Training With My Worst Enemy

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dorm Room

I finally made it to my dorm room after what had been the worst day of my life.

I pushed the door open. The room was colorful and spacious, with four neatly made beds and matching reading desks for each student. I walked straight to the empty bed by the window, tossed my bag onto the mattress, and sat down heavily, burying my face in my hand.

"God... why me?" I whispered into the quiet room.

I sat back up, wiped my face, and forced myself to unpack my books and athletic gear. A few minutes later, the door swung open, and the quiet vanished.

A tall girl with bright eyes walked in first. "Hi! I'm Vera. So, you're our new roommate?"

"Hi. Yeah, that's me," I replied, forcing a small smile.

"Nice to meet you!" she smiled warmly.

"Sure," I said.

Right behind Vera, three more girls walked in: Liza, Rosie, and Mia. With all four girls standing around me, the room suddenly felt much smaller than it had a moment ago.

So, you’re the coach’s daughter?” Liza asked, her voice carrying more suspicion than curiosity.

"Yes," I replied plainly.

Rosie chimed in with a scoff, crossing her arms. "I bet she only got into Saint John through her dad."

"No," I snapped, standing up straight. "I earned my spot here on my own merit, not my father's."

"Okay, okay, everyone, back off!" Vera interrupted, stepping between us. "She literally just got here. Why are you bombarding her with questions the second she walks through the door? Come on.”

Liza rolled her eyes, but she and Rosie backed off, muttering under their breath as they moved over to their side of the room. Mia didn’t say anything. She only gave me a quiet, sympathetic nod before turning back to her desk.

Vera walked over to my bed and sat down on the edge, tossing her braid over her shoulder. "Ignore them," she said softly, her voice warm and genuine. "Saint John is full of people who think they’re better than everyone else because of their parents’ money.”

I let out a long breath, finally letting my shoulders drop. "Thanks, Vera. I really wasn't in the mood for another round of interrogation today."

"I get it. News travels fast around here," Vera said, glancing at my damp hair and the slightly stained towel hanging from my bag. "Word on campus is that you had a... rough run-in with ELZ in the hallway."

I groaned, leaning my head back against the wall. "Rough is an understatement. Ella dumped a bucket of filthy mop water over my head, and Mike Vance decided to make things worse."

Vera gasped, covering her mouth. "Mike Vance? Oh, no. Stay as far away from him as you can. He might be the golden boy on the field, but he's ruthless. Everyone acts like he's a god around here."

"I can't stay away from him," I muttered bitterly.

"My dad just assigned him as my training partner. Starting tomorrow."

Vera’s jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You have to train with him?"

"At 5:00 AM sharp," I replied, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I set three separate alarms for 4:15 AM, 4:20 AM, and 4:25 AM to make sure you didn't oversleep. There was no way in hell I was going to give Mike Vance the satisfaction of calling me weak again.

Vera looked at my phone screen and shook her head with a mix of pity and respect. "You're crazy,” Vera said, shaking her head. “But if anyone can put Mike Vance in his place, I think it's you."

I locked my phone, the screen glowing briefly before going dark. "He thinks I'm weak, Vera. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to prove him wrong.”

Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the bed next to me. A message from an unknown number popped up on the screen:

​[Unknown Number]: Don’t embarrass yourself tomorrow, Lin. I hate wasting my time on people who can’t keep up.

​I stared at the screen, my jaw tightening as I read the message again. Of course it was Mike. I locked the screen and tossed the phone onto my pillow before I could type back something that would get me into trouble.

​I looked around the room, realizing my clothes were still packed inside my duffel bag. "Hey Vera, where can I hang my clothes? The lockers look pretty full."

​Vera winced, looking over at the wardrobe section. "Oh...” Vera glanced at the wardrobe. “We didn’t leave much space for you. We honestly didn’t think you’d be moving in today."

​Seeing my expression drop, she immediately stood up. "But don't worry about it!"

​She immediately began moving her jackets aside, clearing out half of her closet for me. "Here, you can use this side. There's plenty of room."

​"Thanks, Vera," I said softly, feeling a tiny bit of relief. "I really appreciate it."

​I quickly hung up my track gear, set my alarm for 4:15 AM, and crawled under the blankets ready for whatever Mike Vance was going to throw at me in the morning.

But sleep refused to come. I kept rolling around in bed, tossing and turning under the thin blankets. No matter how hard I tried to shut off my brain, my eyes refused to stay closed.

The entire day kept replaying in my head: the snickering faces in the hallway, the freezing mop water against my skin, Ella’s cruel smile, and Mike’s lazy smirk as he called me weak in front of my dad.

My chest tightened with anger all over again. I stared up at the dark ceiling of the dorm room, listening to the soft, steady breathing of my roommates. They were all fast asleep, completely unbothered, while I was lying here consumed by rage.

Don't show up looking weak tomorrow, Lin.

Mike's text message echoed in my mind like a challenge. He thought he had already won. He thought he could intimidate me, make me shrink back, and push me off the track.

I kicked the blanket off my legs, sat up in the pitch-dark room, and planted my feet firmly on the cold floor. If I wasn't going to sleep, I sure as hell wasn't going to spend the night feeling sorry for myself.

My watch read 3:45 AM.

"Game on, Vance," I whispered into the quiet room.

I grabbed my running shoes and quietly headed toward the door.