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“Weapon?” I blinked and looked to Texas. “What does he mean? Whatweapons?”
“Shhh,” someone shushed from behind me. I turned around and caught a girl around my age with freckles and twin red braids scowling at me. I stared at her blandly for a moment before rolling my eyes and facing forward again. Perhaps Max had merely been using a figure ofspeech.
“Rule three!” Max saidloudly.
“Wait,” I hissed. “Texas.” I tugged on his arm. “What was rule number two? I missedit.”
“Shhh,” the girl behind me hissed again. I whipped around and glared at heroutright.
“If you have something to say, say it,” Isnapped.
“Be quiet,” she snappedback.
“I’m asking a reasonable question,” Igrowled.
“Hey, calm down, Ginger,” an Amazonian girl with a high, blonde ponytail stepped up to her. “She’snew.”
“I don’t care,” Ginger said. “She shouldn’t be talking while Maxis.”
“I was just–” Texas glanced back then and pulled mecloser.
“Come on,” he said tightly. “Max is done. We’re moving on to theactivities.”
“But thatgirl–”
“Leave it, Harlow.” I blinked up at him as he walked me through the crowd, further and further away from the snappy redhead. He so rarely called me by my actual name. I turned and looked behind me, but she and her friend were gone. I wondered if Texas knewthem.
“We’re up at archery first,” Bellamysaid.
That caught my attention. Surely, they didn’t mean archery as in bows and arrows,right?
Yes, they did, in fact, mean archery as in bows and arrows, I realized ten minuteslater.
“I don’t know about this,” I said shakily as I nocked my arrow and held my wavering bow up, aiming at the paper targets nailed to the trees several yardsaway.
“It’s fine,” Bellamy assured me, stepping up at my back. I could feel his heat right through our clothes and it did not help my nerves. He reached around, his arms encircling me as he held my elbows steady. “Don’t think too hard,” he suggested. “Just breathe and keep your head straight. Pull it back to the corner of your mouth and…” I released, and the arrow went flying through the air. It arched up overhead for a brief second before it descended and hit the edge of the outer yellow circle on the target. I sighed inrelief.
“At least I didn’t hit anyone,” I said with alaugh.
“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” Bellamy assuredme.
“My turn!” Texas called, sailing in and snatching me around the waist. I dropped the bow and huffed out a breath as Texas carted me away. Bellamy laughed and waved. I waved back with a ridiculousgrin.
Texas didn’t even pause as he hefted me up and over his shoulder and my grin dropped immediately. “Texas!” I hissed. “Put me down, people arestaring.”
Texas chuckled, but ignored my request and kept walking. “If you want down so badly,” he challenged. “Then you can fightme.”
“What?” Texas dropped me, and I landed with a gasp onto a large blue mat. Who had set this all up? Archery. Sparring mats. What was next? An ice creamstand?
“You heard me,” Texas said. “We’re gonna fight – spar. I want to test what you’ve learned from Knix andBell.”
I thought of the night before – punching the perv in the face. I felt good about it. Hell, I felt better than good about it. I was really seeing an improvement. Texas wasn’t the fighting kind though. He was probably just testing me – like he said. “Okay,” I acquiesced, slowly getting to my feet and moving to stand directly across fromhim.
“That was easy.” Texas raised a brow atme.
I shrugged. “I’m feelingconfident.”
Texas raised his fists and I did the same. “Then let’s do this.” hesmiled.
