Page 101 of Salto

“Okay, but you're one of the older girls on the team. And so is Scarlet,” Dean said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

I laughed.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one still trying past twenty.”

Lexi grinned, her hazel eyes bright with amusement.

“How did your Elite Qualifier go?” she asked.

“Good, I scored high enough, and I qualified,” I said, glad I could say that was behind me now.

“That’s awesome, congrats,” she said, and I found her genuineness refreshing.

“You ready to play?” Dean asked, passing me some of the cornhole bean bags.

“I’ll try,” I said. “Can’t say I’ll be good.”

“That’s okay,” Dean winked, and he put me on a team with him, Matthew, and Miles.

We played a few rounds. The first couple I played terribly. None of my bean bags made it onto the board.

But eventually, I got the hang of it and managed to sink a few.

Being athletes, it didn't take long for everyone's competitive side to surface. By the end of the fifth round, the boys were yelling at each other, and Lexi and I were exchanging exasperated looks.

“You totally took another step,” Matthew accused Miles.

“Did not!” Miles shot back.

“You did. Both feet crossed the line.”

“I was following through!”

“Guys,” Lexi cut in. “You're arguing over bean bags.”

I chuckled, figuring I’d let them work it out, and went over to grab a drink. I poured myself some lemonade as the cornhole argument continued.

It tasted so good, I downed the whole thing in a few gulps.

“How’d you do?” Rove’s voice was suddenly right next to my ear.

A shiver went down my spine, and I turned around to face him.

“Not great,” I admitted, setting my cup down on a nearby table.

“She's lying,” Lexi said, coming over to us. The argument seemed to have died down, and they’d noticed Rove and me.

Rove's eyes shifted back to me. “Oh?”

“She won the last round,” AJ said, coming over and chugging a few cups of lemonade.

“Did she?” Rove asked, his eyebrows raising.

I shook my head. “Barely.”

Matthew, Miles, and AJ approached Rove and greeted him with that little half-hug thing guys always seem to do. Then Dean came over, thumping Rove on the shoulder, the hug a little more aggressive than the others. It was a little weird that I could deduce the stages of their friendships just by the way they greeted each other.

“Hey,” Dean said, “Thought you might not make it for a sec.”