The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 32

“We’ve got an hour,” Rafe says, flicking on the lights and striding into the room. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, what is this?” I ask, looking around, confused.

“Look at it as…extra credit,” Jesse says, turning to grin at Ben and me as he walks backwards into the room after Rafe. “You both need the extra work if you’re going to make any progress on these physical exams. So,” he shrugs, “we’re going to help you do that.”

“Which,” Rafe says, turning to glare at us a little, “is Jesse’s nice way of saying that we’re going to spend an extra hour kicking your asses every night until you can make the cut.”

“Wow,” Ben says, his eyes going wide.

“Ohhh no,” I groan, simultaneously, looking over my shoulder at where the showers are probably already filling up with cadets, all of the lovely hot water running down drain…

“Come on, Ari,” Rafe says, nodding towards a pull up bar. “You need this.”

I sigh, dragging my feet and heading over to him, but Ben’s words stop me.

“Wait,” Ben says, taking a step forward but frowning at my brother and my cousin. “Him, I get,” he says, gesturing towards me with his thumb. “But why are you helping me?”

Rafe just shrugs. “I think you got a bad turn, being pitted against me in the bout today. So, I figured, why not give you a shot. We were doing it anyway – one more isn’t much.”

I smile at my brother, who is trying to play off his kindness, even though we all see through it. The truth is that Rafe likes an underdog – he can’t help it, he’s soft-hearted like mom, even if he pretends that he’s not. It’s probably why he acts tough all the time – so no one figures it out.

“Well, thanks,” Ben says, smiling and running a hand through his hair. “I mean it. Thank you.”

“It’s no bid deal,” Jesse says, gesturing for him to come over. “I noticed, on the first day, that you’re…kind of shit at throwing a punch. Let’s work on that.”

Ben laughs and nods and the two get to work as I walk over to Rafe and wrap my arms around his waist, unable to help myself.

“My big brother is nice,” I say softly, grinning and giving him a squeeze.

“Don’t tell anybody,” he mutters, pushing me away. “Now stop trying to get out of work. Up!”

I sigh and stare up at the bar, thinking that the last thing I want to do is chin-ups.

But as I stand, staring, regretting my choices, suddenly Rafe grabs me by the waist and hoists me upwards so that my only choice is to grab the bar and swing from it or fly across the room.

“Rafe!” I gasp, glaring at him. “I told you – stop throwing me around!”

“I’ll stop throwing you around the day you can do a chin-up unassisted,” he says, smirking at me and putting his hands beneath my feet so that he can take a little bit of my weight, making it just a little easier for me to lift my weight. “Now let’s go, Ari – three sets of ten, and then we’re doing pushups.”

I groan, but I get started – because even as I complain?

I know they’re just doing it for me. That my brother and my cousin are skipping their chance at a hot shower and first in line for food to help me.

And that outweighs any of the misery of chin-ups.

Which is saying something.

Because I am…really bad at chin-ups.

“Come on, Ari!” Rafe shouts, laughing at how much my arms tremble as I work to pull myself up so that my chin rises above the bar. “Let’s go! Seven more, and then a break, and then six thousand after that.”

“I hate you,” I grumble. But he just grins at me. Because he knows I mean the opposite.

And I sigh and get to work, trying very very hard – and failing - to not think about Luca, who is probably stripping down for his shower right about now...