shivered when I felt his warm breath against my neck. He murmured something, low and fast—I couldn't even make out the words.

I shoved at his chest, flustered, and he quickly got up and bolted toward the next part of the course. I scrambled to my feet and ran after him.

The next obstacle was a sloped hill. We had to climb it using a rope for support, pulling ourselves up the incline.

Dean and I reached the top at the same time, both panting, neck and neck. Then we sprinted toward the flags.

My teammates were yelling behind me, hyping me up like he was about to tackle me or something. The other team was shouting too, cheering Dean on.

Kevin and Dave screamed when I reached the flag first, just seconds ahead of Dean, and they both crashed into me with a wild hug.

Garret walked up and messed up my hair.

I groaned. "Get off."

"It was quite a scandal down there." Kevin said and I frowned at him.

"Yeah. That was one hot steamy kiss." Michael said and Kevin laughed as he nodded his head.

I scrunched my whole face. "f**k off. There was no kiss, asshole."

I would never kiss a man and if I would, Dean would be out of all the options.

******