My legs land on the hard concrete and I push off, running down the hill as fast as I can. As I run, the breeze flows past me as I start to sprint, catching up with Minho.

"You're pretty fast," Minho tells me, breathing heavily. "Surprising."

"Is that an insult?" I huff. "That it's surprising that I'm fast?"

He shrugs. "Depends which way you take it."

Chuckling, I sprint fast and manage to catch up to him.

"Do you know how long the race is?" I ask him, my legs already aching badly.

"We need to get to the beach," he breathes, running faster in an attempt to beat me. "So... around ten minutes maybe?" He estimates.

I nod. "Thanks. How far are they behind us?"

He casts a quick look behind him. "Pretty far. We're winning easily."

Chuckling, I continue to run, slightly behind Mr Ego.

The wind flows through my hair, letting it stream out as Minho and I keep pace, feet pushing off against the uneven ground. The hill is steep, but we've most likely got the win; we're still in the lead.

I glance at Minho, his eyes focused straight ahead, his usual cocky smirk absent for once. Somehow, he's serious now.

Behind us, I can hear the pounding footsteps of the other pairs trying their hardest to catch up, although so far they are falling short of their goal. Newt and Sonya are in sight, but not close enough to concern us just yet.

"You're doing great," Minho tells me, his voice coming out breathless.

"So are you," I reply. "And thanks."

My legs burn from the sprint downhill, but I force myself to ignore the ache. The only thing that I keep my mind set on is maintaining first place.

A few rocks scatter beneath our feet as we round a small bend, the hill briefly levelling out before dropping steeply again.

"Ready?" Minho asks, glancing at me with a grin.

I return it, eyes gleaming as a slight joke slips out. "No."

Holding back our laughter, we both push harder, throwing ourselves down the steepest part of the hill. Minho sprints right in front of me, our strides perfectly synced.

The rush of speed excites me, and for a moment, I forget about everything back home.

I forget about Tyler.

Abruptly, I hear a shout behind us; someone must've tripped. But I don't look back. I don't need to. The only thing that matters is the race I hope to win.

"We've got this," Minho shouts over the wind, breathing heavier than before. "We're doing amazing, Ley!"

"Don't get cocky," I laugh, but I know he isn't wrong at all. We're so far ahead now that it feels like our victory is already secured.

Seeing the sight of the camp, my heart pounds harder, and I urge my legs to move even faster, the adrenaline giving me an extra push.

"Almost there!" I shout, more to myself than to Minho.

"We can do it, Ley," he encourages. "You're doing amazing, just keep going."

"That was my plan."

We hit the final stretch, and my feet slide slightly on the loose gravel. For a second, I think I'm going to lose my balance, but I manage to catch myself. Minho stumbles as well, but like me, he regains control of his feet quickly. We're both breathing heavily now, our hearts pounding out of our chests.

"Let's go, Ley!" Minho calls out, his voice strained but determined. "Come on, we can do it!"

I nod, my focus sharp. The main hall is just a few seconds away—the beach slightly further—and we're still ahead of everyone else.

I push myself to the limits as the ground flattens out and the beach comes into view. Although there is plenty of terrain in view, the only thing I focus on is the line connecting gravel to sand. If we can cross the line, then the feeling of victory is ours to own.

Minho's still right in front of me, neither of us giving an inch. I can feel the competitive tension between us, even though we are supposed to win as a pair. We've worked well together the whole way, and even though we're both secretly fighting to win, it's still a shared victory.

The beach is just a few steps away now. My legs feel like jelly, and my lungs are burning, but I don't stop.

One last burst of adrenaline hits me, and I run onward, my feet pushing against the ground in one final sprint.

With one last burst of energy, I manage to catch up to him, and we both cross the finish line at almost the exact same moment.

I stop, almost collapsing from the effort, my breath escaping in ragged gasps. My heart pounds loudly as I breathe heavily. I hold my head, waiting for it to stop aching. The burning feeling in my legs takes over my thoughts and I struggle to stay standing, though I do manage.

Minho stops beside me, hands on his knees, grinning. "I think we tied," he gasps, catching his breath.

I laugh, bending over to stop my legs from sending me falling to the ground. "Maybe, but we still beat everyone else together."

As the other pairs come rushing down the hill behind us, I feel a wave of satisfaction wash over me, drowning me in pride. We did it. We dominated that hill, worked surprisingly well as a pair, and left everyone else far behind.

"Oh my gosh," Teresa breathes heavily, almost bowling over. "You guys did so good."

"I know." Minho grins. He turns towards me. "Good job, partner," he says, offering me a fist bump.

I grin and bump his fist in return. "Same to you. But next time, I'll beat you."

Minho laughs, his eyes lighting up as dimples become visible on his cheeks. That cocky smirk returns to his face. "You can try, Ley. But don't be too disappointed when I win."

"In your dreams," I chuckle.