“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.
We were standing on the school basketball courts, and I was scowling in the direction of the PE teacher. I’d just gotten over the feeling of awe as I walked past the school’s indoor swimming pool, which had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake, and the fitness center, which had all the latest high-tech equipment a fitness junkie could dream of. I hadn’t even had a chance to appreciate how shiny and new the school’s basketball courts were before the teacher announced the worst news ever.
Today we were taking part in the high-school version of torture—the beep test. Couldn’t they have waited more than two days into the new school year before subjecting us to this?
I wasn’t the only one who was upset by the idea, and a series of groans echoed around me. Cress and Anna were probably two of the loudest. The boys in the class didn’t look nearly so concerned. Although I heard Sawyer grumble to his brother that he shouldn’t have eaten so much for lunch.
The upside to all of this was that at least I’d be too tired to keep stressing over the girls’ PE uniform. We were expected to wear a T-shirt with a pair of booty shorts, and ever since I put them on, I’d been worried half my butt was showing. It wouldn’t have been too bad if the top was oversized, but that too was on the smaller side. The outfit was something I’d be happy enough wearing on a run—when it was the early hours of the morning and there wasn’t a soul in sight. But being surrounded by a class of teenage boys, I was feeling highly self-conscious.
“We’ll be comparing your test results from the start of the year to the end of the year to see how your fitness improves,” the teacher explained, but it was hard to hear him over the complaints of my classmates.
He started to tell us how the test was going to proceed, but no one was really listening. The concept was pretty straightforward, and I imagined most kids had done the test before. All we had to do was run back and forth between the cones laid out at either end of the court, staying ahead of the beeps. It was easy enough until the beeps started getting progressively quicker and you had to run faster. If you didn’t reach the next cone before the next beep, you were out.
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck start to prickle, and I glanced over my shoulder as Noah and Luther entered the gym. It was like my body had some built-in sensor for whenever those boys were around—self-preservation, I thought.
I concentrated on the teacher, not wanting to be caught staring at the two of them. I was determined to keep my distance from those boys, Noah especially. They were trouble with a capital T, and I had no intention of getting swept up in it.
I couldn’t seem to help myself from noticing wherever Noah was in the room though. He’d stopped just off to one side of the teacher and was leaning against the gym wall looking like he was posing for some catalog photo shoot. I’d never seen a high-school student fill out a PE uniform quite like he did. The shirt perfectly molded to the muscles on his arms and chest.
If I was being honest, a few guys in the class gave Noah a run for his money. I wasn’t completely blind to how good the twins looked in their uniforms, and Luther was almost as muscular as his friend. I just wished I were a little blinder when it came to Noah.
The teacher blew his whistle, and several kids jolted with surprise. “Line up by the cones!” he shouted. Several more groans echoed through the room, but we all started heading to the side of the basketball court.
“This sucks,” Anna said. “Coach August must have had a really bad summer if this is how he’s starting the year.”
“It’s like he wants to punish us,” Cress agreed. “And we haven’t even done anything wrong yet.”
“Yet?” I asked.
Cress and Anna shared a knowing smile before Anna turned to me. “Last year, Cress and I got in a bit of trouble because we kept pretending to have our periods to get out of swimming in PE. August probably wouldn’t have said anything, but everyone was swimming for a month, and we sat out of every class. You should have seen how pink his cheeks went when he confronted us about it.”
Cress giggled as she nodded. “He kept referring to our women’s problems, and every time we corrected him to say periods, his cheeks went even brighter. That’s probably what this beep test is about. The old guy still hasn’t forgiven us.”
“Probably,” Anna agreed.
“This is going to be fun,” Wes said, appearing at my side. “I hope I can beat my score from last year.”
“You must be the only person who’s excited about this,” I told him. I enjoyed running myself, but not like this. The best part about running was finding a steady rhythm and enjoying the outdoors, not racing until your lungs burned and your legs seized up.
“Yeah, because he’s a super human fitness freak,” Anna agreed with a shake of her head. “Wes, you’re crazy.”
He laughed and shrugged. “I can’t help that I enjoy this stuff.”
I looked over to see if Coach August was close to starting the test. He was standing to the side of the court and seemed to be in close conversation with Noah. He was listening intently to whatever Noah was saying, so I guessed there would still be a few more moments before the running began. I’d woken up this morning and was pleased to find my ankle didn’t hurt as much today, but I was still feeling a little nervous about exercising on it again so soon. I’d been walking okay so far, but it was still a little tender. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I was sure it would be fine if I just started with a light jog and stopped when my ankle started to complain.
“So, what do you think, bro?” Sawyer walked over to stand next to Wes. “Fancy a little bet on which of us will come out on top?”
Wes rolled his eyes. “We already know I’m going to beat you. No point in betting on it.”
