Finally, the whistle symbolizing liberation sounded — "Dismissed! Twenty-minute break!"
Just as Taylor was about to move, a chorus of noisy "concern" immediately flooded her ears:
"Taylor! Taylor! Here, have a Gatorade! Replenish those electrolytes!"
"Taylor! Chilled mineral water! I specifically went to the convenience store to grab some ice!"
"Taylor, I have wet wipes! Wipe your sweat!"
A bunch of guys rushed over — some from the same year, some upperclassmen — holding drinks and tissues, faces full of eagerness.
Taylor didn't even bother lifting her eyelids. Using the last bit of strength she had, she brushed aside the arm in front of her, voice weak but unmistakably distant. "Thank you, but no need."
Then she dragged her exhausted body and staggered toward the shaded spot where Ashley was.
On the other side, Ashley was also surrounded by a few guys.
She wore a polite but distant smile and calmly turned each one down. "Thank you, I have water myself."
"Really, no need — but thanks anyway."
She quietly broke free from the crowd and headed toward their agreed resting spot.
A few stubborn ones tried to follow, but were suddenly cut off by a figure.
It was Ashley's roommate, Rachel.
She planted herself right in their path, hands on her hips like a bouncer, voice sharp enough to cut glass:
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you blind or just dumb? Can't you see they don't want to deal with you? Don't understand plain English? Get lost, get lost, get lost! Stop bothering us! If you come any closer, don't say I didn't warn you!"
Rachel — full-time Twitter keyboard warrior — turned out to be pretty intimidating in person too. The guys' faces went red and they awkwardly backed off.
Ashley had just reached the shade of a tree and leaned against the trunk to catch her breath when Taylor drifted over, limp and wilted like a sun-roasted houseplant.
"Ashley... help... save me..."
Taylor groaned weakly. "I feel like my bones are... literally melting... I'm falling apart."
Ashley quickly twisted open her water bottle and held it out, her voice full of concern. "Here, have some honey water — it's warm, don't chug it. It's seriously hot out here, you need to stay hydrated."
Taylor took the bottle and, completely abandoning any sense of dignity, tilted her head back and gulped down several big mouthfuls. The sweet liquid hit her dry throat like a lifeline, and she finally caught her breath, whining in a half-tearful voice. "Ugh, this stupid sun! How is it even more brutal now that training started?! It wasn't this bad yesterday! This is basically assault!!"
Just then, a familiar figure pushed through the crowd carrying a heavy white plastic bag, swaying slightly under the weight.
Inside the bag you could just make out the dark green melon rind and beads of condensation — it was Ethan.
Just as Ethan was almost at Ashley and Taylor, Rachel — who'd just finished running off those guys — darted out like a shark that caught blood in the water.
She planted herself directly in front of him, arms spread wide like she was blocking a goal, voice even fiercer than before, dripping with disdain:
"Hey! Yeah, I'm talking to you! Still walking over here? You don't get what I'm saying? How many of you guys have tried this today? Isn't it exhausting? We don't want anything from you! Take your stuff and leave! Stop being an eyesore!"
Ethan was completely blindsided by the sudden ambush. He stopped in his tracks, brows instinctively pulling together. Where the hell did this one come from? What is her problem?
He held back his irritation and replied in a flat, cool tone. "I'm not here to see you. Could you move, please?"
His eyes went past Rachel and landed on Ashley and Taylor behind her.
"Ha! Move? Why would I move?"
Rachel didn't budge an inch — she stepped even closer, chin up, eyes cutting across Ethan's face like a blade. "Don't think that just because you're good-looking you can set your sights on Ashley! I've seen plenty of guys like you thinking they can punch way above their weight! You think being cute means you have a shot? Not a chance! Do you really think you're on her level? Take a good look at yourself and get your stuff out of here!"
The sheer illogic of it — the unprompted, personal, borderline unhinged attack — left Ethan genuinely stunned.
Wow.
In all his years, this was genuinely the first time he'd run into someone this spectacularly unhinged in real life. No filter, no logic, just full-throttle nonsense.
A wave of sharp anger surged up. His expression went cold.
"Rachel. Enough."
Just as Ethan was about to snap, a clear, unmistakably angry voice cut through the air and stopped the whole thing from blowing up.
Ashley stepped forward quickly, the usual gentle smile completely gone, replaced by a seriousness nobody had seen from her before.
She stood right beside Ethan, eyes fixed on Rachel. Her voice wasn't loud, but every single word landed clean and hard:
"Rachel! When did I ever ask you to 'protect' me like this? He's my friend. Apologize to him right now. And I'm telling you clearly, today, for the record — I don't need your so-called protection, especially not you talking trash about people without my permission. If you treat my friends like this again — especially Ethan — then I'm sorry, we're done being roommates in any real sense. I mean it. This is the last time."
It hit like a thunderclap.
Rachel froze. Eyes wide, mouth open, face cycling between shock and disbelief.
She'd been standing there two seconds ago feeling like a hero, and somehow she was the one getting called out? About to get cut off?
The whiplash was total. Her face went red, then pale, then red again. She looked like she desperately wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
"Oh my god!! Ethan!! Chilled watermelon!!!"
Taylor had zero interest in any of that drama. She spotted the treasure inside the plastic bag and her exhaustion evaporated on the spot. She bounced over like someone had hit her with a shot of adrenaline, eyes sparkling as she stared into the bag. "My savior is HERE!!"
Ethan watched Ashley stand up for him. The cold look on his face dissolved immediately, and that familiar easy grin crept back to the corner of his mouth — like the whole unpleasant thing had already been filed away and forgotten.
He gave Ashley a quick look that said don't worry about it, then turned to Taylor with a raise of his chin. "Obviously. You think I'd forget what I promised you?"
He quickly found a stone bench, set down the bag, and pulled out the watermelon — still ice cold — along with a fruit knife.
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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