Page 28 of Fight

Sadie decided to chime-in in a dulcet tone. “Yeah, you look like a gondola type of girl to me.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? “With all due respect, Sadie, you’ve known me for about an hour. I think I know better what I can and can’t handle. And, Annie, that’s a view that everyone sees. I want a different view. I can use it as inspiration for my submission to paint the Lake Conrad Square mural.”

“Hey, how about I go with you?” Daniel’s smooth voice chimed through the other voices at the raucous table, and Lena looked over at him, startled. She’d forgotten he was there. “I’ve never hiked Dalak before and I’d like to do it, too.”

‘What?” Lena was surprised. Daniel seemed even less of an outdoor-person than she was. “You want to do that?”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t go by yourself.”

Finally Jake decided to provide some input on this situation. “I really don’t think this is a good idea, Helena.”Hmmm. He was giving her hedging looks and calling her Helena again.

“Why not?” The rest of the bar melted away as she looked at him straight in his stupid, handsome face. The tips of his ears were turning red and he looked worried.

“It’s just—I don’t think— “ Jake broke eye contact with her to look over at Daniel. He seemed to decide something when he finally found his words.

“I don’t think you can handle it. You couldn’t handle Fallen Leaf and you can’t handle this either.” Apparently Jake had decided to fall into his usual role in this interaction with her.

Anger swept through Lena as her neck started to burn. “I handled Fallen Leaf just fine. I finished it, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, because you had all of us there to basically carry you through the experience. I don’t think this guy, of all people, is equipped to do the same thing.” Jake motioned toward Daniel in an exasperated fashion as his voice rose.

The sweeping anger inside of Lena finally erupted like a volatile volcano. She breathed in heavily and put her hands on the table. She was so sick of people telling her what she could and couldn’t handle. Who she should and shouldn’t be. If she decided she was the person who hiked a freaking mountain, then she was. And so was Daniel.

She didn’t tear her eyes away from Jake. “I would love it if you came with me. Thank you, Daniel.” Jake narrowed his eyes at her and flexed his hands.

Lena was feeling very much like John Locke inLost—before he became an evil smoke monster at least. She would do the things she put her mind to and no one would tell her any different. Least of all this handsome jerk.

“Great! I’ve got a tent. We can camp overnight.” Daniel seemed completely oblivious to the tension between Lena and Jake.

This gave Lena pause. She couldn’t have a sleepover in the woods with this guy. She barely knew him. She may be flighty and irrational, but this seemed just plain stupid.You can’t back down now though.

“Okay. Amazing.” Lena tore her eyes away from Jake and looked at how excited Daniel was; he was smiling, looking around the table, and nodding vigorously in celebration.

It started to dawn on her that maybe she was acting a little ridiculous. She did not want to climb a mountain. She did not want to do it alone with Daniel. But here she was agreeing to that very experience. Looking around the table wildly, she took a long swig of her wine, draining her glass.

“I need some air. I’ll be right back.” She jumped off the bench, looked at the group of people she sat with, and stomped through the bar aimlessly until she remembered where the front door was.

Chapter 9

“C’mon,Helena,moveyourass.” Jake, the deranged drill instructor, shouted at her from a few yards ahead. “You can do this,” he added halfheartedly.

Ian, Morgan, and Annie were not that far ahead of her; although, she suspected they had significantly slowed their pace to wait for her.

Lena felt like shit. She was really trying here, but she was seriously out of her element. The sun beat down through the spaces between the branches of the tall trees. The rocky ground poked into her feet through her thin shoes. She was covered in sweat and dirt. Why had she agreed to this? Oh yeah, because she’d envisioned a flat, paved path, multiple granola bar breaks, and leisurely stops to sketch and paint the beautiful scenery.

She knew she was surrounded by beauty, but she’d yet to really see, let alone appreciate, any of it as she trudged miserably forward. Every time she stopped or slowed down, she had the pleasure of being yelled at by Jake, a.k.a. The Very Worst Person in the Existence of All Mankind.

Jake was basically running through the woods like a maniac. He had taken his shirt off and he looked like some sort of Mountain Man Adonis, but what did all that gorgeousness matter when it was attached to such a mean package? Why didn’t he work out all this insanity on a treadmill and leave the rest of them out of it?

Well I’m done with this. Seeing a boulder ahead, Lena tripped over rocks and roots and sighed happily when she finally reached it. She leaned her aching body against the cool rock and breathed in and out heavily. She really had to pee, which made her realize the romper may not have been the smartest clothing choice. She pulled out the hydro flask Annie had lent her, and took a long draw of water before splashing some of it on her chest and neck in an effort to cool down.

As they realized she wasn’t walking behind them anymore, Ian, Annie, and Morgan stopped walking and looked back.

“Need a break, Lena?” Annie called as she made her way to the boulder.

“Yeah, do you mind? And I need to pee, which I just realized may be a little tricky.” She motioned up and down her lavender cotton romper.

Morgan chortled loudly as she plopped down on the boulder next to Lena. “You're going to have to strip down to your skivvies every time you have to go. Girl, what were you thinking?”

---