Troy P.O.V

Date: October 28, 2238

"Everybody gather around!" Andrew yelled from the middle of the track, clapping his hands together. A navy jogging suit covered his muscular six-foot-two frame with a matching cap placed backward on his head. His clothing sported a few wrinkles but was otherwise sweat-free, unlike my team members and mine.

The nineteen of my team members and I panted as we jogged across the field and formed a semi-circle around him. We had just finished our first practice for the upcoming competition. It had been a long, grueling session since Andrew was still assessing everyone's skills and how we worked as a team. After an hour and a half of non-stop running, every muscle in my legs screamed in protest. Only a warm shower would help soothe my aching muscles, and I would take one as soon as he dismissed us.

"We have a little over a month to practice for the Training Games." Andrew continued, pulling his clipboard from underneath his arm. "In our next practice, we will do the same as today. Everyone will race against each other while I record your time. Remember, the two people with the most consistent fastest time will complete the first event. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Alright, good job, everyone. I'll see you next week!" Andrew smiled as he turned and entered the student dorm.

Nova bumped her shoulder against mine as everyone slowly dispersed. "Stacy and I are going to help Ms. Eve pack up Ms. Jacob's room. Will the two of you come and help haul everything away?"

"Yeah. When?"

"Like in fifteen minutes, that should give us time to shower and grab something quick to eat."

"Alright, cool."

"Troy!" A cheery feminine voice called from behind me. The three of us stopped and spun around.

"H..." I started but swallowed the greeting as my eyes locked on my ex.

"They convinced you to compete in the games again?" Karla asked, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked up at me.

I grunted.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead at my lackadaisical response. "Troy, can we talk? Alone?"

"I can't. I've got something to do, Karla."

"This will only take a minute. You can "clean up" in my room, and then we can talk." She purred as her eyes leisurely trailed down the length of my body.

"No-"

"Jax, we should leave them alone to talk," Nova interjected. She didn't wait for Jax's response as she turned and headed towards the dorm entrance.

Goddamn it.

"Wait, Nova!" I called, gently grabbing her arm and stopping her. She tugged her arm from my grip, crossed her arms over her chest, and turned back to face me. "Please don't read too much into what she's saying."

"I'm not." She firmly replied. "But I think she really needs to talk to you. So Jax and I will meet you later." She added before she turned and went inside the building.

"Bro, can I give you some advice?" Jax asked as the breeze blew, cooling my heated skin and rustling the leaves.

"Hmm?"

"Talk to Karla and completely end it before you go after Nova." Jax patted me on the shoulder before he followed Nova.

I deeply inhaled, turning to face Karla. "What was that?!"

"I was joking. I just wanted to talk to you alone to clear everything up between us."

"Joking?" I scoffed. "Okay, fine. You want to talk. Let's talk. Did you explain everything to Maverick?"

"Yeah, it was the most uncomfortable conversation I have ever had in my life. But anyway, I told him it was my idea for our relationship."

"Why did it take so long for you to admit that to him?"

"I told him right after we broke up."

"It doesn't seem like he knows."

"Trust me, he knows. But that doesn't mean he's happy about it."

I slowly nodded, completely understanding Maverick's point of view. I would feel the same as him if my cousin were in a friend-with-benefits relationship. But that didn't mean I wouldn't respect her decision. Because, in the end, it was her life to live.

"What's up with the flirting?"

"I told you I was joking. I figured it was the only way to get them to leave."

"Not today. But when I helped you to your room. All that talk about: I can "dry off" in your room." I raised my hand, making quotation marks. "Were you joking then, too?"

She shrugged one shoulder as the corner of her lips tilted upwards. "Kind of. I'm not even going to lie. The sex was amazing. The problem came after we broke up, and everyone found out. Things just kind of got blown out of proportion."

"Way out of proportion. Everyone thought I asked you to date me just to get you to have sex with me. Then, after getting what I wanted, I broke up with you. Why did it take you so long to explain?"

"Wait, Troy." She held up one hand. "Tell me the truth. How long did people call you names and talk behind your back? A day or two?"

"Not long," I muttered under my breath.

"Exactly. I bet the girls were still trying to get in your bed, and the guys were slapping your back. You're a guy. You can sleep with as many women as you want, and no one will bat an eye. Now don't get me wrong. I am sorry, but try to see things from my perspective. I couldn't just blurt out I offered you a friends-with-benefits relationship. It looks bad. Just because the mutants appeared and the world came crashing down doesn't mean people's mindsets have completely changed. And they became less judgemental. Especially here at Blackstone."

"Yeah, I get it. But your friend who told everyone..."

"That was my fault, too. I didn't even tell her about our arrangement. I didn't tell anyone. So she probably thought she was protecting me."

"How are things now?"

"Better. Plus, Maverick offered to kick anyone's ass that messed with me. Not that I need his help or anything, but still. It's pretty sweet of him to offer. So are we cool now?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, nudging the leaves with my shoes. "I'm just happy I don't have to explain this to Nova."

"If you want, I can help make her jealous." She offered, reaching her hand out towards me.

"No, thank you." I immediately rejected stepping back out of her reach.

"Okay. You're clearly in love with her. So if she had been single, would you have still said yes to being friends with benefits?"

I sucked in a quick breath of air, surprised by her question. I wouldn't have said yes. When Karla had asked me if I wanted to be friends with benefits, I was jealous of Nova spending time with another guy.

A senior named Austin Sullivan Snyder.

Or ass for short.

Hey! Don't blame me. Blame his parents.

Our Freshman year, the older boy had latched onto Nova like a parasite under the guise of being a mentor. Every incoming new student at Blackstone Academy was assigned one. Occasionally, they would have more depending on if the student had a friendly personality. Nova happened to be one of them, and it had attracted the slick tongue weasel.

At first, Austin and Nova had a mentor-and-mentee relationship where he would pop up offering unsolicited advice to help solve her problems. But eventually, their relationship changed into them frequently hanging out.

Constantly seeing them together grated at my nerves and led to me blindly accepting a friend's-with-benefits relationship with Karla.

Throughout my relationship with Karla, I slowly realized my feelings for Nova. Unfortunately, I couldn't admit them until after Karla and I mutually split. The day before we broke up, Nova and Austin's relationship fell apart. She had discovered Austin had a hidden motive when he befriended her. He had made it a quest to sleep with as many Freshman girls as he could before graduating from Blackstone. A couple of the girls found out and informed Nova. Together, they beat him up, ensuring Austin would forever regret his decision.

Karla shook my arm, interrupting my thoughts. "Troy? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. What did you ask me?"

"Nevermind. Don't even worry about it. I'll just keep thinking that you couldn't resist my very tempting offer." She shot a wink in my direction before she jogged toward the student's dorm.