Todd, Quinn, and Jade stood at the entrance of the gym, watching Ethan leave with a noticeable spring in his step.
He seed to be in a good mood.
Todd tilted his head thoughtfully. "Ethan's unbelievable. Who throws out two million just like that?"
Hearing Todd's comnt, Quinn made a silent vow. 'I'll make sure to handle this gym better than ever for him,' she resolved internally.
Jade, on the other hand, stood quietly, a swirl of emotions she couldn't quite pin down settling deep within her chest.
By the ti Ethan returned to the villa, it was already past eleven. Pulling out his phone, he was surprised to see that Lyla hadn't called him.
"That girl, she's oddly considerate, never one to check in unnecessarily," he mused with a grin. But there was one text waiting for him, from her.
"Hey, went to school on my own this morning. When you get back, stay put and rest, alright?"
Ethan chuckled at her words, but they served as a tily reminder. "Oh right… I have combat training class this afternoon!"
Excitent surged in his chest. Ever since the morning's performance test, he had been itching to get back into action. Tossing his things together, he prepared to head to campus.
For the first ti in ages, Ethan felt a burning eagerness for class.
Heading to the garage, he stared at the sleek Predator X, but ultimately shook his head.
"Too flashy. Better keep things low-key," he muttered to himself.
Taking the bus instead, Ethan endured a nearly two-hour trip to school. By the ti he arrived at the east entrance, his phone clocked in just three minutes before class began.
Today's session was across campus at the west entrance's training hall.
Ethan gulped nervously. mories of Celeste Hawthorne flashed vividly through his mind. Her strict attitude towards late students could turn even grown n to jelly.
"Not happening today," he muttered, breaking into a sprint.
A snarky voice from a fellow student nearly stopped him in his tracks as he passed. "What's the rush, man? Chasing your next life?"
'Chasing my life? Try managing yours,' Ethan thought grimly but didn't waste ti responding aloud. He tore ahead, leaving the stunned student behind.
The east gate to the west gate wasn't exactly a straight shot. The school's large central lake ant Ethan had to circle halfway around it, adding an extra distance to his dash. Plus, the training hall was on the third floor of the building.
Huffing and puffing, he launched himself into the room just as the class bell rang. Ethan silently thanked his morning stamina test for preparing him, but even so, his lungs burned, and sweat poured off him as he leaned against the doorway to catch his breath.
"Pfft, look who made it, our resident slacker," a nasal voice jeered from the back of the room. "Heard you were laid up in the hospital. Feeling strong enough now?"
Ignoring the insult, Ethan wiped his brow and took his place. His calm composure, however, didn't seem to sit well with Celeste Hawthorne, who was watching from her position. Her lips pursed in displeasure, clearly unimpressed by his refusal to engage with the heckling.
Her eyes narrowed. 'That's it? If it were , I'd send anyone talking like that straight to the infirmary,' her expression seed to say.
Standing in the center of the training room, Celeste's voice broke through the low hum of the room. "Alright, everyone's here. The usual warmup to start, followed by open sparring. Then, as always, I'll offer individual guidance."
A collective groan filled the room.
"What? Again? Didn't you guide us last class?"
"Yeah, you used to only give guidance once a month. Are we starting a new weekly schedule or sothing?"
The scathing glare Celeste shot them was enough to shut everyone up. Like cockroaches scattering under a spotlight, the students imdiately split up, diligently diving into their warmup exercises.
Ethan picked a corner of the training hall and slumped down into a seat. Warming up was the last thing on his mind. After a grueling workout at the gym earlier that morning, plus a mad long distance sprint to class, he figured he'd done more than enough to get his blood pumping.
From his quiet corner, Ethan surveyed his bustling classmates. On the far side of the room, Celeste Hawthorne was doing her warm-up stretches near the wall. For the first ti, Ethan allowed himself to really observe her.
It hit him then: this was the woman who, for two years straight, had topped the campus 'most beautiful' rankings, until Lyla arrived, of course.
Her figure was flawless. Tight, athletic, yet feminine in all the right places. She had the kind of face that could launch a thousand bad decisions, and her toned waist emphasized her lean, graceful build. But it was her legs, long, straight, smooth, and almost unnaturally perfect—that really caught Ethan's eye.
'What on earth does she eat to look like that?' he thought absently.
He watched her move with fluidity and grace, every stretch highlighting her incredible flexibility. At one point, as she bent particularly low, Ethan found his thoughts drifting.
Then her eyes locked onto his.
A chill ran down Ethan's spine as a wave of palpable hostility radiated from her direction. Instinctively, he broke eye contact, pretending to focus on the blank wall behind her.
'Jeez,' he thought, his pulse still racing. 'How are her senses that sharp? All I did was look at her for a few seconds!'
As Ethan diverted his gaze, an annoying and eerily familiar voice broke his train of thought.
"Ethan, care to spar with ? I've been working on so new moves and thought I'd give you so guidance since you've been out of class for a bit."
The voice belonged to Trent, one of Ethan's least favorite people. He had served as an assistant instructor under the previous coach before Celeste had taken over, and back then, his favorite pasti had been making Ethan's life miserable.
Hearing the challenge, Ethan's expression darkened briefly before returning to his usual neutral smile.
'Oh, sure, if it's a beating you're after, I'll be happy to oblige. It's about ti I settled this anyway.'
His thoughts were laced with venom.
The anger from past humiliations flared in Ethan's chest as he rembered Trent's past tornt. Once, during their first year, Trent had goaded Ethan into a fight in front of the entire class. The result? Ethan was battered to the ground, his face stomped on, forced to surrender amidst jeers and laughter. For weeks afterward, the sha had kept Ethan from showing his face in class.
Since Celeste's arrival, Trent had toned down his antics. After all, she had literally hospitalized their previous coach during her takeover. Still, Trent had never stopped searching for opportunities to pick on Ethan.
'If you're so eager, I'm more than happy to take out the trash,' Ethan thought grimly, a flash of nace flickering in his eyes.
Despite his resolve, he kept his tone light. "Nah, let's not. You know I'm not much of a match for you," he said with a sheepish smile.
His refusal disappointed the classmates who'd been watching, anticipating a spectacle. But Ethan had a rule on his side: one of the first decrees Celeste had implented in her classes was that no one could be forced into a sparring match. This alone had been enough to make her Ethan's hero.
Still, Trent felt unease creep into his chest as he looked into Ethan's eyes. For a mont, he thought he saw sothing sharp, dangerous even, but when he looked again, Ethan's expression was as relaxed and unassuming as ever.
Shaking off the montary doubt, Trent continued to push. "Hey, it's just practice. No hard feelings either way, right? If you're rusty, I can help get you back on track. I won't go too hard, promise."
Before Ethan could respond, another voice chid in, a shrill, grating sound that he instantly recognized as Liam, Trent's loyal lackey.
"Yeah, Ethan, co on! It's been days since you've had a proper workout. Do you really want Celeste herself to have to baby you?" Liam added with an oily chuckle, hoping to rile Ethan up.
The sight of Liam, a wiry guy who always hovered around Trent like an overeager puppy, made Ethan's blood boil. He could hardly count the number of tis Liam had piled onto Trent's harassnt. Together, the pair had been a thorn in his side since his first day on campus.
Just as Ethan was preparing another polite refusal, a group of five other students strode over, interrupting the tension.
"How about we keep things fair?" one of them suggested with a smirk. "If you're dead set on sparring, Trent, we're happy to jump in too. It's only fair soone's got Ethan's back, right?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers