by Ruby Vincent
“Okay.” The word popped out of my mouth. “Tomorrow.”
“Good.” Landon squeezed my shoulder, and for some reason, my face grew warm. What the heck was wrong with me?
He released me and walked off in one direction while Cole and Michael went another. What was I supposed to do with myself?
I looked around and lit upon a bunch of kids gathered by a blanket. It was loaded down with snacks. If I was staying, I might as well eat.
Pushing through the bodies, I made for the food. I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of soda and immediately poured myself a cup.
“...can’t believe it.”
Someone bumped my arm and the soda sloshed onto the blanket. I straightened up as Melody reached for the bottle and tugged it out of my hands. She poured herself a drink while she chattered at the girl next to her.
“I was trying to talk to our team leader about how elitist and discriminatory the class system is and she walked away. What the hell is wrong with everyone? How can they not see how messed up all of this is?”
“You tried to convince one of the Elite that the system is elitist?” I said. “You had to know that wouldn’t go well.”
“Excuse me?” Melody swung around, her brows snapping together. I braced myself as she looked me up and down. “You know... you might have a point.”
I blinked. She was agreeing with me?
I relaxed as I sized her up in turn. She had on a cute pair of purple pajamas with little bunnies on her pants. Her outfit wasn’t as sexy as the short shorts, tank tops, and bare chests of the others, but the lift of her chin and confidence in her stance made it clear she knew she didn’t have to try. She was already the most beautiful one here.
She’s right about that, I thought. It’s no wonder Adam is struck dumb at the sight of her.
“There’s no point trying to convince people who benefit from the system to turn on it, but you’d think they’d feel more solidarity than that.” She shook her head. “Well, I’m not going to keep quiet. I’m going to make everyone see we have to get rid of the battle system.”
“Good luck. I hope you succeed.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not. Seriously, I hope you do open people’s eyes. I’ve been here a couple of days and I see how harsh the competition can be. Not to mention what I heard about that poor girl, Becca Taylor.”
Her expression softened. “Yeah, I heard about her too. They brought her up when they said we’d have to see the therapist twice a semester. It’s so sad, but still, it wasn’t enough to get them to change.”
“It’s awful.”
Melody didn’t reply at first, but I noticed the angry glint in her eye had disappeared. On the contrary, she was smiling.
“What’s your name?”
“Zeke Manning.”
“Melody Durand.” She reached out and shook my hand. “Where are your shoes, Zeke?”
I snorted a laugh. “They’re back in my dorm doing me no good.” I looked down at the pink, strappy sandals adorning her feet. “But I love your shoes. They look just like a pair I saw in a boutique in Paris.”
“Oh my gosh. They are from Paris. From this place near the Eiffel Tower called La Papillion.”
“No way! I know it. I went there all the time.”
Melody’s forehead wrinkled. “You did?”
“For my mom,” I said quickly. “I shopped there all the time to get gifts for my mom. She loved that shop.”
“Oh. Okay.” She ducked her head. “So you like Paris? My family vacations there every spring.”
“J'y ai vécu deux ans,” I replied. “I lived there for two years.”
She giggled—a light and surprisingly sweet sound. “You speak French, and you have good taste?” She released my hand only to place hers on my shoulder. “You’re too good to be true.”
I beamed. “We’ll be on opposite sides of the campus, but it would be cool if we could be friends. We can talk Paris.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up into a grin. “Definitely. I’ll see you around, Zeke Manning.”
I waved her off, smiling away. Most of the people here were strange, but at least I was making friends.
You didn’t come here to make friends, a voice reminded me. There is one thing you need to do and it’s more important than anything. Don’t get distracted.
The smile melted off of my face. If I wanted the normal high school experience, I wouldn’t be at Breakbattle Academy with a wig on my head. I couldn’t lose sight of why I was here. I would make friends when it was all over.
I turned away from the snack blanket...
...and smacked into a hard chest. Soda spilled down my hand as I bounced off Adam.
“What was that? Why were you talking to Melody? You weren’t talking about me, were you? Did she say something about me?”
I gaped at him. “Seriously, Moon.” I shook the wetness from my hand. “You have to play it way cooler than that.”
“You made her laugh.” His eyes grew unfocused. “She has the most beautiful laugh, doesn’t she?”
Oh yeah. This guy is far gone.
“It’s a delight,” I deadpanned. “The real question is did you talk to her?”
He pinked. “I tried, but she was talking to her friends and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Well, try again. This time tell her how great she looks and listen to her plans to bring down the system.”
“Good tip but”—his eyes drifted over my head—“I think we need to get out of here.”
“What? Why—”
“What on earth is going on here?!”
I swung around and the last of my undrunk soda went flying. A woman in rollers and a thick, plaid robe burst through the trees. It was Vice Principal Argyle. Trailing her with the scruff of his neck firmly in her grip, was one of the boys the Elite had snatched out of bed: Parker.
I had a second for the situation to sink in before Adam seized my arm. “Run!”
