Page 32 of Pick Me Up On Tuesdays

"Get set—"

I tightened my grip on my backpack straps.

"GO!"

The group exploded forward.

The moment I started running, I instantly regretted it.

The ground was uneven. Loose rocks slid under my feet, tree branches appeared out of nowhere to slap me in the face, and my lungs? Not having a great time.

I didn’t know how everyone else was thriving in this. Joy was laughing like she was having the time of her life, Ethan was practically gliding down the path like he was in a dramatic slow-motion movie scene, and Shun—Shun of all people—was just casually jogging like she did this for fun. Well, she was a curvy cheerleader, so maybe she did.

Meanwhile, I was dying.

"Why did I agree to this?!" I wheezed.

"You didn’t," Joy called over her shoulder. "We just dragged you into it."

"That makes it worse!"

Halfway down, the group started splitting up. Some people took shortcuts, leaping over roots and sliding down slopes. I, not wanting to break my neck, stuck to the safest path, even if it meant I was slower.

Well, slower was an understatement. By the time I reached the last stretch of the descent, Ethan was already at the bottom, standing with his arms crossed and looking smug.

Of course, he had won.

Joy and Shun made it a few seconds later, barely winded. Max and a few others tumbled in right after, laughing and panting.

And then there was me.

I stumbled into the clearing like I had just survived a war. My hair was a mess, and I had twigs stuck to places twigs should never be stuck to.

"Clark," Joy said, staring at me. "You look like you fought a bear on the way down."

"I feel like I fought a bear on the way down," I wheezed, hands on my knees.

Ethan smirked. "And lost."

I groaned, dropping to the ground, arms spread out. "I hate this club. I hate this school. I hate all of you."

Joy patted my head. "We know, bud."

Mr. Dax finally caught up, looking exhausted but proud of himself. "Now that’s what I call teamwork!"

I turned my head to glare at him. "Sir, what part of this was teamwork?"

He completely ignored me. "Alright! Time for a break before we head to our next stop."

I closed my eyes, trying to breathe, when I heard a voice next to me.

"You noticed, didn’t you?"

I cracked one eye open. Ethan was standing nearby, looking down at me with an unreadable expression.

I sat up. "Noticed what?"

He tilted his head. "Don’t play dumb, Clark. You saw."

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