“Everybody ready?” Autumn shouted over the seven teams. A fewwoos sounded as people took their places. “On your mark, get set?—”
She whistled, and seven people jumped into the water. Lexa took off like an Olympian and made it first to the marker, smacking it quickly before turning back around. She touched the dock, and Jen dove in after. This was feeling good. Maybe we had a shot at this.
Cheers resounded as each team swam their hearts out. Even Hannah was screaming. We were two lengths ahead of everyone, and I was practically giddy. Until I saw Jack whooping beside me, reminding me that this was going to be close.
I knew Emily had dived in due to the splash to the face I received. It was a helpful reminder to stop getting distracted. After all, I had just one more person ahead of me, and then I could take Jack down.
Ready for my chance, I bounced on my toes as my final teammate touched the buoy, moving to the edge of the dock. And when it came, I dove in and swam my heart out, not knowing how close behind Jack was. I couldn’t worry about him rightnow. Instead, I focused on my stroke, the glide of the water over my fingers. Each breath fueled me. It was just me and the water. Soon to be me and the buoy. Then me and… Jack’s hand? Because we touched the marker at the same time. We both looked at our hands for a millisecond before realizing what we were doing and separated as though we’d had an electric shock.
I rushed back to the dock, heart pounding as I swam the fastest I’d ever swum. And by the time I made it, my team was shouting affirmations at me, just as Jack’s were. I wiped away the excess water from my brow, feeling the goose bumps prickling on my skin. I didn’t know who had won, who’d been closer. But I was feeling good.
I swam to the ladder, right behind Jack, who kicked in the water extra hard before climbing the ladder, so that he splashed me in the face. I knew he’d done it on purpose. I cupped some water and splashed right back as I waited, but it just dripped down his muscled calves. It was mesmerizing. I wanted to see them up close.
Was I secretly a calf girl and didn’t know it?
By the time I made it back to my excited team, I learned the devastating news. Not only had we gotten second place, but we’d tied. With Jack’s team.
“You can’t be sure,” Jack whisper-argued with Autumn. “You’re one person. How can you see two people touching the dock at the same time? Why didn’t you have a second set of eyes? What kind of competition is this?”
Autumn tilted her head in exasperation. “It was very obvious, Jack. And if you’re going to call into question the validity of this competition, I did have a second set of eyes. Azalea was watching, too. But if I had the option, I would have chosen Nat because of your bad attitude.”
“Some best friend you are.”
“Are you really arguing about getting second place right now? You get that you lost, right?”
Jack threw up his arms and turned on his heel. He looked like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum, but unfortunately, no one appeared to notice. Why was no one paying attention?
I learned later that Sawyer had been the winner. Not that it mattered. I was still tied with Jackass.
“This will not stand,” Jack said from beside me. We were the only two people left on the dock. Everyone else was happily walking away, as if this were just a game. “Let’s make one thing clear: I don’t care who wins Camp Wars as long as I beat you.”
If there were a living personification of a cartoon character turning bright red before blowing her top, I was that. The man infuriated me. He was so cocky. So combative. So… So…
“I need a tie with you like I need a snake in my sheets,” I seethed.
“Then we fix this. Swim-off. Tonight. After campfire,” he said through gritted teeth. “Don’t be late.”
I stepped toe to toe with him. “Oh, I know. The last thing I need is you calling it on a technicality.”
Apparently, we were doing this. I didn’t ask if this was a part of the main competition, but I was guessing it wasn’t. Maybe it was just a side, side bet? But who was going to bring logic into this mess? One of us had to break the tie. That was all that mattered.
EIGHT
Jack
Natand I could agree on one thing at least, and that was there would be no ties between us. I watched as she walked away, wrapping a towel around her waist and wringing out her long braid. An unbidden image of said braid wrapping around my hand invaded my mind, and my horny brain fixated on it.
This, unfortunately, wasn’t the first time Nat had destroyed my peace. Was it because she was such a challenge? Or was it that I liked her competitive spirit? Her persistence. The fact that she made me want to win that much more.
And then there was her laugh, which always grabbed my attention, no matter how far apart we were.
“We can agree, if I’d done this competition, I would’ve won, right?” Autumn’s higher voice snapped me out of the ridiculous thoughts I shouldn’t be having about my enemy. Her hands were firmly planted on her hips as she talked emphatically with Jamie. He must have just gotten off work since he was still in his suit and tie. He looked down at my best friend, grinning and shaking his head at her.
I walked off the dock and met them at the boathouse. “What’s going on over here?”
Autumn’s eyes snapped to mine. “Oh, nothing. Just talking about how I would have destroyed all of you at this relay if I’d been participating.”
Jamie reached out and put his hands over hers as he tugged her closer to him. “I know, sunflower.”