“You sure? Because I was thinking of putting our dorm room on the line…”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep.” Sawyer eagerly rubbed his hands together. “If you win, you get one full weekend of the room to yourself.”
“And if you win?”
“Well, I get the room to myself.”
Wes actually seemed tempted by the idea. “And where would the loser sleep?”
“I’m sure you could find a couch to crash on. Or your car’s got a big trunk; you could probably sleep in there.”
“Neither of those options sound the least bit appealing. But since I’ll be winning anyways…”
A big grin lit Sawyer’s face. “Then we have a bet?”
“We have a bet.”
The two boys shook hands, identical looks of satisfaction displayed proudly on their faces. Each looked convinced he was going to win.
“Wes seems confident,” I murmured to Anna. “Do you think he’ll win?”
“To be honest, it could go either way,” she replied. “They’re both just as fit as each other.”
“At least Sawyer didn’t bet his Maserati this time,” Cress said. “He almost cried when Wes won their last bet and got to drive it for a month.”
“So, they make bets a lot?”
Anna nodded. “Oh yeah, they are always competing with each other.”
“Miss Grace?” I turned as Coach August walked over to me.
“Yes?” I somehow managed to smother a frown as he stopped in front of me. I wasn’t sure how he knew my name, but as I was the only new kid in the year group, it probably wasn’t hard to figure out. Still, I wasn’t sure why he’d decided to single me out.
“The nurse contacted me,” he said. “I hear you’ve hurt your ankle.”
I was thrown for a moment. The nurse hadn’t told me she was going to speak to Coach August about my injury.
“Oh, uh, yeah, I did,” I answered. “It’s feeling much better today though.”
My eyes drifted past Coach August to where he and Noah had been standing at the side of the court. Luther was now alongside Noah, chatting away to his friend. But Noah didn’t seem to be listening. He was looking right at me, watching my conversation with the teacher. When our eyes met, he instantly turned to his friend, as though he’d been talking to Luther the whole time.
“Miss Grace, did you hear me?”
“What?” I turned back to face Coach August, who was still looking down at me. I must have completely missed something he’d said.
“I was saying I think it would be best if you sit out the test,” he continued. “You can make it up once your ankle is fully recovered.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or annoyed. I didn’t particularly want to do the beep test on a sore ankle. But I also didn’t want to sit out by myself. I’d rather just get it over and done with.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said.
“I insist.” There was a sense of resolve in his voice, and I knew there was no way I’d convince him otherwise. He started gesturing to the bleachers. “You can sit over there and watch.”
I let out a sigh. “Okay.”
He nodded, satisfied I’d finally agreed, and returned to the sidelines.
“Have fun,” I murmured to Cress and Anna. They were practically glaring at me with envy.
“You are so lucky,” Anna said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sitting with you soon,” Cress added.
I gave them a smile before I trudged over to the bleachers. I hated being the odd person out, and I felt like the rest of the class was judging me as I went to sit by myself. My limp wasn’t obvious anymore, so they probably all thought I was cheating to get out of the test somehow.
As I made myself comfortable on a bench a few rows back from the court, I noticed Noah watching me. I could have sworn there was a hint of concern in his eyes, but he pulled them away so quickly it was impossible to tell. Why was he so interested in me today? The image of Noah deep in conversation with Coach August flashed into my mind. I was still surprised the nurse hadn’t told me she wanted me to sit out of gym class. Could Noah have been the one to tell the coach about my ankle? Why would he do that?
The test started, and I relaxed back on my seat to watch. I’d done the beep test once at my old school, and kids had started dropping like flies within the first few minutes. They hadn’t exactly been a fit bunch though. Everyone here looked to be doing much better. Even Cress and Anna, who had grumbled and groaned about doing the test, seemed to be taking the first few minutes easily in their strides.
The test only became harder as the minutes dragged on. With each beep that sounded, the pace increased and the students had to reach the opposite side of the court quicker. All of a sudden, people started to give up. It was mostly girls at first, but then a few guys stopped too.
When Cress failed to reach her cone before the beep, she came to join me with a pained look in her eyes.
“That. Was. Horrible,” she said between breaths as she collapsed down onto the bench at my side.
“You did really well.”
All I got was a groan in response.
I continued watching and was impressed by how long Anna managed to keep going. She somehow made it look so graceful. Kids were red-faced and puffing on either side of her, but the only hint of her own struggles was the soft glow of sweat on her forehead.
When Anna finally stopped, she abruptly slowed in the middle of the court, like she’d suddenly decided she was bored with the whole experience.
“Anna, you did amazing,” I said as she came to sit on the bleachers.
