Scars and Secrets

Chapter 3: Assignment and Surprises

The next morning, everyone gathered at the main bulletin board right after breakfast, crowded around it like a swarm of bees, all trying to get a look at the list of assignments and pairings that Coach Hale had posted overnight. The paper was pinned up with large thumbtacks, written in bold black handwriting that made every name stand out clearly, and you could hear people murmuring, asking questions, and complaining as they read through the information.

I pushed my way through the crowd, shoving people aside without caring who I knocked into, because all I cared about was seeing my name, and seeing who I was going to be paired with. I knew that Coach had said we would be working in pairs, and I knew that it was going to be Jaxon. I just knew it. And the thought of spending every single day, every single hour, every single minute with him made me want to scream.

When I finally reached the front of the board, I scanned the list quickly, running my eyes down the columns until I found the section that listed partner assignments. And there it was, clear as day:

KAIROS THORNE PARTNER JAXON VANCE

I felt my jaw tighten automatically, and I let out a sharp, disbelieving sound. Of course. Of course it was him. Of course Coach would pair us together. It was like he was doing it on purpose, like he wanted to make our lives even more miserable than they already were.

“Can you believe this?” I heard someone next to me, and I turned my head to see Tyler standing there, looking at the list with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. “You’re stuck with him, man. Just like I knew you would be.”

“Great,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at the paper like it had personally offended me. “This is just perfect. Why wouldn’t Coach do this to me? Why wouldn’t he make me spend a whole month with the most annoying, arrogant, stupid person on the entire planet? What did I ever do to deserve this?”

Tyler laughed, slapping me lightly on the back. “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t make the rules. But you know what? Even if you two fight all the time, you guys work well together. You understand each other. And honestly? Everyone is going to be watching you two like it’s a show. It’s going to be entertaining, at least.”

“Entertaining?” I repeated, shaking my head in disgust. “This is not entertaining. This is torture. I would rather be stuck in a room with a bunch of wild animals than be stuck with Jaxon Vance for thirty days. I can’t stand him. I hate everything about him. And I know he feels exactly the same way about me.”

“Maybe,” Tyler said, still smiling. “But you never know. Maybe you’ll surprise each other.”

“Surprise each other?” I scoffed, turning away from the board. “There is nothing to surprise. We are enemies. We will always be enemies. Nothing is going to change that.”

Before I could say anything else, I heard that familiar voice, loud, confident, and full of that annoying arrogance that made me want to punch him.

“Well, well, well. Look at that.”

I turned my head, and there he was. Jaxon was standing a few feet away, looking at the list, and when he saw his name next to mine, he broke out into that mocking, self-satisfied smile that I hated so much. He walked over to me, his steps slow and deliberate, like he was enjoying every second of this, and he stopped right in front of me, looking me up and down like I was some kind of object he had just been given to look after.

“Looks like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, Thorne,” he said, his voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, full of sarcasm and amusement. “Who would have thought? Coach Hale really knows how to make things interesting, doesn’t he? Or should I say, how to make things miserable for you?”

I stepped closer to him, my face hard and angry, not caring that everyone was watching us, not caring that they were listening to every word we said.

“Don’t get too excited, Vance,” I snapped back, my voice just as loud and just as sharp. “This is not a reward for you. This is just another thing I have to put up with. And let me warn you right now, I am not going to make this easy for you. I am going to do everything I can to make sure you regret every single second of being stuck with me. You think you’re going to have an easy time? Think again. I am going to work harder than you. I am going to be better than you. And I am going to make sure you know exactly who you’re dealing with.”

Jaxon laughed, a loud, mocking sound that made my teeth grind together. He leaned in slightly, closing the small gap between us, and his voice dropped low, just loud enough for me to hear, but full of venom and challenge.

“Oh, I know I’m dealing with you,” he murmured, his eyes burning into mine. “And I know exactly what you’re going to do. You’re going to try to start fights, you’re going to try to be difficult, you’re going to try to make me look bad. But guess what? It’s not going to work. Because I’m better than you. I’m smarter than you. And I’m going to be better at everything we have to do. Every task, every game, every single thing, I’m going to be better. And you’re going to have to live with that fact every single day.”

