The Other Half ✓︎

N i n e

"McGarrett, you got the new girl today?" Twig asked me.

I shrugged.

"You ganging up on the ladies now?" he teased.

I shook my head in amusement. "Nah. I already know they can all kick your asses."

He let out a deep laugh. "You wish, kid."

I stood up and began going through my arm stretches as I watched the others. The men and women were usually integrated, but I tended to spar Watson a lot. Since I had been avoiding him, I had been sparring the others. It wasn't as challenging as it should have been, and I felt bored.

"Hey, Cassandra. Commander McGarrett said I'm to teach Camellia the ropes today before she can start sparring the rest of us," someone was saying.

I looked up to see Rosaline.

I nodded.

"Are you still avoiding Watson?" she asked as I stretched.

I looked at her in confusion.

"Oh, please. It's obvious something happened between you two. You don't spar with anyone these days besides him, and he looks at you like a lost puppy."

I looked at her blankly.

She laughed. "Talk to the poor guy, will you? Put the rest of us out of our misery."

I felt my eyebrows crease.

"He's been giving everyone else a beating."

"He isn't good enough to put a beating on everyone," I spoke.

"When it comes a majority of people here in training? He definitely can. The ones who are in the field, he has a harder time with. You're like that, too. And I can tell that you need the challenge. You're growing bored. I don't know what happened between you two, but you need to communicate. It's okay to be vulnerable."

I scowled at her.

She laughed, walking away.

Rosaline turned back to look at me, speaking over her shoulder, "Like a book, Cassandra."

I let out a dry laugh and flipped my middle finger up.

She laughed and walked towards the equipment to help Lia with the warmups.

I sighed, hearing the rain. I would have to run inside today if I didn't want to catch a cold. I kept my shirt on as I walked towards the stairs to get to the indoor track. I was lucky that my dad had his own training center. He had been able to get some of the best equipment and material, and it was spacious. As I stretched my legs before jogging, I looked down to the main floor and saw people walking through movements or sparring each other, pausing to help the other with moves.

I plugged my earphones in and tapped my watch, bringing up my playlist. I picked a song and began to jog. I didn't have a number of laps in mind, just that I needed to get my miles in.

By the time I was finished, I was soaked in sweat. I walked back downstairs and peeled my shirt off of my body, leaving me in my leggings and sports bra. I wiped my face with my shirt and tossed it on my bag, grabbing my water and gloves. I drank some water and slipped my gloves on, walking towards the mats.

"McGarrett, you're with me today," I heard Twig call out to me.

I looked over at him, tilting my head in curiosity.