Carnelian

by B. Kristin McMichael

  Seth stood in line and waited behind a girl determined to roll her balloon down the space. She already had one balloon in the bucket at the end of the race and was on her second try with this balloon. As she neared the end, the balloon popped from rolling over something sharp. While it was a good idea, she wasn’t careful enough. She ran back and began again. This time she took her time and moved every little piece out of the way as she rolled. Soon enough, she was done and on her way.

  Seth stood on the line and looked around at the competitors. Muscle guy was still going and dropping his balloon while skinny girl had already quit. With one last glance around, Seth nodded to no one in particular.

  “Ready,” he said to Dee and me.

  “Go,” Dee said while clicking his timer on. I clicked mine too and did my best not to get distracted.

  Seth reached into the bucket and pulled out a balloon. While balancing it against his dry swim trunks, he pulled out the second balloon and did the same. With an easy trot down the track, he dumped both balloons in the bucket before the person next to him even picked one up. I could now see how he would finish on top. Somehow, he knew exactly how to do this.

  With that I was off, watching Seth compete every course two, three, or more times faster than the people around him. The second stop went just as easy since Seth had perfect form with each ball he tossed. At the third stop, I got to see what a ROTC course was. It was a military basic training course with tires to step through, hanging bars to cross and an A-shaped board to climb over. Not something someone without a bit of athletic skills would be making through very easily. At the swim center, Seth was like a fish and in and out of the water before anyone could even count. At the last stop, Seth was actually too cute to keep from laughing. When they said it was a bike course, I was not picturing tricycles. Something about seeing cute college guys on a small tricycle was just funny.

  I smiled as he crossed the lap line, and Seth caught me. I tried to quickly turn, but I was too late.

  “You do know how to laugh.” Seth stood beside me as I filled in my times on the sheet Dee was holding. Seth ran his hands through his still wet hair. The deep red color was black now. I wondered if it felt as soft now as it did when it was dry. I turned my eyes away. I needed to stop checking him out. Seth was a player, and I didn’t want to be involved with him.

  “I was just picturing how fun it will be to watch Ty on one of those, if he doesn’t break it,” I gave a quick lie. Seth let out a chuckle on that one. It was actually a funny thought, even if I had been laughing at how cute Seth was on the tricycle.

  Seth made his way back up to the results stage. It was easy to see underwear model didn’t quite fit him as a description. Mr. Perfect was more like it. I easily found Sim and Ty near where we left them. Sim squealed and waved to me as I got closer. She pointed over to the results table as Seth was put at the top of the list. Yep. Mr. Perfect.

  “There you are,” she said. “Ty said you’d be back soon, but no one else is coming back quickly. I got a board, but I don’t want to do this without you beside me.” I smiled and took the clipboard and timer from Sim. Ty obviously had the other timer as he waited beside her. I waved to Seth as he walked back to our spot from before with Dee close behind. Dee was sulking like he didn’t actually want to be around us much. I didn’t quite know what to make of Dee. He was joking one minute, and sulking the next. Seth waved back as I followed Sim.

  For a second time, I watched someone compete through the races. This time it wasn’t as quick. Sim struggled along as most of the girls had. She wasn’t physically strong enough to do much of the course easily, and the ROTC course was killer at each step for her. I cheered as much as I could, but she still struggled. Even Ty got into the cheering, hoping that it would help her. By the time she finished the last leg of the race, she plopped down on the ground and gave up.

  “This was worse than torture,” she complained, and I sat beside her. “There’s no way any girl is going to be up there next to the guys. This was all about strength. At least each team has to have two girls on it. There’s some chance then at least for me to make the core team.” I nodded along. I still didn’t get what was important about CRUSH, but it was a big deal for Sim.

  “Mari, you want to go next and then we can get some lunch?” Sim asked, as Ty pulled us both to standing at the same time.

  “Sure,” I replied. It was too late to tell her no and back out.

  Sim somehow found a reserve of energy and bound off to turn in her times along with getting a new sheet for me. I took the form and filled in my name and number before trudging off to the first course. Sim and Ty were behind me as I walked, but when I turned around I found Seth holding the timer and clipboard. Ty was next to him, smiling.

  “Dee finished up, and it’s my turn to go do this, too,” Ty explained sheepishly before walking away. Sure. That had to be it. Just great. Friends.

  “Sim, what’s the rule for this one?” I asked as I neared the front of one of the lines.

  “Take two balloons and transfer them from one can to the other on the far side. Ten minute time limit,” Sim read for me.

  I stood and looked across the course. Several people were rolling their slick balloons on the ground. A girl two down from me couldn’t even get hers out of the bucket. I could easily see that the problem seemed to be in getting the balloon picked up. Only Seth had done it without dropping it, and I couldn’t even guess at how he did it. Magic by Mr. Perfect was my only explanation. I would need to use something different from magic. I needed to use logic. I watched around me again as I stood next to a can filled with large, goopy balloons. I had no idea what was on them, but one thing was for sure- they were slippery.