That was the cue. Students scattered in every direction, dropping their Solo cups and bolting as fast as their legs could carry them.
“No one move!”
Adam yanked me after him. We escaped through the woods, running and stumbling over tree roots as branches tore at us. We didn’t know where anyone else was but we heard them crashing through the woods around us, screaming like getting caught would have more deadly consequences than a talking-to.
Over the thrashing and frantic, panicky cries, there was a strange squeaky sound.
We were laughing. Adam and I were laughing so hard we were tripping over more than the roots. Maybe there was time to make friends.
“I DON’T GET WHY YOU guys were invited and not us,” Justin griped. “Cam doesn’t even know Zeke.”
“Stop whining, man,” Zachary replied. “We were at the party for ten whole minutes and then it was busted by Argyle. She’s on the warpath now.”
On the warpath was right. She didn’t manage to catch any of the students after they made a break for it, but she stormed into breakfast that morning and made it clear that if any other kids were caught out of bed after curfew, they would start the new school year with two months of detention.
Her reaction wasn’t on the same level as the Elites when she left the room and they turned on Parker. Cameron and Santiago descended on his table, told him to get up, and led him out.
I peered around Adam to where he sat alone on the bleachers. Something about the sight of him head bent and exposed in his swim briefs struck me with sympathy.
I wonder what they said to him.
“Are you really not going to swim? Zeke?”
I started when I realized Zachary was speaking to me. I took my eyes off Parker and glanced down at the massive swimming pool waiting to claim the boys for their next trial. “Yes, I’m not swimming.”
His eyes got bigger. “Even after... last night?” he whispered.
“I want to do well on the trials, Zach,
but drowning won’t get me anywhere. There’s nothing I can do.”
Owen heaved a sigh. “I can’t risk this one either. Mom actually called the school and told them not to let me in the water. I’m going to do the other trials though, no matter what.”
The same fervor gripping Owen was humming through the class. Everyone was determined to make up for low scores the day before or maintain their edge. At the top of the bleachers, Cameron and Santiago watched on.
“They’re here to see you and Reed,” Zach said to Adam, following my eye. “We all know you’re both going to top this trial.”
Adam didn’t appear fazed. He gestured at the entrance as a familiar face walked in. “That’s Mom. I’ll be right back.”
He popped off the bench and took off. Zachary shook his head at his back.
“Hard to figure that guy out sometimes. He acts like he doesn’t care, but how could he not? Everyone wants this.”
I said nothing. I didn’t know Adam that well, but I did know that there were plenty of things to want more. Thankfully, Owen changed the subject and we talked about what we were going to do with the rest of our summers while the clock ticked down to the second trial.
Adam rejoined us just as a man in a tight polo shirt and orange swimming trunks emerged from the locker room. He blew sharply on his whistle, but there was no need. The room fell silent the moment he stepped out.
“Alright, boys. Listen up. My name is Coach Nelson. You can call me Coach.” He settled in front of the bleachers and clasped his arms behind his back. “The way we’re running this is simple. Five at a time, you will stand up, take your positions, and begin when the buzzer sounds. You will swim as fast as possible to the opposite end of the pool to the touchpad. Your time will be displayed, I will record it, and you will receive your final score based on that. The fastest time will be granted the highest score. Understood?”
“Yes, Coach!”
“Good. Then, there will be no issues and this trial will run smoothly.” He pulled out his clipboard. “First five, you’re up.”
Nelson might have been hoping for smooth, but it was far from that. It turned out it wasn’t only me and Owen who didn’t belong in the water. One boy jumped in and immediately sank like a stone. The boy could not swim literally to save his life and Nelson was forced to dive in and fish him out. Coach wasn’t even mad. He sent him off to get changed and then went back to the trial like nothing happened.
Sadly, it didn’t stop there. There were two other boys who could swim, but not well. They flapped and flailed in the water until they finally got to their touchpad long after their opponents. Then there was the guy who couldn’t swim straight and veered off into someone else’s lane. They collided in a splash that would have been funny if the other hadn’t flipped out on the dude for messing up his race. Coach Nelson had to jump in again when they started fighting.
“You still mad your mom made you sit out?” I asked Owen. “Better to fail with dignity than some of these other jokers.”
“You may have a point,” he mumbled.
Both of us were more than ready to see the final race and the boys that were in it.
“Whooo!” Miss Val bounced on her seat. “Go, Adam!”
He tossed his mom a wave as he stepped up to the platform. On his left was Derek Grayson, and on his right was Cole Reed. Adam was too focused on his overexcited mom to notice Reed’s attention on him, but I saw his look plain and clear. Adam may not have cared about the outcome, but Reed did—big-time.
“Positions, gentlemen!”
Adam turned back to the water and put his goggles in place. He leaned forward and I did too, holding my breath.
The buzzer pierced through the room and Adam flew off the platform in a graceful arc and then disappeared beneath the surface. I could swim, but never in a million years would I be able to cut through the water the way he was. Adam was merely a blur, and on his side, Cole kept pace effortlessly.
