Chapter 18 #2
He rubbed his neck. “Yeah. Basically. Suicide isn’t murder. She chose to do that to herself. But yes, she was pushed to her limits. No doubt.” I wanted to ask who the bully was, but it didn’t feel like the time. Or maybe Silas wasn’t who I needed to ask.
I hugged myself and rubbed my arms covered in goosebumps. “That must’ve been so hard. I can’t believe he had to go through that.”
Silas rubbed his jaw. “It was. And clearly, he’s still got scars. And if you’re not up for this, that’s okay.”
I scowled and laughed to cover my smarting cheeks. “You think I can’t handle this?”
“I know you can. But do you want to? It might be harder than you realize. It probably will be. Like today, he’s in a foul mood. That’s what he does when he’s hurting. He covers it up by being a douche.”
I looked past them at all the obstacles. Holden was flying across those rings again, oblivious to me invading his hobby. “If you’re talking about this race, I don’t know.”
Lemon put a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry. It’s only a 5K and you don’t have to run the whole thing. You can walk some of it if you need to. I might have to. I’ve never done this before.”
“Me neither,” Silas admitted.
“Hold up. Neither of you have done one of these?”
They shook their heads.
“Why are we doing this then?” I hissed. Even though Silas could probably hop up and run a 5K without ever training.
Silas pursed his lips, eyes wide like use your head, Christy.
It was all about Operation Save Holden From Himself. They weren’t doing this insane-looking race for fun. They were doing it so I would.
I shook my head. “You Duprees are something else.”
Silas shrugged. “We fight for each other, is all.” He shifted his weight. “But you’re not a Dupree. You don’t have to do this.”
I bit my lip, certain I was going to regret this in more ways than one. “I don’t think I have a choice.”
“That’s what I told Silas,” Lemon said, relieved. “You love him too much not to try, right?”
I kind of hated how she saw straight through me.
“There’s always a choice. Just because you love him doesn’t mean you have to sink with the ship. We all learned that a long time ago.” Silas’s tone was slightly intense. It was unusual for him, and I wondered if it was the love he had for Holden or because he was frustrated with his brother.
Twenty yards away, the guy who must’ve been in charge hollered for everyone to line up next to where he was standing. But I was perfectly okay with letting them go on ahead. I didn’t need anyone watching me run.
“What’s going on?”
Crap. I hadn’t seen Holden walk up.
He stepped to the other side of Lemon and groaned. At me. “What are you doing here?”
His stance was taut, like he wanted to bolt, and not because of the race. Once again, I detested my traitorous body that couldn’t stop reacting at the mere sight of him. Heart swooshing, electricity pulsing, breath hitching, hands tingling. All of it.
I folded my arms over my chest as he sized me up, taking in my running shorts and tennis shoes.
Irritation flashed across his face and he glared at me before swinging it on Silas.
“She’s a terrible runner, moron. She can’t do this.
You’re setting her up to fail.” Then his hate-filled glower narrowed even more as he aimed it at me and his shoulders rolled back, arrogance dripping off of him.
“Seriously? You want me so badly that you’d use a 5K as a ruse just to be near me. Christy, c’mon, you suck at running.”
Heat flooded my chest and my blood boiled. My eyes were stinging a little too, I won’t lie. I looked at Silas and Lemon. “Oh, game on. I am doing this.” Then I stepped past Holden, slapped him on the back of the head, and called him a nasty name.
Silas guffawed as Holden yelled, “Ouch!”
I walked away, straight and tall, faking every bit of confidence I had.
They bickered in hushed voices. Silas had been right to grill me and make sure I was up for this because, at that very moment, I was torn: leave this place and never see Holden Dupree again, or kick everyone’s butts in this race?
“It’s not going to work,” I heard Holden hiss at him before I was out of earshot. “You really think I’m stupid enough not to know what you’re doing? You’re all pathetic.”
Big exhale and a neck crack. Kick everyone’s butts it was.
I sidled up to the edge of the group. I didn’t know a single one of them, but they smiled and welcomed me anyway.
The main dude, a tall barrel of a guy with black hair, a beard, and tattoo sleeves, stood on tiptoes trying to see if the Duprees were going to stop bickering and join us. I studied my fingernails.
A gorgeous brunette walked over. “Hey, I’m Peyton Jamerson. I’m one of the instructors at Lemon’s Barre studio.”
“Hi.” I smiled, pushing all the hurt down. “It’s nice to meet you. Christy Thornbury.”
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Oh crap. “You’re Silas’s ex.” Her hand covered her mouth like she shouldn’t have said that. That wasn’t what I’d thought she was going to say. I was so far past Silas it hadn’t even occurred to me that might be what I was known for around here.
Another lady said, “Keep up, Peyt. Nobody’s talking about that part. She’s the principal at the high school.” She said it like that should tell Peyton everything she needed to know about me.
“Was.” A short, stocky guy added.
Wow. I blinked. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to do this after all.
Peyton’s eyes went even wider. “You’re the one who was kissing Holden without his shirt on in your office.”
I blew out my breath, willing my heart to slow. May as well own it. “Guilty.”
Her shock turned to awe like I was some kind of movie star. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe you kissed Holden Dupree without his shirt on.” She squealed and danced on her tiptoes.
How old was this woman? Because she was acting like a twelve-year-old girl. She reached out, pressed her pointer finger to my skin, and closed her eyes. Was she humming?
“Peyt, what are you doing? Leave her alone.” An almost cute guy walked up and put his arm around her waist, trying to pull her away.
She smacked at him, pried one eye open, and scowled.
