Worth the Risk

Chapter thirty-three

I tune out Matteo and Daniel's voices as they argue over the tactics for our upcoming game against UCLA. They're going over positions and players' weaknesses of UCLA's team and how we should counteract that. I'd be happy to participate in the conversation if it wasn't seven-thirty in the morning and I already had finished my breakfast. Honestly, where do they get the energy from?

"I need one of you two dipshits to wake me up tomorrow at 9." My head snaps up at the sound of Finnick's voice. He nods his chin towards Daniel and me, completely ignoring Matteo who's seated opposite us on the kitchen island. "My moms insist on brunching together and I don't think my alarms will be able to wake me after tonight."

Tonight.

Fuck.

I forgot it's his birthday party tonight. He's turning 20 tomorrow and wanted to celebrate with a huge party. A party which I forgot and -

Double fuck.

I forgot to ask Theo for the night off. Perhaps he'll go easy on me. However even if, the fact I'll have to face his disappointed stare already makes me feel like shit. It's one of those stares only a few people manage to master. You have deadly stares, like Matteo's ones. 'Don't even try' stares, like coach Torrez'. Both of them can run a shiver down your spine but Theo's stare is downright brutal, hitting you with guilt. I'm already dreading the face of in three and a half hours.

"Sure. I'm happy to wake up our sleeping beauty." A lazy grin is hanging on Matteo's face as he looks up from his cereal bowl. My energy level suddenly spikes as I watch the scene unfold in front of me.

I press my lips on each other to refrain from laughing because saying Finnick is fucked is an understatement.

Last year when we were juniors Matteo and I shared a bedroom on one of our away games. I kindly asked him to wake me because my phone was broken so I didn't have an alarm clock and unlike him, I don't have a biological alarm clock that wakes me at 6 am.

I made a mistake and paid the price.

At exactly 7 a.m., after his morning run, he sprayed me awake with ice-cold water while loud music was blasting from the stereos in our room. I'm still surprised I didn't have a heart attack. Matteo on the other hand was triumphally grinning like he just won some kind of gold medal.

"Hmhmh." He shakes his head. "No. Anyone but you."

"Who says it's going to be me?"

"You see that-" Finnick points at Matteo as he stops himself midsentence. Daniel and I watch in amusement as Matteo's smile grows smugger each second all the while Finnick's expression turns more desperate with every passing second he realizes who'll be his new human alarm clock. "No," Finnick dismisses Matteo again before turning his attention to Daniel and me. "Anyone?"

I exchange glances with Daniel, wordlessly discussing who'll wake Finnick with nods and facial expressions.

Do you want to do it?