She merely shrugged and dabbed her face with a fresh towel she’d taken from a basket at the sidelines. “I’ve always been quite good at running,” she said. “Doesn’t stop me from hating it though. It’s terribly boring.”
I smiled and shook my head. I didn’t understand why she thought running was boring. I’d always found it so freeing. I loved the constant feel of my feet hitting the ground and the way I could sense the blood pumping beneath my skin. I lived for those moments when I could take in the beauty of the world around me and allow my mind to just drift. Running between cones to the sound of high-pitched beeps wasn’t quite the same.
“Looks like we could be here a while,” Cress said, nodding at the line of students who were still running across the court.
Most people had dropped out, and there were just a few guys left. All of them looked as fresh as the moment the whole thing had started. Sawyer and Wes were still running and practically moving as one, their feet slapping against the ground in unison. They were so in sync it was almost mesmerizing to watch. There were a couple of other guys I didn’t recognize running next to them, and Noah was also still going.
“I’m not going to lie,” Anna said. “I’m actually starting to enjoy this beep test. Is it wrong that I find guys running super sexy?” She was watching the boys like she’d just been offered a box of chocolates and couldn’t decide which one to take.
“Definitely not wrong,” Cress replied.
I could see what they meant. There was something alluring about the way the boys’ muscles flexed as they ran and how their sweaty shirts clung to their chests.
“It’s a shame that Wes has a girlfriend and Sawyer is Sawyer,” Anna continued. “Because right now, I would love to be the ham in that twin sandwich.”
I burst out laughing, causing several people to look our way. I immediately went quiet. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
“What?” Anna replied. “Just because we’re friends with the guys doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate their beauty.”
“I just thought you’d be too busy drooling over Luther,” Cress said.
“Ugh, no.” Anna protested but didn’t look nearly as disgusted by the idea as her words suggested, and her eyes immediately sought Luther out. He was headed for the sidelines, having just tapped out of the test. When he looked up and saw Anna watching him, he winked.
“Definitely not,” Anna added. “If anyone out there is worth drooling over, it’s Noah. Pretty sure he’s been crowned the king of hotness at our school.”
I smothered another laugh. “The king of hotness?”
“Yeah, he rules in that department, and we should all bow down to him.”
“Anna, that’s my cousin,” Cress groaned.
“Yeah, your extremely hot cousin,” she said.
Cress’s face scrunched up with disgust. “I’m going to grab a drink of water.”
She stood and walked to the end of the bleachers. I was expecting to see her headed toward a water fountain, but there was a large refrigerator with bottles of water and Gatorades standing by the wall. We definitely didn’t have one of those in the gym at my old school.
“It’s a shame Veronica’s had her claws sunk into him for such a long time,” Anna said. Apparently, she was still talking about Noah. “I bet he’d be a good kisser.”
“So, they are dating?” I felt like I couldn’t keep up.
“No, but she’s made it clear to everyone at school that he belongs to her,” Anna replied. “And you’d need to have a death wish to risk her wrath. Though there are plenty of girls who are willing to put themselves in danger for a ride on the Noah train.”
“You have such a beautiful way with words, Anna.”
She snorted a laugh. “I know.”
“So, that’s it then?” I asked. “Noah is off-limits to everyone because Veronica has decided he’s her property?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s a bit messed up.”
“To be honest, I don’t think it really stops him getting attention from other girls. If anything, it probably makes them want him more,” Anna said with a shake of her head. “Personally, it doesn’t seem worth it to me. Apart from this weird on-again-off-again thing he’s got going with Veronica, Noah wouldn’t date any of the girls at school. As far as I’m concerned, that train has left the station.”
I glanced back at the court to watch Noah running. “Why wouldn’t he date anyone at school? You mean because of Veronica?”
“Nah, I think it’s because his standards are too high.”
That didn’t surprise me in the least.
“Please tell me you’re not still talking about Noah.” Cress had returned with three bottles of water. She passed one to Anna and one to me before she sat back down, opened hers, and took a swig.
Anna shrugged. “I’m just explaining to Isobel that Noah thinks he’s too good to date any of us mere mortals.”
Cress sighed and shook her head. “He’s not like that. He’s just guarded. He doesn’t open up easily.”
“So, he doesn’t date anyone here because he’s worried about getting his heart broken?” I wondered out loud.
“No, I think he’s more concerned about getting used,” Cress explained. “The girls here all have ulterior motives. They only want to date him to boost their status. There’s nothing he hates more than dishonesty, so he never gives girls a chance to take advantage of him that way.”
It was one thing to avoid dating because you’d been cheated on, but to not trust anyone at all was downright depressing. His reaction to our collision in the woods was starting to make a little more sense. It didn’t excuse the fact he’d automatically assumed I’d fallen on him on purpose, but if what Cress said was true, perhaps his reaction wasn’t completely ridiculous.
