With an inhale, I hold my breath and lift the weight in one smooth execution. I hold it for three seconds as the guys fucking lose their minds before dropping it.
“YES!” They cheer, and I’m being tackled by these huge ass hockey players like I scored a goal for them. My laugh gets muffled by the group hug.
Maddox
“Alright, alright, break it up,” Maddox lifts in the air so no one else can collide with me. “Don’t need to suffocate my badass power weight champion.”
My badass power weight champion.
Just melt me into a puddle and call me Jello.
I know he’s interfering because of my panic attacks and my distaste for crowds.
“Stop hogging our sassy powerlifting champion nurse, Maddox,” Marcus calls out with the biggest smile on his face. “Pucking hell, Mikayla, that was fucking awesome!”
“You can’t use pucking and fucking in the same sentence, silly,” I laugh. Seeing how happy everyone is for me makes my cheeks hurt, thanks to my big ass smile.
My heart swells with how loved I feel in this competitive moment of sweet victory.
“She had to have cheated or something,” Oscar calls out like a sore loser.
The mere words have Mack losing it in laughter while Maddox casually carries me over to the remaining Heartbreaker Kings, so I can give them each a victory hug.
“Cheat? How do you fucking cheat lifting weights, stupid?” Mack taunts and looks my way. “McCurvyThighsForDays, come back here.”
I finish my hug with Wolfgang, then walk back to where my bestie is standing with pride.
“Here,” I declare with a smirk as I wonder what mischief my best friend wants to get me into.
“Dimitri, add another set of pounds on the bar to make it 350.”
“Are you trying to pull a hamstring?” Dimitri asks but begins to gather the weights with Felix in tow to help.
“No fucking way in hell is Mikayla going to deadlift 350 lbs.,” Diesel says loud and clear while the other Pincers laugh and bob their heads in agreement.
“That’s impossible.”
“Her legs would snap.”
“Sorry, Nurse Johnson, but we can’t fathom that reality.”
Felix and Dimitri finish setting things up for me, and I’m already clapping my hands to get off more excess chalk.
“Are you going to make bets now, or am I just doing this for show?” I ask the Pincers. The Vipers have been quiet the entire time, their focus solely on me and what I’m about to pull.
When the Pincers get quiet, I arch an eyebrow while shifting my gait to one side to emphasize my sassy stance.
“Oh? You guys got really quiet all of a sudden. Why is that?” I coax. “You guys have done nothing but brag about how you all got your signed contracts and bonuses, yes? Doesn’t that mean you have money to bet?”
“W-We haven’t gotten our advance yet or anything,” Mitchel seems to be the only brave one to point it out. “And your confidence is what’s intimidating.”
“Thanks,” I sweetly say to Damien’s younger brother.
He may be on the opposite team, but I actually like him. He’s not as cocky as the others.
“Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll do this only once,” I announce. “Next time you question how much I can lift, I’m emptying all your pockets and buying your rivals first-class tickets to Disneyland.”
“Oh shit, Disney,” I hear Clayton whisper before Ethan hushes him up.