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"Ow!" I hear from the side and see that Kenzie's ponytail is stuck in the barbed wire. Every time she moves, it only pulls more.

I look forward to my opponent and decide I can pause a few moments to help. As much as I want to beat the team, I don’t want Jack to win more. And leaving her here to face whatever punishment he doles out would make the guilt that much worse if I can spare her from it.

"Hold still," I say, trying to stay below the barbed wire until I make it to her.

"I'm fine. Go so you don't lose."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to lose. But it would be better to have you by my side while we cross the finish line." I tug at the hairband that got caught on the barb and free her from the obstacle. Guilt at leaving her there would eat me alive. “Then we can both come up with something for Jack.”

She crawls through the mud until she’s free from the obstacle before she turns her head to say, "Thank you." The woman is ditching me after I saved her.

Maybe I’ve been connected to the wrong girls before, the ones who stick to my side like glue for a photo op. This feels different, almost like she’s not only trying to catch up with Jack, but that she’s running away from me. She’s an anomaly for sure.

Which means I need to kick up the pace, for no other reason than getting an answer to her no date policy.

6

KENZIE

Whyshould be stamped on me somewhere. Maybe I should get a tattoo of it on my forehead.

Why does stuff like this awkwardness happen to me?

"Hey babe. Looking good with all that mud."

I don't have to turn to see Johnny getting ready to climb the mountain of wet dirt next to me.

"Not your best compliment, Johnny."

"I'm just saying, I've never seen you look this good."

I grit my teeth and try to let the backhanded compliment slide away. Instead, it's like an ax in a tree trunk.

"Goodbye, Johnny." I climb the mountain, using sheer will to propel me up the slippery slope.

While I want to celebrate the fact that I've lost a few dozen pounds since Johnny and I dated, it makes me sick that it's the first thing he notices.

I slide down the other side, right into a pool of muddy water, that's actually deeper than I originally thought. And in my panic, I swallow a large mouthful, making me shudder as I try to make it back to the surface.

I swim to the edge and look up as a hand moves into view.

Trey.

"I've got it," I say, pulling myself out of the water. He’s already saved me once and I don’t need him to do so after every obstacle. Thank goodness I decided on the tight yoga pants today because I don't need to give anyone a show.

I don't look at him as I start running. This section is a longer run on a trail with less mud.

"Who was the guy?" Trey asks, keeping pace with me.

I push my legs harder, seeing Jack several lengths ahead of me.

"What guy?" I ask, hoping he didn't hear the conversation I had with Johnny.

Trey jutted his thumb back and says, "The one back there on the slide."

"An ex-boyfriend." The hope that I could actually stamp out that part of my history is strong. If only I'd learned my lesson long before this.

We're both silent for several minutes, the sound of feet pounding on the ground and our breathing filling the space. It's strange to be comfortable enough to not have to fill the silences.