“Is that so?” I shot back, stepping even closer, until our faces were only inches apart, until I could feel his breath on my face, until I could see every detail of his face — the way his eyes narrowed, the way his jaw tightened, the way his lips twisted into that annoying smile. “We’ll see about that. We’ll see who is better. We’ll see who does more work, who wins more matches, who is actually worth something. And I promise you this, I am going to prove you wrong. I am going to show you that you are not as great as you think you are. And I am going to make you regret ever saying those words to me.”

“You can try,” Jaxon said, his voice just as low and just as dangerous. “But trying isn’t winning, Kairos. You’ve been trying to beat me for four years, and where has it gotten you? Nowhere. You’re still stuck in my shadow, and you’re going to stay there. Especially now that we’re partners. I’m going to make sure you do exactly what I say, exactly when I say it, and you’re going to hate every second of it. But you won’t be able to do a thing about it.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” I snapped, my hands clenching into fists at my sides, my knuckles turning white with the force of my grip. “I don’t care if we’re stuck together. I don’t care if we have to share every single thing. I am not your servant, and I am definitely not your friend. We will do the work, we will get it done, and that is it. You can give your little orders to your groupies, Jaxon, I’m not one of them. I never will be.”

Jaxon’s eyes flashed with irritation, the smile slipping just a fraction to reveal the anger underneath. He hated when I talked back to him, hated when I didn’t bow down to his authority, hated that I was the only person who didn’t treat him like he was some kind of king.

“We’ll see how long that attitude lasts when you’re struggling to keep up,” he shot back, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest, looking me up and down with pure disdain. “You think you’re so tough now, but wait until we’re out there working from dawn until dusk, doing actual labor, not just running around on a field hitting people. You’re going to be begging me to help you before the first week is over. And you know what? I might just let you beg. I love seeing you humbled.”

“Dream on,” I spat. “I’ve worked harder than you could ever imagine my whole life. I grew up working, Vance. I know what hard work is. You? You’ve never lifted a finger that wasn’t holding a trophy or a credit card. You’ll be the one crying to go home after the first day of chores. You’ll be the one slowing me down. And I’m going to make sure everyone knows it.”

“Is that a challenge?” Jaxon asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice dripping with mockery. “Because if it is, you’re going to lose. Badly. I excel at everything I do, Kairos. That’s just a fact of life. I’m better at football, I’m better at school, and I’m definitely going to be better at whatever farm work they throw at us. You’re going to be nothing but dead weight dragging me down, and I’m going to make sure you feel every bit of it.”

“Better at everything?” I scoffed, shaking my head in disgust. “You’re delusional. You’re just good at pretending. You pretend you’re a leader, you pretend you’re nice, you pretend you’re perfect. But I see right through you. You’re just a selfish, spoiled little boy who throws a fit when he doesn’t get his way. And I am going to enjoy watching you fail when you realize the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“You’re just bitter because the world doesn’t revolve around you,” Jaxon countered sharply. “You’re angry because you’re not special, because no one cares about your little struggles, because you’re just another guy trying too hard to be noticed. Newsflash, Kairos, nobody is looking at you when I’m in the room. You’re just background noise. And now, you’re my problem for a month. Lucky me.”

“Lucky me?” I repeated, stepping forward again, my voice rising. “I’d rather be struck by lightning than be your problem. I’d rather sleep in a ditch than share a space with you. I’m going to count every single second until this camp is over and I never have to look at your face again. You make me sick.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Jaxon said, his tone icy cold. “If I could trade partners right now, I would. I’d pick a random stranger from the street over you. At least they wouldn’t be so miserable and angry all the time. You’re exhausting, Kairos. You drain the life out of everything just by being near it.”

“Good,” I said, turning away from him before I actually did something stupid like punch him in front of the whole team. “I aim to please. And don’t worry, I’ll stay as far away from you as possible while still doing my part. Don’t talk to me unless it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t look at me. Don’t even breathe the same air as me if you can help it.”

“Trust me,” Jaxon called out after me, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I’ll be holding my breath the whole time just to be safe! I don’t want to catch whatever pathetic disease you’re suffering from!”

I flipped him off over my shoulder without looking back, hearing the loud, obnoxious laughter of his friends following me as I stormed away from the bulletin board. I was fuming, my blood boiling, my mind racing with insults I wanted to throw back at him, with ways I wanted to hurt him, with plans to make his life miserable just like he was going to make mine.

This was going to be hell. Pure, unadulterated hell. And it was all because of him.