  “I’ll take your shirt,” Sim offered, holding out her hand. I reached down to pull my shirt off, dreading that Seth was already anticipating it coming off. We may be working on the friends bit, but I doubted he had really given up from the look in his eyes. I stopped as a thought came to me.

  “Nah,” I replied. “I think I might need it.” Seth seemed to be actually disappointed. Sim eyed me over like she was assessing how shy I might actually be. I actually wasn’t too shy around strangers, but I did find myself less and less confident when Seth looked at me. Oh great. I was falling for him after all. I had to concentrate on something else and stop thinking about him. I guess CRUSH would be useful after all.

  “Ready?” Sim asked.

  “Sure,” I replied. I guess it was now or never. I’d prefer never, but that wasn’t an option at this point. Sim wouldn’t let me live it down if I said no now.

  “Go,” Sim said as her timer beeped at the same time as Seth. I could feel his eyes on me. He was analyzing me as much as I was analyzing the balloon game.

  I leaned down and touched a balloon. The goo was slicker than I expected, but that wouldn’t matter. I placed my hand beneath my shirt and used it as extra grips to pick up the balloon. As I expected the goo soaked right into my shirt, but now I could pick it up and carry it. I hurried down the path and dropped off the balloon before coming back for the next one. They were way too heavy for me to carry two at a time. As I dropped the second balloon in the finish line tub, I finally noticed Sim staring at me.

  “What?” I asked, looking at my goo stained shirt. Oh well, hopefully it would come out. I carefully pulled the dirty shirt off over my head doing my best to have the goop avoid my face.

  “You could have told me to do that,” Sim complained. Seth reached around Sim and swiped the side of my face with his thumb. Tingles shot to my toes, making me stumble mid-step.

  “Just a bit on your face.” He held up his hand innocently to show me the goo on it.

  At the ball toss, I didn’t have a problem with any of the balls. No strategy was needed as you just had to throw a baseball, shoot a basketball, hit a tennis ball, kick a soccer ball, and throw a football at specific targets. I had played all those sports, except football, at least once. I was one of those kids that tried ever
ything, but never stuck doing one sport. While sports were not too difficult, I didn’t find any of them fun and kept searching. I must have played at least twice as many sports as they had us do in the ball toss part of the race. Sim grew more excited as she saw my times were way below the fastest girl thus far.

  After the ball toss, I was onto the ROTC course. This one didn’t take too much thought either. You basically just had to run to course. While Sim struggled to run, I had tried cross country my senior year of high school and was in pretty good running shape. The wall would have been a problem if you just needed arm strength, but by using my legs and the rope, I was able to make it over fine. All those sports seemed to be paying off.

  As we made our way to the swim center, Seth kept right beside me. He attracted attention everywhere he went, and now there was attention on me also. I tried to ignore the stares and even a few glares sent my way, but it was getting harder. I was beginning to feel like most of the girls on campus were waiting for their chance with him and viewed me as competition. How could that many girls want to date him, even though he was a known player? Unfortunately I already was beginning to see why. He wasn’t turning out to be the normal dick that most player guys were, but I still couldn’t get over him naming me as his next conquest. Friends would have to be it.

  “You can play soccer, baseball, basketball and maybe even football,” Seth said, opening the door for me. “Can you swim, too?”

  “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” I pointed at the line of people waiting for the next challenge. I wasn’t about to tell him I did swim team for a season.

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” Sim asked, tapping her board impatiently.

  “I tried ballet once,” I replied. “Tutu’s and pliés didn’t really agree with.” Seth laughed.

  “Between you and him, I feel inadequate,” Sim replied. “You guys are perfect for each other,” she added just for me to hear, but I think Seth heard anyways. I tried my best not to blush as he smiled innocently.

  Instead of looking to Seth, I began to focus on the pool in front of me. It seemed easy enough. Dive in, retrieve some bags, and put a puzzle together next to the pool. From what I saw of the puzzles across the way, it looked like maps. With all the travel my grandfather did my whole life, I was pretty well versed in the countries around the world. It was beginning to feel like there wasn’t a place my grandfather didn’t visit at least once. He even took my mother and me with him at least a dozen times a year. I had more stamps in my passport by the time I was thirteen then most people do in a lifetime.

  I stood beside the pool and handed my shoes to Sim. I’d need them for the last race, and I preferred them to be dry. Sim looked at her time sheet and read the rules one last time.

  “Retrieve three bags of the same color, swim to the other side of the pool, and put the contents in the correct pattern.” Not a problem. When Sim clicked her timer, I didn’t even wait for her to say go. I dove right into the water. The three bags were close enough that I could grab all of them at once. I quickly made my way to the other side and pulled myself out of the pool dripping wet. Without even waiting for Seth and Sim to make it around the edge of the pool, I dumped the contents and started to piece together South America. Grandfather had traveled there a lot. I had been to at least a half dozen of the countries myself. Piece by piece I was able to put it together before even realizing that I was done. Seth whistled as his timer clicked.

  “Geography major?” he asked.

