The Consequences of Hell Week (Blue Ridge)

Chapter 15: Revelations

The snow fell slowly as my heart rate increased rapidly.

First place Rina Madigan. No shocker there. State champion placing first at qualifiers was expected, normal.

Second place the girl who placed fourth at State the previous year.

Third and fourth place not me. Not the girl who was practically an infant in this sport. Not the girl with the least amount of experience. Not the girl that tried to intervene in a fight way out of her league to prove she could handle herself and ended up getting hurt because of it. Not the girl that almost lost everything and was foolishly trying to fix things. Not me.

But fifth place, that was me.

I watched as four faces around me split with large smiles, while the rest of the faces around me fell.

My face was still.

It took me a moment to register what just happened. I swear everything went so silent I could hear the snow hit the ground, but when I looked around me I realized chaos had erupted.

Kristen had thrown her clipboard in the air and jumped on Mason's back. Turner and Jayden were high- fiving while I just stood there taking it all in.

I was going to State. I beat the girl in sixth place by three tenths of a second. That was barely anything, but that three tenths of a second was the reason I was going to have a chance. A chance to prove that I was good enough for the college level.

Three tenths of a second.

"Sienna did you hear him?" Jayden tackled me in a smothering hug.

"She's in shock," Kristen started waving her hand back and forth in front of my face.

"I heard him," I answered slowly.

The snow was still falling, dusting the chaos in a veil of calm.

"Ow," I jumped when Jayden pinched my arm.

"Just reminding you that you aren't dreaming," Jayden shrugged with an innocent smile.

"I'm not dreaming. I'm just processing," I pinched him back.

"Well process faster. We need to celebrate," Turner casually threw his arm around my shoulders as Kristen grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

I would be worried about Mason becoming suspicious, but I was still in shock.

The odds were definitely not in my favor. They were stacked against me, but somehow I had made it.

"Celebrate?" I echoed slowly.

"Wow she's really out of it. I know how we fix this," Jayden picked me up and threw me over his shoulder before I could register what he said.

"Jayden I swear if you don't put me down right now I will pants you," I threatened as he walked closer and closer to a large snow bank.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you're going to have to try harder than that," I could almost hear the smug look on his face.

"Would one of you help me?" I shouted at Mason and Turner as my face continuously slapped against Jayden's back.

"Oh please, you don't want them. I've got this," Kristen called before tackling Jayden, and as a result tackling me, headfirst, right into that snowbank.

"Nice work Kristen," I threw a snowball at her as I shook snow out of my hair.

"Dog pile," Mason shouted as he and Turner jumped on top of us.