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)
I sighed. “It’s hard for me to let someone else do all the work.”
“Friends look out for each other, don’t they?”
I smiled. “You’re using my own words against me.”
“We can do this, Lo. But you have to accept that your partner is a hockey team captain. I’m used to leading. I’m used to making sure the people around me are good. Let me do that, okay? Don’t treat it like a tit for tat thing. If the tables were turned, you’d do the same for me.”
“I’d try.”
He went back to cleaning the fish. “You’d find a way.”
“I really want us to win this thing.”
“Me too.”
“Do you think we can?”
He shrugged. “It depends on the challenges. But as long as we stay together and the teams don’t get mixed up again, I think we’ve got as good of a shot as anyone.”
“You never were a big talker. I always liked that about you.”
A smile played on his lips. “Big talkers end up eating their words.”
“What food do you miss the most?”
He didn’t hesitate before answering. “Cheeseburgers. When I get home, I’m eating a shitload of cheeseburgers with all the toppings. How about you?”
I considered what I’d been craving the most since this competition started. “Chocolate chip ice cream sounds pretty amazing.”
“One day at a time. We’ll get there, Lo.”
“Thanks, Archer.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Day Twenty—Seven teams remaining
Archer
When I got back to camp after leaving early to go fishing this morning, Lauren was not only awake, but already cooking a pot of rice.
“Good morning,” she said, looking more rested than I’d seen her in a while.
“Morning. You seem to be feeling better.”
“I am.”
“That’s good.”
I went over to one of the big trees I’d hung our hammock from, using my machete to carve in a marker for our twentieth day here.
“Twenty days,” Lauren said. “That’s not even three weeks. But it feels like a lot longer.”
As soon as I’d sat down and started cleaning the fish, Linda walked into our camp to switch shifts with Nutter. She handed Lauren a piece of paper.
“Competition today,” Lauren said, reading the note. “We’re supposed to be there at ten thirty this morning.”
I glanced at my watch. We had just enough time to finish breakfast and get over to the competition site.
“Whatever it is, we have to smash it,” Lauren said. “Even if we don’t win, we at least have to beat Maks and Irina.”
“I’ll bring my A game.”
“How is Maks as a hockey player?”
I shrugged. “Pretty solid.”
She finished cooking the rice and covered it with a plate, then grabbed her T-shirt from the tree branch it was hanging on. Though it looked like she’d slept great last night, I’d tossed and turned. I couldn’t stop thinking about the night before, and wishing for a repeat.
I knew she was right—it wasn’t a wise move to get involved here, with cameras on us nearly all the tine. But damn, did I want to. During our time here, I’d developed a deep appreciation for Lauren’s resilience and strength.
She pulled her T-shirt on, eliminating my view of her in just a bikini top and shorts. I’d replayed her startled, but turned-on, reaction when I’d ripped off her bikini bottoms at least a hundred times since it had happened.
Unlike me, she seemed to be completely over it. That meant I had to pretend to be, though it was unbelievably hard.
As soon as I finished cooking the fish, we ate quickly, washed our dishes, and got ready to leave camp. I grabbed my own T-shirt from our shelter and held it up to my nose. Shit, it was ripe. I hated smelling bad in front of Lauren, but there was no avoiding it here.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yep.” I put my baseball cap on. “Was there speed in that Gatorade mix or something? You seem to be feeling way more energetic.”
“I think the electrolytes helped a lot. I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride.”
At least, she thought so until we reached the usual competition site, where we were loaded onto ATVs and taken to the actual site of today’s competition.
“What is this?” she asked me under her breath, looking unsure, as we gathered on a different beach.
“No idea.”
Once the cameras started rolling, she put on her game face.
“How’s everyone feeling?” Josh asked, rubbing his hands together.
“Nervous,” Shayla said.
“Today’s competition will be intense,” Josh said. “But hopefully you’ll find the reward worth it.”
He gestured toward the copse of trees and bushes behind us. “For the first leg of this challenge, only the women will compete. There’s a zip line course through the jungle with seven different platforms. You’ll zip-line from platform to platform with the help of experienced instructors.”
Lauren groaned and leaned her head against my bicep.
“That part of the competition won’t be timed,” Josh continued. “The women only have to complete it for your team to move forward. The men will be waiting at the end of the course, and they’ll complete an obstacle course and sprint, with everyone beginning at the same time. Each member of the teams that complete this challenge gets to attend a cookout on the beach tonight.”