A shout sounded from the court, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I won!” Sawyer was standing in the middle of the court, dancing on the spot while Wes shook his head at his brother. It looked like Sawyer had stopped running the moment Wes had finished, and given the way he was dancing, he still appeared to have more than enough energy to continue.
“Sawyer, Wes, off the court now!” Coach August shouted to them. “The test isn’t over.”
The boys both dashed to the edge of the court, leaving three boys still running the test. Noah was there, along with two guys I hadn’t met. They were all sprinting hard now, and I felt slightly breathless just watching them.
“I can’t wait to have the room to myself for the weekend,” Sawyer bragged as Wes came over to sit with us. I hadn’t opened my water bottle yet, and I happily offered it to Wes. He looked like he needed it more than me.
“Thanks.” He smiled and accepted the water before focusing on his brother. “You can’t win if you cheated. You tripped me!”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Sawyer looked far too smug as he turned to us. “I guess we’ll just have to ask our umpires. Did any of you see evidence of foul play?”
Cress, Anna, and I shook our heads.
“Sorry, Wes, we were too busy talking. We didn’t see anything.” Cress looked genuinely disappointed that she couldn’t save Wes from his brother’s taunts.
“See!” Sawyer continued. “Now I just have to pick the perfect weekend.” He was still grinning brightly as he spun on his heels and walked off. He proudly made his way over to a group of girls sitting farther down the bleachers, no doubt planning to boast about his victory over his brother.
Wes shook his head as he watched his twin leave. “In all honesty, I can only blame myself for that. I should have known he’d cheat.”
“Maybe we can do something fun that weekend,” Anna said. “Go on a trip somewhere without Sawyer to teach him a lesson.”
Wes slowly started to smile. “Anna, you are totally devious, but I love the way you think.”
“Thank you.”
My eyes drifted to the court as Noah finally came to a stop. He was puffing heavily, and he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, flashing his abs to everyone on the bleachers. I heard several girls giggling, and I had no doubt as to why.
Noah was the last student left running, and a smattering of applause floated down from the bleachers. The noise practically turned to cheers when Coach August announced that, since the test was over, class was ending early for the day, and everyone hurried back toward the locker rooms. Anna and Cress couldn’t seem to wait to grab a quick shower and get out of their sweaty clothes, and I slowly trailed after them.
“Nice running out there, newbie.”
I turned to find Luther grinning behind me. Noah was at his side, and I tried my best to ignore him. Instead, I shot Luther a scowl. “It’s not my fault I couldn’t do the test.”
“Uh-huh.”
“My ankle is injured. You know that.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
Luther gave a lopsided shrug. “So, did you like what you saw from the bleachers?”
“What do you mean?” I was doing my best not to look at Noah, but from the corner of my eye, I could swear he was glaring at his friend.
“I mean, the most athletic boys at Weybridge put on quite a show for you ladies. I was curious if you enjoyed it?”
“Uh…” How did I even respond to that?
“Or maybe you’re more into book-smart guys. Or perhaps the arty type?”
I raised an eyebrow at him but kept quiet. He didn’t need any encouraging to continue. “Or the funny guy or the bad boy. Come on, what kind of guys do you like to date?”
Finally, he’d gotten to his point. “Luther, all you need to know about my type is that you’re not it.” I kept my face deadly serious as I spoke, but I couldn’t help a grin from forming as I turned away from Luther to follow the rest of the kids out of the gym.
Luther wasn’t even slightly discouraged by my response and skipped quickly to my side, a broad smile still plastered on his face. “Message received.” He laughed as he walked alongside me. “But that doesn’t answer the question.”
“Why are you so interested?”
“I told you I’m on an undercover mission to uncover your secrets. That’s the one I want to know today.”
“I really don’t like this game,” I grumbled. I was suspicious of all Luther’s talk about secrets, and I wasn’t sure why he kept insisting on trying to uncover mine. It was probably like Cress and Anna said, and he was trying to figure me out.
“So…” he continued. “What type of guy do you go for?”
I stopped and faced Luther once more, but my eyes flickered in Noah’s direction. He was following behind, keeping his distance. Thankfully, Noah didn’t seem to be waiting on my answer. Instead, he was glaring at his best friend. It seemed he was just as annoyed with Luther as I was.
“I don’t have a type,” I replied. Luther opened his mouth to object, but I quickly interrupted before he got a chance. “And I don’t have any secrets. Catch you later, Luther.”
This time, I managed to escape, and as I strode away, I heard a thump and then Noah hissed, “What is wrong with you?”
Luther laughed, but I was now too far away to catch his response. I just hoped he was finished trying to figure me out because, even though his questions seemed harmless, there were things about me I didn’t want anyone in this school to know.
