Boy Oh Boys! (Season 1)

Chapter 14-4

"I'm so glad we can have club meetings outside again. The weather is SO nice!" Charlie smiled at Pace as they sketched in their pads on the lawn. "Thanks for letting me come back to Art Club," she added.

Pace said nothing, but glanced up momentarily with a small smile before continuing his drawing.

"I just wonder how the play is going," Charlie wondered.

~

"Nix! You idiot!" Printz hissed across the stage as his male Juliet fell from the tomb and knocked the prop vile out of his hands. The glass bottle broke with a loud crash.

~

Looking up again, Pace smirked in amusement.

~~~

"Whew! That was a good workout! We are so gonna win!" Rib wiped his brow as the dorm dismounted the bus back from the rec center. "And with the pyramid design we've been secretly practicing every day at the stadium, we'll definitely be able to reach the medal!"

"Shh," Pace eyed him warningly before stepping onto the lawn.

"Where are you going?" called Demeter.

"The track," answered Pace before disappearing around the building.

"He's going to practice more?" Rib gaped after him. "But we just got back from the rec center."

"Were we scheduled for more training tonight?" Apollo frowned in exhaustion.

"No," Rib shook his head. "He must just want to keep practicing for his event."

"He is really giving it his all," said Max.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him so invested in something since Casey was still here," nodded Demeter as they stepped into the school. "Charlie, are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah. In a minute," she told them, pausing just outside the door.

"No problem!" grinned Demeter. "We'll handle your share of Max's post-workout cuisine," he rubbed his stomach, but Maxsim crossed his arms sternly and the boys made their way down the hall.

~~~

Several minutes later, Charlie found herself crossing the school grounds and stepping through the line of trees leading to the stadium. As promised, there was Pace, running furiously around the track.

Quietly climbing the stands, gym bag still slung over her shoulder, Charlie took a seat and watched as he puffed around the field.

"He really is working hard," she thought as he made yet another lap, but then he came to a stop, bending over and placing his hands on his knees. "He looks tired," she frowned as she watched the overheated Pace pant breathlessly. "Oh!" Remembering her duffel, Charlie quickly unzipped her bag and, pulling out a bottle of water, made her way down to the track.

"Hey," she said quietly, holding out the bottle. "Here."

"Thanks," Pace smiled, looking up, but feeling her own temperature rise as Pace took a gulp, Charlie began to leave. However, Pace suddenly spoke up, causing her to turn back around. "Hey, Charlie," he began.

"Yeah?" she asked nervously.

"I just wanted to say," he started again, eyes looking softly upon her. "How could you?" his expression instantly changed as he finished. Pace was now looking at her seethingly.

"What?" Charlie was shocked, but noticing Pace's eyes as they flicked to something behind her, she turned to see what he had spotted.

Across the field was the entire dorm of Spartans, and they were practicing a very familiar-looking formation.

"Huh?" Charlie gasped. "That's Casey's secret design!"

"Well, it was Casey's secret design," Pace growled. "I can't believe you."

"What?" Charlie frowned at him in confusion.

"Don't play dumb," raged Pace. "You told your little boyfriend about Casey's plan."

"No I didn't!" Charlie shouted in surprise.

"Then how are the Spartans practicing it right now?" Pace demanded.

"I don't know!" Charlie panicked.

"Whatever," said Pace. "Just go off to your perfect Printz. And thanks a lot," he added disappointedly. "I guess all that talk about winning for Casey actually meant helping your boyfriend win- by using Casey."

"But, Pace, I-" Charlie tried to stop him, but he was already throwing her water bottle to the ground and storming across the stadium and into the trees.

~~~

"Ugh!" Charlie fell upon her bed. "Why is Pace so mad? I mean, I understand why he's upset about Casey's diagram, but it almost seems like he's more mad at me personally. About Printz."

Charlie frowned and furiously kicked the bottom of Pace's empty bunk causing something to fall to the floor.

"Huh?" Charlie peered over her own mattress to see that she had knocked down Pace's sketchbook. Then, letting out a gasp, she saw the page that had fell open. There, in a beautifully-drawn sketch, was her own face, staring back up at her.