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Until I pulled, and didn’t budge.
The other girls were gleefully anticipating my failure. I kept my face blank—I’d make them believe I hadn’t tried yet. I pulled again.
“Any day now, Charity. ”
I hung there wondering how long I’d have to undergo this torture. At what point would I let myself drop back to the ground to accept defeat?
“She can’t do it,” Lilac purred.
I couldn’t let her win. Not yet. Not Lilac.
I pulled a third time, and this time gave it all I had. I visualized my arms folding, my chin rising above the bar. Struggling, I rose a little.
Turning to Ronan, Lilac shouted across the gym, “She can’t do it. ”
“What?” Ronan yelled back, though I was sure the neighboring islands had probably been able to hear Lilac crowing my defeat. Acting indifferent, he strode to the hanging rope. Someone gasped as he peeled off his shirt.
I gasped as he peeled off his shirt. He mopped his brow with it, as though bathed in sweat, but I knew he couldn’t be. He stared at us, and I sensed attention migrating to him. Almost as though he were compelling the Acari to stare.
I dangled there, knowing I needed to do something, anything. Do what it takes, he’d said. But what?
He dipped into a bucket of chalk, rubbing his hands together. In a single, elegant leap, he mounted the rope.
All eyes were on him now. I knew I should pull mine away, but I was mesmerized. Ronan’s legs were held in front of him in a pike position, his every muscle flexed, hard and still. His back, neck, abs . . . his entire body looked carved from stone. Everything but for his arms, which began to pump hand over hand, sending him flying up the rope.
I forced myself to look away. He was doing this for me. This was my one shot.
Shutting my eyes, I tried again. Pulled as hard as I could. I held my breath, afraid I might make a sound.
I felt a hand on my butt and then a hard shove upward. It was gross and intimate and startling. And it was what I needed to pull my chin up over the bar.
Do whatever it takes. That was the lesson here. Not everyone was perfect, but with luck and smarts, one could find a way.
I held myself there, letting a little bark of triumph escape me.
“She did it,” someone called.
Once I was in position, I was able to hold myself there for a moment. Long enough for the crowd to turn and see me.
Long enough for me to steal a glance down.
But I didn’t need to look to guess whom I’d find staring up at me.
CHAPTER TWENTY
My hands slid from the bar, and I dropped to the mat.
“Why?”
Heart Face shrugged, and then turned and walked toward the locker room.
I wiped my hands on my shorts. If I wasn’t mistaken, I had a red splotch on my ass, roughly the size of her hand. All these weeks and she hadn’t said a word to me. Why this? Why now? What was her deal?
“It’s not over, Charity. ” Lilac’s gaze strafed from me to Heart Face and back again, looking suspicious. She began to walk away. Slowly, she turned her head, watching me from the corner of her eye. It reminded me of a bird of prey. “You’re going down. ”
I had to believe clever trumped hot. That smart and determined would triumph over cruel and petty any day of the week. “Then I’ll take you with me,” I said, and this time I felt the words resonate to my soul.
It wasn’t until after class that I finally got a chance to catch up with my mysterious helper. “Wait,” I called, running to catch Heart Face.
