Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“Here.”
I walked two full canteens over to her and she took them, her gaze earnest as it held mine.
“I said some things last night, didn’t I?” she asked.
“Not that I recall.” I walked back over to my stump and sat down.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Holding up a piece of smooth, freshly shaven wood, I said, “I’m whittling. My grandpa used to do it. I don’t have good tools for it and I’ve never done it before, so who knows what I’ll end up with. It helps pass the time, though.”
I’d never needed to pass the time here until this morning. I’d fish, hunt, or gather firewood with my down time, but I’d wanted to stay at camp this morning to keep an eye on Lauren after how much she drank last night, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said.
She looked me up online to see if I’d gotten married? The thought of her doing that cut me deep. It also left me wondering if she was over me or not.
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again.
“Archer, whatever I said last night—”
“Don’t worry about it. We have a competition today.”
She blanched. “What? We’ve never had them two days in a row.”
“Must be our lucky day.”
Burying her face in her hands, she groaned. “My head feels like someone used it as a giant punching bag. I just want to crawl back into the shelter and spend the day regretting the fact I drank four margaritas back-to-back.”
“Five.”
“Oh, God. I don’t know what got into me. I never, ever have more than two drinks at a time.”
I glanced at my watch. “Well, keep pounding water. We need leave in a few minutes, and I wanted to let you sleep as long as possible. I have a plate of food for you here, too.”
She cringed. “No, I can’t eat.”
I carried the plate over to her. “You have to. We’re already at a disadvantage with you hungover. You need the energy.”
“You drank more than I did.” She scowled up at me. “Why aren’t you hungover?”
“It was beer, and I’m not a lightweight.”
“How can you party so much and still play hockey?”
Her tone was a mix of resentment and genuine curiosity. I laughed.
“Who said I party all the time?”
“Well, if you can throw down a dozen beers and feel great the next day…”
“Beer and hard liquor are two different animals, Lo.” I put the plate in her lap. “Eat the food.”
“Ugh, just the smell of that fish makes me feel sick.”
I’d decided to do this show because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a cool experience, but I also wanted to win. Winning was what drove me to keep pushing myself in hockey every day. And I could practically see our chances to win this game swirling down the drain right now.
“Eat,” I snapped. “And drink more water. You’re tougher than this, Lo.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, taken aback. “Don’t act like you know who I am.”
I folded my hands and placed them on top of my head and walked back toward her, stopping a few feet away to look down at her.
“Like it or not, I do know you. I know you’d live on Lucky Charms and McDonald’s cheeseburgers with extra pickles if you could. I know you like scary movies even though they give you nightmares for days. You’re loyal to a fault and you want to have a sanctuary for senior dogs when you retire.”
Lauren stood, throwing her plate. It landed with a thud about ten feet away, but I was too stunned to look at anything but her.
“You know better than anyone that I’m loyal to a fault, do you? I was loyal to you and look where it got me.” Her voice vibrated with fury. “It’s been eight years, Archer. You knew me when we were teenagers. I’ve changed.”
My pulse pounded as I closed the distance between us and spoke in a low tone I hoped she could hear but that the camera wouldn’t pick up.
“I know you, Lo. And you know me. We lived and breathed each other for two years. Look into my eyes right now and tell me I’m wrong.”
Tears welled in her eyes as they held mine, seconds passing in complete silence.
“I don’t want us to lose because I was stupid and drank too much,” she finally said, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I know it’s only been twelve days, but this has been so hard. I embarrassed myself last night with those things I said, and I at least—” She paused, closing her eyes. “I at least want it to mean something.”
I couldn’t stand seeing her hurt. She’d poured her heart out when her guard was down last night, and I was still processing what she’d said. My instinct was to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay, but I knew she didn’t want that. So I did the only thing I could think of—with the cameras rolling, I shared my deepest feelings just as she had.