Chapter 18 #2
“Not unless you agree to train.”
I plant my feet on the floor and lift up, trying to rear him off, but he doesn’t budge and all it does is leave me out of breath.
“No,” I say defiantly.
He leans down so he’s inches away from my face again. “That’s fine. I can sit here all day. It’s rather comfortable, actually.”
“What is your obsession with training me?” I groan. “Do you just need to be in control or something?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what’s your deal? Is this another attempt to torture me? Did you not get your fill of that in high school?”
He creases his brow. “You think I’m doing this to torture you?”
“Why else would you be doing this?” I squirm beneath him.
Blake leans in a little closer. “To keep you safe, Doomsday.”
In an instant, he releases his hands and gets to his feet, leaving me lying on the floor, staring up at him.
“I don’t need you to keep me safe, Blake,” I call out as he heads for the door.
Pausing, he glances over his shoulder at me. “I know you don’t, but I want to.”
I give him a confused look, but he leaves the room without another word, which disappoints me because there are things I want to do to him too.
Like fight him. Yell at him. Punish him for all the years he made my life miserable.
I don’t care how much time has passed; there are some things you never get over, and Blake’s one of them.
Determined, I rise to my feet and quickly change into clothes I can kick his ass in. A pair of leggings, tennis shoes, and a long-sleeve athletic top should do the trick. As they say, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em and then beat their ass later . . . or something like that.
The house is dark and quiet as I make my way through the hall and down two flights of stairs.
No one’s awake yet, and I wouldn’t be either if it weren’t for stupid Blake.
My dad said everyone has to train, so why am I the only one being woken up for this?
Clearly, Blake’s just enjoying his favorite pastime .
. . torturing me. Well, two can play at that game.
Out on the porch, I find Blake standing at the bottom of the steps with a shit-eating grin on his face. He presses a button on his watch and says, “One minute and five seconds.”
I walk slowly toward him, squinting. “What are you keeping time for?”
“Oh, just wanted to see how long it would take you to wise up and realize that I’m right about you needing training. Looks like it didn’t take long at all.” He smirks.
I cock my head. “I’m only here to kick your ass.”
“Good, because that’s exactly what I want you to do.”
“What? Why?” I ask, caught off guard by his answer.
“Because that would mean I trained you right.”
I roll my eyes and throw my hands on my hips. “Whatever. What are we doing and why are we doing it so early? The sun hasn’t even risen yet.” I gesture to the horizon, where a streak of red and yellow light stretches across it, the sun just now starting its ascent.
The air is still and quiet, peaceful, like the earth forgot the world ended or perhaps it’s just moved on without us. I look back at Blake. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me, and he appears almost amused by my frustration.
“What?” I grumble.
“Nothing. I’m just waiting on you to be done complaining so we can get to work.”
“I’m not complaining.” I let out an irritated sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”
“All right, we’ll start with a run. You’re in good shape, overall. I can see the remnants of strong muscles, and you’ve kept yourself lean,” he says as his eyes glide up and down my body.
I stand a little taller and fiddle with my hands because I don’t know what to do with them. Should I place them back on my hips? Or do I clasp them in front of or behind me?
“Stop examining me.”
“I gotta know what I’m working with, and I’m guessing your leanness has more to do with a lack of sleep and calories than it has to do with exercise.”
I narrow my eyes. “Some of us worked for a living, you meathead.”
He ignores my quip and focuses on stretching his legs, pulling one foot up behind him and holding it there. I cross my arms over my chest and watch him do his little stretches.
Blake grins. “I’m going to run two miles, and you’re going to follow and enjoy the view. In the beginning, you’re gonna fall way behind, but if we do this twice a day, soon enough you’ll be able to at least watch me cross the finish line.”
I scoff and roll my eyes. He’s an arrogant ass, but he’s not entirely wrong. I haven’t really exercised since I started med school. There was never time for it, but now I’ve got all the time in the world, and unfortunately, I get to spend it with Blake.
“I think you might be underestimating me,” I say, taking a couple of slow steps toward him.
“I don’t think so.”
Before I can jab back, he’s already darting away from me.
I take off in a dead sprint, trying to catch up, and it’s not long before we’re neck and neck. Maybe Mr. G.I. Joe isn’t as fast as he thinks he is, and it’s him who’s in need of training.
