Out of Bounds (The Summer Games #2)(16)

“Wake up, little cheetah!” Lexi said, barging into our room.

I bolted up off my pillow like I’d just been shot. “Eri… What’s going on?”

Something soft sling-shotted across the room and hit me square in the chest.

Lexi laughed. “It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.”

I blinked my eyes open and saw the leotard sitting limp on my chest, sparkly and oh-so-cheetah printed. Molly leaned over the edge of the top bunk and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. “Oh wow. It really does have a tail.”

I turned it over and felt the long furry thing between my fingers.

“I can’t wear this,” I said, shaking my head.

Lexi tapped the doorframe. “Fine, then swap spit with Erik. Your choice.”

She left before I could argue, but I still shouted at her down the hall. “That’s not how the game works!”

“Sorry! Can’t hear you!”

It really wasn’t fair. Lexi’s dare had been to dance on the table. Molly had to hit on a biker bro, and Rosie picked truth and was too shy to answer any of the questions we shot at her. Yet somehow, for me the game had extended into the next day. I should have fought harder against the leotard, but I’d been relieved at the time, happy to get off the subject of Erik.

I pushed out of bed, much to the dismay of my head.

“I feel like shit.”

“I feel like shit that has come to life, eaten some other shit, then shat out more shit,” Molly answered, rubbing her temples before crawling off the top bunk and hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

I groaned. “That’s disgusting.”

“It’s the truth.”

I put on a sports bra and then pulled on the leotard over it. The thing was tight, like skintight, and on top of that, it looked like a costume a showgirl would wear. I tried to put running shorts on over it, but the tail got in the way. I forced them on anyway.

“This is the worst thing I’ve ever put on my body,” I said.

Molly laughed from the doorway of the bathroom. “I like it. The tail is extra cute, and it might help with balance.”

“GUYS!” Rosie shouted up the stairs. “Come on! We have to be at the gym in fifteen minutes!”

I grabbed a spare leo and ran down the stairs after Molly. For the amount of beers I’d had the night before, I didn’t feel as bad as I’d thought I would. I mean, yes, there was definitely a category 5 hurricane wreaking havoc on my brain, but with a little food and water, I knew I’d be fine.

Molly grabbed protein bars for us and then June directed us outside.

“We don’t have any time to spare,” she said, tapping her foot.

“We’re coming!” Molly said, running after me.

“What the hell are you wearing?” June asked as I passed.

Lexi laughed. “It’s her leotard, June.”

I grinned. “Pretty cute, right?”

“No.” She rolled her eyes and then spun on her heel to lead us all out of the house.

Lexi leaned in close. “Wow, guess you won’t be the only cat in the gym today.”

I smiled back at her before trailing outside after the others. There was an old forest green Jeep parked in front of the guesthouse and a note on the front windshield outlined the rules. It was ours to use while we were in Seattle—well, ours to use if we wanted to go three specific places: Seattle Flyers, the grocery store, or the emergency room. Anywhere else was off limits.

“I’ll drive!” Molly said, whipping around the front of the Jeep and pulling open the driver’s side door.

Molly was quite possibly the worst driver in the world. To be fair, the car was a manual and she hadn’t used a clutch in years.

“I’ll get the hang of it,” she promised as the Jeep stalled for the fifth time in the middle of the road.

“We’ll never get there,” June groaned, letting her forehead fall against the window in the back seat.

“Just have a little faith,” Rosie said from the center seat, leaning forward to pat Molly’s shoulder. “I think you’re doing a great job.”

“You really are,” I added, purposely leaving out the fact that Google Maps had estimated the drive would take fifteen minutes and we’d already been driving for thirty.

“He’s going to kill us!” June said. “Ugh, just let me out and I’ll walk there myself.”

“JUNE! Just shut up,” Lexi snapped from the opposite end of the back seat. She was massaging her head, likely battling the same hangover hurricane as me.

By the time we pulled up to the deserted parking lot of Seattle Flyers, we were all annoyed, carsick, and in a rush to get inside. Molly pulled in next to an old Ford pickup and I’d barely hopped out and pulled the front seat forward when June pushed past me to get out. The seat collided with my shoulder with the force of her exit, but she didn’t care. She ran ahead so the four of us were left to walk in her wake.

“What a joy it will be to live with her for four more weeks,” Lexi groaned.

“That’s not even counting Rio,” Molly pointed out.

I frowned. “I keep trying to give her the benefit of the doubt…y’know, like maybe she’s really nervous about competing…but it’s getting harder to see reason with her.”