Page 140 of The Comeback Summer

“Yeah,” she says, turning to scan the crowd. “Oh—there he is.”

He? I expected a woman from her running group.

I turn, and for a brief moment, I think I might be imagining things.

“Adam?” I don’t say his name as much as I breathe it.

He’s making his way through the throng of bodies, and when he catches my eyes, he waves.

I whirl on my sister. “You calledAdam?”

She gives a guilty little shrug. “I figured he’d be a good addition to the team.”

Of course he would. He’s strong and athletic and so positive it’s contagious—but she shouldn’t have sprung this on me with literally no warning!

But there’s no time to protest or argue; a race official has picked up a loudspeaker to call us all to attention.

Adam slides in next to me, and I sneak a glance at him. He’s in a T-shirt and gym shorts, and his hair is a little wild, like he just rolled out of bed.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say.

He shrugs. “I thought it sounded fun.”

And that’s all the conversation we have time for, because the gun fires, a cheer rises from the crowd, and the entire mass of people in our fleet starts moving forward.

“Here we go,” Hannah says.

I think I’m going to throw up.

•••

TWO OBSTACLES INTOthe course, the shock has worn off and I might even be having fun. The crowd’s energy is infectious, everyone cheering one another on—even people on other teams—and the participants are all sizes and ages. That’s what surprises me the most; I thought I would stick out like a sore thumb, but it turns out, I blend right in.

But then it’s time for the Ladder of Doom—a fifteen-foot ladder with huge spaces between the rungs, so you have towork with your team to get on, and then to get over. Josh goes first. His ridiculously long arms and legs make it easy for him to get to the top. Hannah’s next, with Josh helping to pull her up as I boost her from below.

Then it’s just me and Adam and a hundred other people standing there. It might take a whole gaggle of them to boost me up on the first rung, but Adam looks ready for the challenge. He squats and cradles his hands together, waiting for me to step in. God, I hope I don’t break him.

“I’ve got you,” Adam says, and I take his word for it.

One second, my foot is awkwardly in his hands, and the next I’m flying, feeling light as a feather as I reach the first rung. Somehow, I keep going, to the second and the third and on and on until I’m up at the top—reaching down with Josh to help Adam.

After that, we run to the water crossing—fifty yards of water, crossed while floating on our backs with a wire cage two feet above our noses. The water is frigid, and my teeth are chattering by the time we get halfway through. I keep waiting for the claustrophobia to set in, but with Adam next to me and Hannah behind me, we all make it without a problem.

As we run to the next obstacle, all of us dripping wet and shivering, Adam keeps pace next to me. I steal a glance as he wipes a lock of wet hair off his forehead, leaving behind a muddy handprint.

“You good?” he asks.

“I actually think I am,” I tell him, even though I’m freezing and my thighs are raw from chafing together.

Adam and I are almost to the next obstacle—the spear throw—and we slow down to wait our turn. I sneak a glance behind me and see Josh and Hannah about twenty yards backin the crowd. Hannah’s eyes are glassy, her skin pale, like she’s barely holding herself together. Josh is about three feet behind her, looking so miserable I almost feel bad for him.

Almost.

“What’s their story?” Adam asks, motioning toward them.

“That’s the ex-boyfriend who came back into Hannah’s life, just to ruin it again,” I say, my voice bitter. “He’s a huge reason I wanted to find someone better for Hannah on the app.”

I stop, realizing I accidentally broached the subject that’s been hanging between us all morning.

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