Nathan didn't answer in words.
He grabbed the ball, flinging it at me.
As if we had choreographed it, I slid out of the way. As soon as it was past me, I whirled facing the back wall. Anton did the same on my opposite side.
The ball rebounded, coming straight for me. This time I didn't dodge. No more running.
I braced.
The ball collided with my chest, my arms wrapping around it while my lungs tried to relearn what it meant to draw breath.
Damn, that really hurt.
I didn't hesitate, tossing the ball of doom to Anton. In one smooth move, he launched it at our opponents.
This time it was their turn to dive out of the way.
There was a boom as the ball hit the opposite wall and rocketed back to us.
I was already racing for the dividing line, prepared for this. Sometimes you had to be cautious. Think before you acted. Other times you had to take the world by its gonads and squeeze and hope the world didn’t annihilate you.
I reached the line first, extending my arms over it. Almost. Nathan came from the side. The ball met my waiting hands, and I snatched it out of the air just as Nathan reached me.
I didn't hesitate, slamming the ball against the ground. It hit Nathan’s foot and bounced back.
"Well, look at that. You're out." My smile was taunting as the gym went silent.
Nathan gaped. "That's cheating!"
I shook my finger at him, transferring the ball to my other hand and holding it securely against me. "Elementary school rules—feet count as body parts. Guess you should have moved faster."
Nathan sputtered.
I handed the ball to my waiting teammate.
"I suppose this means all of you lose your bets," Connor observed from the sidelines. "I will be sure to collect her winnings later."
I cackled at the sight of their speechless faces. I knew there was something I liked about Connor.
"She's right. It was a perfectly legal move," Eric said, acting as the referee.
Nathan bared his fangs, outright stomping to the sidelines as he relinquished the field of battle.
I gave him a princess wave, not above rubbing his face in his loss. "You know what they say, work smarter, not harder."
Nathan took his spot next to Makoto, before shooting a rude gesture at me. "You know what I say to that—training. Just you wait."
I blew him a kiss. "Someone is a sore loser."
Inside, I was quaking. Our training sessions were already brutal. I wasn't sure how much worse they could get.
"Ready?" Anton asked me.
I nodded and started paying attention again. There was only one person left. Unfortunately, it was Liam, the most difficult adversary of them all.
It didn't help that there was zero worry on his face.
Anton focused on the opponent as I scooted toward the back line, wanting the maximum distance in case Liam managed to get the ball.