Lungs bursting, I half fell out of the seat when their final strokes brought them within smacking distance of the touchpad. They stuck their heads out of the water and whipped around to the scoreboard where everyone was looking, uncaring of the other boys still swimming their race.
The air whooshed out of me in a torrent of disbelief when the times flashed across the boards.
“I can’t believe it,” I whispered.
Adam and Cole had tied—right down to the last millisecond.
“Fuck!” Cole punched the touchpad, earning a sharp whistle from Coach.
Adam’s reaction was simply to heave himself out of the water and stride off.
Day two of the trials were complete.
“YOU WERE INCREDIBLE,” I gushed. “For real. I didn’t know humans were capable of swimming that fast. You were nothing but a streak. I think I even saw Coach Nelson smile.”
Adam laughed from beneath the cloth. He was sitting at his desk with nothing on but a pair of shorts and towel over his wet locks. After the trial, we went back up to the dorm to chill before lunch.
“Thanks, Zeke.”
“But Cole looked like he wanted to burn the place down.”
“Cole doesn’t like to lose, and yes, he sees a tie as losing.”
I shook my head. “I forget you all know each other. So none of you are friends?”
“Michael and Cole are cool, but nah, we haven’t been friends since elementary school.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged. “It’s just not as simple as when we were kids.”
I let it drop. I knew by now they had a history. If Adam wanted to tell me, he’d do it in his own time.
I heaved myself off the bed. “I’m going down to lunch. You coming?”
“Nope. Mom wants to take me out to celebrate. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I shoved my shoes on and headed out. The cafeteria was near empty when I stepped inside. No girls to take up half the seats so I had my pick. I took my fish tacos to the table at the back and got comfortable. Three trays smacked down next to me seconds after I brought one to my lips.
“Where’s Moon?” Cole asked by way of greeting.
I blinked at him, Landon, and Michael. “He’s having lunch with his mom.”
“Good.”
Landon’s hand passed in front of my face. “You going to eat that?”
“I—”
He snagged my apple off my plate. My eyes followed the theft until they connected with his now pink orbs. The contacts had been changed up.
“I was going to eat that,” I finally said.
Landon cocked his head. “Yeah? You can have this instead.” He reached for my hand at the same time he pulled something out of his pocket. His palm was warm on my skin as he nudged my fingers open and heat surged through my body.
The reaction confused and annoyed me at the same time. The guy just touched you. Stop acting like the weirdo everyone thinks you are.
Landon placed something on my palm before releasing my hand. “People think I like apple-flavored things so they’re always giving me this stuff.”
I put the apple candy chews on my plate and then tucked my hand in my lap. It was tingling strangely.
Landon reclined back in his seat, eyeing me as he munched on the stolen apple. He looked amazing, as usual. Cole’s hair was still wet from his shower, but Landon snuck in time to wash, dry, and style his raven locks. It matched the expensively casual air he was going for with the button-up shirt, bow tie, and suspenders.
Cole and Michael should have been eclipsed by him, but not even jeans and plain shirts could diminish the pull of Michael’s almond eyes or the cute way Cole wrinkled his nose as he plucked the tomatoes off his tacos.
“So what’s your story, Manning?”
Landon’s question ripped me back to reality. “What? Oh. There’s not much to tell.” I pointed my eyes down to my food. “It’s like I said on the first day. I’ve lived in a lot of places and—”
“Forget that,” Cole broke i
n. “We’re not talking about the past. Tell us what you want. Why are you at Breakbattle?”
My grip tightened imperceptibly on my fork. “Lots of reasons.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Something with math. I love it.”
“That works.” I glanced up at Michael’s voice. “Math’s not our area. Cole and I are going all the way. Him with swimming and me with track and field.”
I eyed Landon. “What about you? Do you really not want your parents’ companies? Because you wear them well.”
He chuckled. “Henrietta and Declan insist I represent the family brands at all times. I bought a pair of jeans once and they vanished from my closet the very next day.” He shrugged lightly. “But it’s fine. I have other plans and they have nothing to do with math. So none of us are your competition on that front.”
“I never thought you were my competition.”
“You should,” said Cole. “Everyone here is your competition, homeschooler.”
“That’s not going to become my nickname, is it?” I asked lightly. I picked up my food and took a bite.
“It won’t if you stop acting like one. This isn’t your momma’s living room. We’re going to be the next Elite Class, and we’ll only be as strong as our weakest classmate. You need to see everyone as competition because that is how they see you.”
I gave him a salute. “Gotcha.”
Landon let out a gusty sigh. “Forgive him. He doesn’t know how to turn it down.”
That comment earned Landon a glare hot enough to set his bow tie ablaze. Adam was right about one thing. These guys weren’t friends.
“Aren’t we supposed to be getting to know each other?” I cut in, drawing Cole’s attention away. “You’re so worried about me being the weakest link. What about you? What are your best subjects?”
“Physics,” said Landon.
“History,” Michael replied.
“Chemistry,” Cole said.
The three responded as quickly as you do when someone asks your name.
