Page 9 of Honeysuckle
But that wasn’t true because I’dwatchedhim get into bed.
“Doesn’t matter, get up.” I kicked him gently in the ribs and grabbed my towel from the end of my bed. “You know what that sound means, and if we aren’t out there in two minutes…”
“Doc will make us do it twice,” Baker finished my sentence in passing.
“Sadists, you’re all fucking sadists.” Cael pushed off the floor in his boxers and flipped me off before leaving the cabin.
“Oh, hell no!” He yelled the second the cold spring air hit his nipples. He spun on his heel and tried to go back into the cabin. “Dean Tucker, I swear-” Cael snapped.
“Lake, now.” I pushed on his chest as he tried to get past me.
“Franklin,” he sneered, thinking that the stupid name my parents had given me would shake me.
“Cael,” I responded, “get in the lake.”
“I hate you, I hate grandpa. In fact, I hate this entire team!” He declared as he stomped backward down the steps toward the path and fell into a group of players.
I sighed and joined the slow shuffle toward the lake. Most of the team resembled a horde of zombies, half awake and freezing cold.
“You got him out of bed?” Arlo fell in time with my steps in a hoodie and sweats, a beanie pulled down over his ears. His nose was red from the cold, but it was obvious that he had been up for a while. He must have been on a run when he heard the alarm go off.
“Credit goes to Doc.” I shrugged and pointed to where Silas leaned against the camp office wall, cranking the metal arm on the siren box attached to the cabin. “He’s going to get the cops called on us again.”
“Oh, leave him alone. It's the only time I see him smile. Besides, he pays the fines. We can’t really say shit.” Arlo laughed and stepped behind me as the path narrowed. “How’s Logan doing?” He asked tightly.
“Couldn’t say. Dude doesn’t talk, and anytime he opens his mouth rude things come out.” I rolled my neck around on my shoulders to try and wake up. “He wasn’t in his bed this morning.”
“What?” Arlo looked at me and shook his head. “So where the fuck is he?”
“Beats me. I'll deal with it if he doesn’t show up for practice later. I think giving him some space is for the best. It had to be overwhelming to be dropped into the middle of camp like that,” I said.
“It was here or the Nest. Neither place is ideal,” Arlo said as the trees separated and the lake came into view. “They’re waiting for you.”
“Captain goes in the water first. You know the rules.” Van and Cael stood on the edge of the dock, waiting for me with their hands rubbing their arms to keep warm.
God, this is going to suck.
“Get in the water, Franklin, or we’ll make you,” Cael snapped, and that time the full name irritated me.
“Call me that one more time and I’m spitting in all your meals for the next two weeks,” I said with a smile, chucking my towel at Arlo before sprinting.
“We’ve shared more than spit in the last two years; what kind of threat was that?!” Cael laughed but it was enough of a distraction.
I ran straight toward Cael and watched the panic on his face as I dropped my shoulder at the last second and hauled him up into a clumsy carry before throwing both of us into the frigid water.
The water was so cold every muscle in my body seized for a second, making it hard to push myself back to the surface. I broke the water, gasping for air beside Cael, who was already moving toward the sandy beach as more players tossed themselves into the water.
He dragged himself to shore just ahead of me, turning back to say something smart when all hell broke loose. A few of the players on the dock were shoving and pushing.
“Get in the fucking water Logan!” Todd yelled, stepping into Josh’s face and grabbing at his clothes.
“Found Josh,” Arlo hollered from the shore with a sick amusement in his voice.
I glanced at Arlo, silently pleading for help, but he stepped back. It wasn’t his fight anymore. I surged forward, the ice-cold water ripping against my frozen thighs.
“Back off, man!” Josh snapped and stepped back but slammed into another player behind him who reached for his shirt. “I said back off!” He tried again as Cael and I rushed from the rocky shore to the dirt path and onto the dock.
“Hey!” I barked out and tried to get between the shoving bodies, but they were deadlocked. “Guys, come on!” I yelled, just trying to find an opening. Cael slid across the dock behind me and grabbed Todd by the waist, chucking him into the water with a loud splash.