“I’m trying to learn through osmosis. I need whatever she’s got so I can become the kind of woman who’s confident enough to date brothers, goes at it on her desk with the town’s biggest hottie, the whole world finds out, and she doesn’t even care. ”
Everyone was watching like I was a sideshow freak.
I crossed my feet, wishing I could hide. “I wouldn’t say I don’t care.”
Peyton shushed me and kept her finger right at the inner crease of my elbow and forearm, eyes closed, totally still. I looked around, hoping someone would help. But everyone was too busy sniggering. Except for the big tattoed guy. He was eyeing me like a juicy steak.
“Okay, Peyt.” Lemon took her by the shoulders and moved her away from me. “Honey, you have to stop that poking thing you’ve been doing. It makes people uncomfortable.”
The guy Peyton was with had his head in his hand, looking like he wished he could die as he led her away.
Tattoos motioned everyone in. “All right, guys, start your watches. The loop is one mile, so keep that in mind. You might get lapped, and that’s okay.
” His southern accent was so thick, and he spoke so fast that I had to really focus to understand what he was saying.
“We’re all at different levels here. No judgment.
Just do your best. And let’s encourage each other.
Team Who Sparted on three.” What was happening?
What had he just said? Before I could figure it out, he barked “three” and they all yelled, “Who Sparted!”
Wait? That was the team name? Who Sparted? For real? A snort escaped my nostrils. As everyone took off, I stayed, bent over, belly laughing.
“Aren’t you gonna run?”
I looked over to see Holden watching me. I thought he was long gone.
“Yes.” I stood, wiped my eyes, and fanned my face. “I am.” Another giggle escaped.
He tipped his head toward the trail like he didn’t believe me. “Well. Get a move on.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You get a move on. I’m not running with you behind me, judging how my foot hits the ground or how long my stride is.” In his current state, I knew that’s what he’d do. I made a scooting motion with my hands. “Go. Get.”
He rolled his eyes and took off in a burst, like a freaking cheetah. Okay. So maybe I wouldn’t be kicking everyone’s butts. Possibly not anyone’s. But I was still doing this. If for nothing else than to prove to myself that I could.
Once he was out of sight, I clicked my watch and began jogging.
A half mile in and I was not doing this.
My lungs burned and my quads were locking up.
What was wrong with my stupid body that it couldn’t run?
No one else seemed to be having a hard time.
I’d hoped maybe Lemon might struggle, but her complete absence said otherwise.
I forced myself to keep going until I got to the top of the next hill.
When I was finally there, I stopped and dunked my head between my knees, gulping air.
“Coming through,” the short guy yelled. I stood up and jumped out of the way as he flew past. What?
How could someone with legs that short be that fast?
It wasn’t physically possible. I was glad I’d jumped left.
To the right and I would’ve fallen down a small cliff.
Not deep enough to do damage but it would be hard to crawl out of.
Tattoos was right behind him, already with his shirt off. I had to look away, because his shorts were hanging low enough that it was verging on pornographic. My face lit on fire. He gave me a smug grin and I was pretty sure he thought I was checking him out.
“You okay?” He tossed over his shoulder as he passed.
“Doing great.” I gave him a wave. Then he sped up and disappeared through the trees.
Dang it. Holden was coming up the hill. And he was shirtless too.
Seriously? Where were they storing them?
Was there a shirt fairy around here who magically flew up, took your shirt, and stored it for you until you needed it back?
He’d started almost last and he’d passed all those people?
How was that even possible? If there’d been a bush to hide behind, I would’ve dove for it.
Instead, I ran faster than I had before, as if it somehow made up for the fact that I was an entire mile behind him.
“Chris.” He slowed to my pitiful pace and I hated how much I liked it when he called me that, even and especially in this humiliating moment. “What are you doing? You’re a mile behind everyone else. You’ve never wanted to do one of these races. Why are you killing yourself for this?”
“Just leave me—” Gasp. “Alone—” Gulp. “And run.”
But he matched my turtle-like speed, shaking his head and muttering angrily.
But I couldn’t hear any of it over my thunderous heartbeat whooshing in my ears.
Finally, when my lungs couldn’t anymore, I stopped, certain there was no way cocky Holden Dupree would stop too.
Not in the middle of his all-important Spartan Race training. But he did.
He turned to face me, hands on his stupid sexy hips, which were right there in all their hot, chiseled nakedness, his tattoo making a cameo appearance. My T-shirt was drenched, disgusting, and smelled like Taco Bell, and he glistened like he’d only walked around the block.
He threw his hands up, incensed. “It’s not gonna work, okay? We’re not getting back together. Ever. So just stop. Go home, eat a tub of ice cream like I know you’re dying to, and let me run this race in peace.” His tone was even meaner than his words. And they were full of finality.
I stared at him, aghast, for two breathless heartbeats.
We both turned when we heard footsteps. Silas and Lemon were maybe forty feet away and their expressions said they’d heard it too.
I turned back to him, my chest rising and falling, but not just because I was trying to catch up on air.
“You’re a jackass, Holden Dupree. The biggest one I’ve ever met.
And you’re right. It is over. I wouldn’t take you back if you begged me to.
” Then I shoved him hard in the chest and took off again.
My tears mingled with my sweat. I wiped frantically. I was coming down the hill now and needed to see where to place my feet. Gravity was my new best friend, I ran down that hill like I was being chased by the mafia or a grizzly bear. And it felt amazing.
But if that was true, why was I sobbing?
I knew exactly why.
Because I’d meant every word I said.