Page 154 of Veiled

“It’s tails!” Sasha shouts, despite us all being a few inches away from each other. “Don’t you know tails never fails?” she laughs.

“Nooo…I’d rather have Droopy kisses than his butt.”

“Who the fuck is Droopy?” Josh asks. “Uncle Mike has said the name a few times, and I still have no idea what he’s talking about.”

Sasha and I burst into laughter, but it’s quickly calmed when Matt yells that he’s ready from the starting line.

“On your mark. Get set. Go!”

Matt takes off like a bullet, and I realize that despite how much time we spend together, I haven’t seen this side of him since we got here.

He makes it up the rope climb like it's as easy as climbing a ladder. He’s a little slower on the monkey bars than I am, his body mass weighing him down more than mine does, but his dismount to the ground is smoother than I think mine has ever been. Every step he takes, I’m running with him on the edge of the course, just like we did growing up. Critiquing, finding where we can each improve, and sharing it only after we’ve used the others' weaknesses to our advantage, of course.

He gets a little zap under the barbed wire, and I accidentally laugh out loud.

“Shut it!” he yells, but I can hear him smiling.

Once he gets out, he’s barreling into the mud pits, which are extra messy after the afternoon storm that passed through. Unfortunately, they don’t slow him down in the slightest. I bounce up and down with every step he takes on the wall climbs, practically feeling them against my skin, and I don’t miss Josh and James laughing at me.

He takes a little longer than I thought he would on the last two walls, especially with his wingspan so much longer than mine. That same wingspan helps him keep his footing as he sprints across the balance gauntlet, and then he and Antonio are squaring up for a surprisingly well-matched fight. For such big guys, watching them in the pit is like watching a ballet. Every movement is fluid and strong. Their muscles flexing beautifully, and the lights shining down on their sweaty bodies make them look sparkly.

I try to take in every step and jab Antonio takes, looking for any weaknesses, but I’m not seeing any.

“Which one can’t you take your eyes off of?” James asks beside me.

“Both,” I answer honestly, “but mostly Antonio.”

“If you weren’t my best friend and I didn’t know you were trying to figure out how to beat him, I would hate that answer," Sasha laughs.

“Definitely just trying to find a mistake or a tell!” I tell her. “I seriously don’t see any, though. I might be taking the five-minute penalty.”

“He oversteps on his retreat steps. Watch when Matt takes the offensive,” Josh says, watching as intently as I am.

Sure enough, the next time Matt lunges and Antonio retreats, he puts himself slightly off balance for a split second.

“Isn’t this cheating?” James asks.

“Nope!” Josh and I answer in unison before I continue, “This is the benefit of going second. Do you not watch your opponents before you have to fight them in Combat Class?”

“Nah, Korr knows I’m losing either way, so I pair up with the other non-fighters, and he usually gets annoyed and tells us just to go run.”

“Are you serious? Why didn’t I think of that?” Sasha says, and I’m surprised James has never brought it up after hearing Sasha complain about class.

The five-minute timer goes off, and Matt moves to the rope swing without hesitation. His momentum and landing are both perfect, and he rings the bell as Sasha calls time.

“Alright, Lee, you’re up!” Sasha says, and I catch myself humming one of my pump-up songs as I approach the starting line.

As soon as Sasha says go, I’m working my way up the rope. I know I’m slower than Matt is here, but I should be able to make it up over the next two obstacles.

Skipping bars like always, the momentum is pushing me as much as the adrenaline is. I get through the wires without getting shocked and am feeling really good entering the mud pit until my shoe gets stuck, falling off, and causing me to fall face-first in the mud. Our entire cheer squad is laughing, but I don’t waste any time digging in the mud for it. Instead, I kick off the other shoe and move to the wall. I realize on the first step that the socks are going to work against me, so I toss them off too—possibly in the direction of Matt’s face.

Like always, the wall isn’t bad until I need to jump between spots, but being barefoot actually allows me to get a better grip, so I think I get through a little faster than normal.

Antonio is laughing as he watches me dismount from the balance beams, mud clinging to my clothes and hair. “You look terrible! I might forfeit just so you don’t get me dirty,” he says, but still gets into fighting position.

Much like Matt’s fight, we exchange blows, get decent blocks in, but unlike Matt, I know to wait for that extra bit of retreat.

We’ve got to be close to our own five-minute mark when the opening finally happens, I lunge—not in a hit, but a football tackle that I know will make Josh and Matt proud. Antonio is so caught off guard that he doesn’t even try to soften our fall.