“No.” I thought about it. “It’s not. She got the whole team to exclude Taylor and me from a breakfast thing. She threatened us too. She threatened Taylor, saying I couldn’t protect her if I was running ahead of everyone else. She’s a prime example of someone who didn’t want to help another teammate.”
“You know what I mean.”
I leaned forward, my arms still folded over my chest. “You’re right. I do, but you don’t realize you’re being biased here. You’re not putting yourself in my shoes, and if you did, you’d understand why I don’t want to run with her. The only kindness she’s showed me was after Friday’s race when she thanked me for helping her. That was it.”
He frowned, seeming to see me for the first time. His eyebrows pinched together, and he looked at Faith. “That can’t be right.”
“It is.”
I turned to look at her. She was being honest now?
Noticing my look, she shrugged. “What? I mean, there are witnesses to everything. Even if I tried lying, I know at least Raelynn would back you up. Or she would’ve. And you were right. She thought I dropped her friendship.”
My lips parted. That didn’t sound good. “I take it that’s not the case anymore?”
She preened back at me, giving me a close-mouthed smile. “Don’t say I’m not a quick learner. You threatened me, and I read between the lines. I circled the wagons, so to speak, and yes, Raelynn is back to being one of my besties. Thanks for that.”
Well . . . Fuck.
She grinned. “I should thank you again. You’ve made me a better runner, and a better friend.”
It burned. Deep down. There were all sorts of burning going on down there.
“Look, Coach.” Her arms unfolded, and she sat forward. “Samantha has a valid point. I was horrible to her in the beginning, still am actually, so based on our past, you can’t force her to run with me. If she fought you and wrote a claim against you, she’d win eventually. Even public opinion would side with her, so you can let it go. I’m not going to force my teammate to do something against her will.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s so considerate of you.”
“I’m trying, actually.”
I studied her; it seemed she was genuine.
Then she flashed me another smug grin and ruined it. “You’re wrong about one thing, though.” She stood.
I waited.
“I am going to beat you. Eventually. It might not be this year, but it’ll happen. You’re not the only one qualifying for the Olympics.”
She seemed so sure of herself. Her head was high, and she held my gaze steadily. She meant what she said.
Well, fuck. Again.
“Let us both run on our own,” she said to Coach.
He frowned heavily. “I don’t like this.”
“Come on,” she said. “The other girls distract me too. You want us to do better. This is the way.”
“You’ll do your sprints and weights too?” He was asking both of us.
I nodded.
“You know I already do,” Faith answered.
“I lift with my boyfriend.”
He pointed at me. “You do sprints with him too from now on.”
I stood next to Faith. “I will.”
He waited a minute, staring at us, and then he gestured to the door. “Fine. Go. Our next meet is Friday. Check in with me every day with your progress.”
I followed Faith outside and asked, “What are you doing? What was all that about in there?”
She stopped and turned to face me, cocking her head to the side. “Why do you think that was a charade? Maybe I really am grateful to you for making me a better runner and friend. I’m a better person, thanks to you.”
“You have an angle. What is it?”
“Right.” She snorted, starting to walk backward, away from me. “Because that’s a good battle tactic: declare your intent to the enemy.” She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were better than that.”
I was . . . but no. I wasn’t. That was Mason and Logan’s job. They fought the fights. I just followed behind and reaped the benefits.
“You’re right.”
“What?” She stopped, her forehead wrinkling as she frowned at me.
“You’re right. I’ve never been good at this kind of fighting. Mason and Logan have done everything for me—the plotting, the manipulation, the deceit. I have verbal exchanges. That’s my fighting. And the last time I really went against another girl, she and her friends jumped me in a bathroom. They put me in the hospital.”
Fuck you, Kate, and your old clique.
But Faith was right. She was a female Mason. She was the mastermind. I wasn’t. A sudden, different kind of humility swept through me. I’d judged Mason, getting mad that he didn’t include me with his decisions before, but who was I to be upset about that? Everything he did was to protect me. Everything.