No Ordinary Exchange

do wrestling mats have silver linings?

You should have an answer to the chapter title by the end of this ;) I hope you enjoy!

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"And so now the Medicis are the ones who truly control Florence. Unofficial rulers, in a sense. Their name may not have been the same as those who were elected, but they handled every action behind the scenes. Next class we'll finally get to start talking about the kickoff of the Renaissance - something I know you've all been waiting for, or else you wouldn't have taken this class." Professor Dupuy glanced at their watch. "Alright, I'll let you out early. See you all Friday! And don't forget - we're having a quiz on Monday of everything that we finish covering this week!"

The room was filled with the sounds of books closing and binders snapping shut as people began to file out, idle chatter from the students gradually growing in volume.

"I can't believe my first quiz at this school is in one of my electives," Rayla groaned, slinging her booksack over her left shoulder. "I never should have taken this class."

"Aw, but then you wouldn't see me three days a week," Callum teased. "I'm sure you couldn't bear to be apart for so long."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "You give yourself too much credit, prince." Then she laughed. "But you're right - I do quite enjoy your company. My week would be boring without it."

Callum returned her smile. "The feeling is mutual."

The two then left the classroom together, waving goodbye to their professor as they chatted about Rayla's upcoming wrestling tryout that day.

"Although, to be honest, I'm not even sure 'tryout' is the right word," Rayla mused. "Because technically, I don't have any wrestling experience. Only martial arts. But Soren said that because of my strength and flexibility, he thinks I'd be a good addition to the team, and that I can pick up the experience I need via practices before I actually participate in any competitions."

"All because you successfully beat him at Twister and nearly beat him at arm wrestling," Callum said, shaking his head in a mixture of amusement and awe. "I hope you know how that is simultaneously insane and awesome, Rayla."

A mischievous glint appeared in her violet eyes. "Wanna know a secret about that arm wrestling match?"

Callum paused halfway down the steps out of the building, moving aside so other students could continue exiting. "Yes?"

"Soren is stronger than me. That's a fact." Rayla gestured to her arm. "I mean, I'm obviously no bodybuilder. But." She grinned at him. "Leverage is key. I'm not going to reveal all of my tactics to you, but let's just say that by positioning myself at a specific angle, my body weight helped add to my force."

Callum raised an eyebrow at her explanation, smirking. "Are you sure that isn't considered cheating?"

Rayla gently shoved him with her shoulder as they continued down the steps together. "It's not cheating. It's strategy. There's a difference."

"Barely." Callum pulled up the sleeve of his jacket to check the time, squinting to read the tiny lines on his watch. "You know, I don't have a class until 3. Want to get lunch together?" They'd met up at cafés a few times in the past couple weeks, but only for coffee or a brief chat.

"I can't, remember? I have my wrestling tryout in half an hour! We were just talking about this!" She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You have the worst case of 'selective memory' of anyone I've ever known."

Callum flushed, mostly because she was right - they had just been talking about it. Oops. "Right." He adjusted his satchel so it would stop sliding down his shoulder. "I'll... see you tomorrow, I guess?"