  “Anthropology and art history,” I replied. My plans included getting a college education and joining my grandfather in his business. It wasn’t like I didn’t already have the exposure as I helped out during high school, but he insisted I get a college degree. I agreed in order to get out of the house and have four years of freedom before going back to my perfectly-planned life.

  “Then how’d you do that so fast?” Sim admired.

  “I’ve been to Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela before,” I answered, pointing at each. After those on the map, you didn’t need to know much more to fill in the remaining countries.

  “You lucked out,” Seth replied.

  “No, any of them wouldn’t have been a problem. I’ve traveled all over the world since I was a child,” I replied, looking down the line of puzzles, Central America, Europe, two maps of Asia, Africa. They all were familiar enough to me.

  Sim led the way to the second pool and the only course I dreaded: the log run. Somehow they had brought in logs that ran from one side of the pool to the other. We were expected to walk or run across them without falling in the pool. Seth was the only one that made it from one end to the other in one try, but I was determined to not let Mr. Perfect see me fail. Now all I needed was some sort of solution to doing it.

  I waited in line until someone working at the course pointed me to a log. I was still stumped. I had watched guy after guy race as fast as they could to only be thrown into the water. The girls were the opposite. They were mostly extra cautious and still tipped off immediately. The logs were chained together, but not stable in the water at all. From what I could tell, the few people that made it across did so at a consistent pace. I figured it had something to do with where you stepped onto each log. Those that stepped further in had more balance than those right on the edge. At one edge, the whole log would tip as far up as it could go when chained to another log. This meant that you had to go at some sort of running or jogging pace. I had to go to Minnesota to school. I doubt many other places would have even considered throwing logs in a pool for an obstacle course. At least we didn’t have to balance on them and try to throw another person off.

  I stood on the edge of the pool and looked at my logs, trying to get enough courage to do it. Seth saw my hesitation, but at this point I didn’t care. I wanted to make it across in one piece and not have to try over and over again as several people were doing to avoid the automatic ten minute score if you didn’t finish a course. Sim had already walked around to the other side to time from there, but Seth was still standing with me. He was watching me, but I did my best to ignore him. I had to decide the best way to cross.

  “You know your friend is right,” Seth said low enough for only me to hear. He was standing behind me, looking at the logs as well. My arms tingled at his breath on my ear. “We are perfect for each other.” He was almost cheek to cheek with me now, and he was tempting.

  “Friends, right?” I corrected him.

  He gave a deep chuckle and smiled at me, pulling back only inches. I swear he heard my heart beating fast due to him being close. “Yes, friends.” he replied. “Friend,” he addressed me, “leave at least one foot on each end of the log and run light on your feet. The harder you hit the log, the more it will respond.” So much for showing him that I could do this on my own. He had seen right through my hesitation.

  Doing exactly as he said, I ran across the tied-together logs. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. All my hesitation was for nothing. I was surprised when I reached the other side of the pool, and Sim was jumping up and down cheering. I didn’t fall in the water or have to do it five times to get across.

  “You’re, like, perfect,” Sim cheered. Other timers beside her were watching us now. You couldn’t tell who had fallen in the water or not as we all did the puzzle course before the log course, but Sim jumping around cheering gave it away. I grabbed Sim’s arm quickly and led her out the doorway before more people could turn to gape at me. I already had enough people staring at me for being next to Seth. As we neared the doorway, Seth reached across me to take the clipboard from Sim and add his time to it. His arm brushed mine and left goose bumps in their wake. My response brought a smile to his face.

  “I mean, I know after seeing the other ones and all that you’d be perfect at this, but I thought for sure you wouldn’t make it across this one. What was your secret to it? You seem to have a secret to everything,” Sim kept chattering as we left with Seth smiling behind me. I tried
to ignore him as best I could by dragging the chattering Sim over to the last race.

  I had to stop and pinch myself. The last race was a bit surreal. College students were doing their best to race toddler tricycles around a figure-eight course. As funny as it was to see, it was even more so to see how intense most of the guys were at trying their best to win.

  “Race you?” Ty asked, joining the line behind us. I laughed. I’d rather watch Ty on the tricycle than race him.

  I neared the front of the line rapidly with Ty.

  “What was the rule again?” I asked Sim.

  “You must complete one round on the course with your butt touching the seat at all times,” Sim read. They stated it that way to keep everyone on the tricycles, but the way it was written still left some wiggle room. This was the best course for Sim, since she was probably the shortest person competing, which made it the easiest for her.

  I stood and waited as one person made it back. The rest of the people were still on the course, and therefore I couldn’t race Ty. I took the tricycle and sat down on it behind the start line. I was correct in that I wouldn’t be able to pedal it very well at all. Most of the guys didn’t even use the pedals. They could just pull themselves with their legs quicker, but I wasn’t tall enough for that to work either. I’d have to pedal awkwardly or find another way.

  “Are you ready?” Sim asked. I smiled and nodded at her. I had a great idea, and I knew it would work.

  “This is for you, Ty,” I called over to him. There was no way Ty could sit on it and pedal or pull himself. At Ty’s size, I’d be surprised it if didn’t just collapse, or at least flatten the tires under his weight.