He swivels his head to look at me as I run alongside him, a casual look on his face that shows no signs of exertion. It quickly changes to amusement. “Oof, big mistake, Pearson. I said two miles, not a hundred meters,” Blake says with a chuckle.
I used all my energy just to catch up to him, and now I’m already sucking wind, and my side is starting to hurt. The taste of iron builds up in my saliva, and my legs start to feel heavy, slowing me from a sprint to a jog, and then to a regular walk as I attempt to catch my breath.
“At that pace, I’ll see ya in about twenty-four to twenty-eight minutes, Doomsday,” Blake calls over his shoulder as he continues on, his speed never changing.
I force myself to take off in a run again but it doesn’t last long, and then I’m back to walking.
Ugh. This is so embarrassing. Blake is completely out of sight now, having disappeared into the woods through the trails.
I pick up my pace again, holding it for a few minutes, and then I’m right back to dragging ass.
When I finally emerge from the trails, I know quite a bit of time has passed, but I’m not sure how long.
The sun is a ball of fire situated above the horizon now.
The birds are awake, chirping and singing in nearby trees.
I press my hand against the side of my abdomen, staving off the continuous pain from a running cramp.
It’s a reminder of how poor my cardiovascular endurance is. That and my inability to breathe.
Rounding the side of the house, I find Blake staring at his watch, monitoring the time with a full glass of water in one hand. I’m sucking air, practically hunched over as I reach him, and he’s not even sweating. How annoying.
He thrusts the water toward me. “Nice work.”
I assume he’s being sarcastic, but I don’t have the energy to think of a clever remark right now, so I take the glass and chug it down in between breaths. I keep a close eye on him over the rim, waiting for an insult to leave those smooth lips of his.
“Twenty-four minutes, just as I predicted,” he says, tapping the face of his watch. There it is. “It’s slow, but that’s okay.” Blake gives me a strong pat on the shoulder. “The point is to grow into tomorrow, not dwell on today.”
“Thanks,” is all I can manage. I’m still trying to fill my lungs with enough air to breathe. When I finish my water, I turn and sluggishly start up the porch steps.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“Back to bed.”
Just as I reach the top of the stairs, the front door opens and out walk Tessa, Aunt Julie, Elaine, Meredith, Greg, and Molly, all dressed in athletic attire.
Tessa stretches her arms over her head and yawns so wide, her eyes tear.
Most of the rest of them are rubbing at their faces, trying to wake themselves up, but Elaine is the only one who looks lively and ready to go.
“That was just a warm-up, Doomsday. Time for group training,” Blake says in a cheerful voice, relishing in my anguish, not even bothering to hide it.
I groan and let my head fall back in frustration.
“You’re up early.” Elaine smiles at me.
“Not by choice.” I shoot a glare at Blake. “My roommate wouldn’t let me sleep.”
He gives me a confused expression. “I could’ve sworn you were awake, Casey. My mistake.”
I shake my head and reluctantly walk back down the steps. The rest of the group gathers around, waiting for Blake to tell us what we’re doing.
“Why am I the only guy in this group training sesh?” Greg glances at each of us, wrinkling his forehead.
“You know why,” Blake says.
Molly holds on to Greg’s arm and stands on her tippy-toes to kiss his cheek. “I can’t wait to wrestle with you, Pookie.”
He tries to shrug her off, but her grip is far too strong, so he acquiesces to her affection instead.
“This isn’t wrestling. This is combat training, and it’s serious.” Blake lifts his chin. “Now, everyone, line up.”
I huff and do as he says, taking my place next to Tessa.
“The key to dealing with an enemy is to remain calm and remember to always fall back on your training. Right now, you have none.”
“I do,” Greg argues.
Blake eyes him momentarily. “Like I said, right now you have none. But when I’m done with you, you will.” He paces back and forth in front of us, his arms behind his back, one hand gripping the wrist of the other arm.
Tessa leans over and whispers, “This is probably his sexual fantasy—to role-play as a drill instructor.”
“Can you imagine him in bed?” I whisper back. “The key to sex is penetration; right now you have none, but when I’m done with you, you will.”
Tessa bursts out laughing.
“What’s so funny over there?” Blake looks to us as we try to contain our amusement.