“Who invited the douchebag?” I mumble.
“What?” Paige says with a frown, removing the key from the ignition.
I tilt my head toward him as he walks in our direction. “What’s he doing here?”
“He’s a good friend,” she says, frowning at me. “We always come here together.”
“Fantastic,” I say, suddenly wondering if I would’ve been better off staying at Wallingford.
“All right,” Leah says, probably trying to break the tension. “Who’s ready for some fresh mountain air?”
I nod and reach for the door. Paige continues watching me. “What?” I ask with annoyance.
“He’s a good guy.”
“No, he’s not. He’s been harassing me since day one, and it’s only gotten worse.”
“He’s trying to make you into a respectable cadet.”
“Yeah, right,” I scoff.
Leah silently exits the car, apparently not wanting to get into the middle of this.
“Look, I don’t like him, okay? I’m allowed to not like people, right?”
She purses her lips but eventually nods. “You can’t be disrespectful, though.”
“I’ll take the laps,” I say. “He’s a power-hungry asshole. A dickwad. A brown-nosing overachiever.” I meet her eyes, not willing to let her win this one.
Surprising me, she smiles. “You’re jealous.”
I roll my eyes and let out a good laugh. I would never want to be like Jernigan. He’s too much like my dad. “You’re delusional.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she says, putting her keys into her pocket. “Please keep your colorful thoughts about Alex to yourself from now on.”
My brows rise. “No laps for today?”
She shakes her head. “But it’s still mean and undermines your otherwise charming personality.”
“I think what you meant to say is it enhances my sarcastic personality.”
She shakes her head and reaches for her backpack on the seat behind her. I only get a glimpse of her face, but I’m pretty sure I saw the slightest hint of a smile. I must be growing on her.
She opens the door and steps out. Right into Jernigan’s personal space. He’s all smiles. All smiles and muscles. His biceps and pecs stretch the fabric of his green Wallingford sweatshirt, and my annoyance grows.
I quickly exit the car and join some other students by the start of a trail but keep my eyes on the two of them. They say a few words, then join the rest of the group.
He ignores me as he walks past to take the lead. I expect Paige to follow him or join Leah, who is also at the front of the group, but she steps next to me.
“I wish you two could get along,” she says with a sigh.
“That’s never going to happen. He has it out for me. Has from the very beginning.”
“No, he just has high standards for anyone in his battalion.”
Uh-huh. Especially any guy who happens to spend a lot of time with his precious Paige, even if it’s totally innocent and not the guy’s idea or necessarily his preference.
“So has he professed his love for you yet?” I ask.
She smacks my arm and gives me a pointed look. “Shhh! Someone might hear you and start spreading rumors.”
“I think most people here already know.” How could they not? He’s obvious. Then again, how could she not know? Of course, she’s not denying it now like she did in the library. Maybe she’s finally seen the light after my prodding.
“Come on,” she says, leading me up the path toward the others, who have already started along the trail.
The “easy” four-mile hike turns out to be excruciating. For me, at least. The others don’t seem to have a problem chatting nonstop while speed-walking up the steep switchbacks for two hours with no break. I guess that’s what years of Wallingford PT will get you.
About halfway up, when I’m huffing and puffing and Jernigan is swinging from branches like some freaking Tarzan, I make a resolution to double my cardio workouts. It may kill me, but I’d rather die out on the track by myself than on a hike with Jernigan watching me. And Paige. I don’t know why I care what she thinks, but I don’t want to seem like a total wuss next to her and her friends.
“You okay?” she asks when we finally reach the summit.
I nod and lower myself to a large boulder, where I fall back and close my eyes. My legs hurt. My lungs hurt. My back hurts. My feet hurt. I honestly can’t think of a part of me that doesn’t hurt right now.
“Here, drink some water,” she says. “It’ll help.”
I hold out my hand to accept the bottle but can’t quite muster the energy to sit up so I can drink it.
“You’re missing a fantastic view,” she says, plopping herself next to me.
I open one eye. All I can see is her face in profile, her neck, and her chest. She’s taken off her sweatshirt and is wearing a tight athletic shirt. I suddenly realize just how unflattering her polyester uniform is. It hides every single curve that is now evident. Her body is …
Shit. I’ve got a girlfriend. Lora would be furious with me if she knew what I was thinking and rightfully so.
“Here, eat a protein bar,” Paige says. “You’ll need the energy for the trip down.”
“We have to go down?” I ask, easing myself onto my elbows so I can look at something other than her. All the cadets are scattered around eating, talking, or just enjoying the view. “Can’t we stay up here all night? Camp under the stars?”
She smiles at me. “That would be nice, but, ya know, the whole lights-out thing.”
I roll onto my side and then into a sitting position before accepting the bar. After tearing it open and eating half of it, I start to feel a little better and can appreciate other aspects of the view besides Paige’s body.
We’re on top of the tallest peak for miles. Around us are rolling hills, separated by streams and green valleys filled with farmland. The sky is a brilliant blue. It’s very peaceful. It’s not the beach—my happy place—but I have to admit this is almost as calming as waves lapping at the shore.
“There’s Wallingford,” Paige says, pointing to the left. “Those teeny-tiny buildings down there.”
I have to squint to see what she sees. On the top of one of the smaller hills is a collection of brick buildings. The track and football field are actually the easiest things to make out. From up here, you can truly appreciate how isolated we are from the rest of the world. There’s not a single decently sized town anywhere in sight.
“Sorry about the hike,” Paige says, rocking her shoulder into me. “We’ve done this so often, I forgot it can be a little difficult the first time.”
“It’s all good,” I reply. I’m not about to admit the agony of the climb to her.
I take another bite of my protein bar and then chug half of the water.
“You know, hiking is not only great exercise but also a great way to clear your mind,” she says once I set the bottle down. “Maybe you should take it up when you go back home. It might help with whatever you’ve got going on there.”
“Hiking’s not going to make the felony charges disappear.”