章 95: 94. Big arms and a big ego
Was Aiden still behind the sandbags or had he moved? He could be anywhere by now.
She gripped her gun with shaking fingers and spun around wildly, searching the trees.
Every sound made her jump.
Her face was pale and sweaty. Sarah couldn't bear it any longer. She charged at the
sandbags, shooting wildly with her eyes closed.
Sarah kept shooting until she was out of ammo.
She looked down at her rifle in despair and threw it to the ground. She was emotionally
exhausted and completely defenseless.
Please, she begged as she began to cry. Please no more! I surrender, I surrender! Earlier
that day, Sarah had boasted that she'd destroy Amy's team, and now here she was, a
blubbering mess. The tables had turned, that's for sure.
Aiden shook his head and stood up from behind the sandbag, his gun trained on Sarah.
Sarah was stunned to see him at first, and then cried even more bitterly, this time in
relief. It was finally over.
A buzzer sound was broadcast over the battlefield, signaling the official end of the game.
No team had reached the flag, but there was only one competitor left on the battlefield.
With no other teams to play against, the team of the last surviving player was declared
the winner.
Aiden's team had won! When Amy, Leah, Diane, and Janine heard the news, they hugged
each other and cheered. He did it! Amy yelled. He actually did it! They laughed
excitedly.
Other teams watched enviously as the girls celebrated. In the distance, Richard took off
his equipment and flung it to the ground. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
This is bullshit, he said to no one in particular. He just got lucky! He paced back and
forth, kicking the dirt. That shot wasn't even aimed at me! He shook his head in
indignation.
God damn it, he yelled. When Aiden joined the other players on the field, he was
welcomed by thunderous applause, especially by those who'd been eliminated early on
and had watched the competition unfold from a distance. For them, Aiden's domination
of the battle was all the more clear.
Back inside, a teacher presented Amy's dorm with an award, and Aiden received another
warm round of applause. In the back corner of the room, Sarah was hugging Richard and
crying into his shirt. Richard patted her head now and again to comfort her.
He hadn't seen his sister this upset since they were kids. His mind raced with plans for
revenge. The awards ceremony wrapped up, and students began to get ready to leave.
It was time for them to return to their dorms for the night. As Aiden began to make his
way toward the door, Richard grabbed him by the shoulder. Wait, he said forcefully.
I'm not done with you yet. Aiden inspected Richard and frowned. Everyone was staring at
them now.
Let's go, one on one, Richard said, raising his eyebrows. Just you and me, if you're not
scared, that is. A teacher came forward and stood between them.
Sir, she said calmly, the activity is over. It's time for everyone to- Richard ignored the
teacher and simply walked around her to face Aiden. What do you say? He asked,
looking Aiden directly in the eyes.
You up for round two? Aiden stared back at Richard unblinkingly. What exactly do you
propose? He asked finally. Richard smiled and then considered for a moment.
He hadn't really planned anything beyond this point. He recalled Aiden's handshake from
earlier in the day. His hand still throbbed a bit.
The last thing he wanted to do was repeat that exercise. A quick glance at his tearful
sister strengthened Richard's resolve. He turned back to Aiden.
What about a push-up competition? He said. Whoever can do more wins. What do you
say? Push-ups were one of Richard's strong suits.
He'd never met anyone who could outdo him. He looked at Sarah and winked. This was a
sure bet.
Aiden rarely did push-ups. He had no idea how many he could do. But if he refused this
challenge, he'd just be giving Sarah another reason to bully his sister in the future.
I accept. The teacher who had tried to separate Aiden and Sarah was standing a few
steps back, listening to the two talk. When it became clear that a fight wasn't about to
break out, she put on her coat and left the building.
News of the challenge quickly spread through the room. All the students gathered
around, excited to see what would happen.
"'Who do you think will win?' asked a girl in the crowd as she twirled one of her pigtails.
"'Isn't it obvious?' said a girl standing next to her. "'Look at Sarah's brother! His arms are
huge! Amy's brother's like a toothpick!' "'Yeah,' the pigtailed girl said as she tilted her
head to one side, sizing Aiden up. "'Amy's brother is really good at paintball and stuff,
but he doesn't look like he works out.' She put a stick of gum in her mouth and started to
chew.
"'He's still cute though.'" Another girl pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She
looked first at Richard, and then at Aiden. "'This isn't really a fair match,' she said,
shaking her head.
"'I feel bad for him.'" Richard took off his jacket and dropped it to the ground, revealing
ripped abs and muscular arms. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. A few of the girls in
the back giggled and turned their heads away in embarrassment.
Richard flexed, showing off his impressive biceps. More giggles issued from the crowd.
Aiden just stood still, watching Richard impassively.
Aiden's supporters rallied behind him. Janine, fearing that Aiden might give up before the
competition had even begun, beseeched Amy. "'Don't let Richard get into Aiden's head!
It's not all about size, after all!' The situation didn't look good for Aiden, but Amy
remained calm.
She had trust in her brother. She went up to him and said, "'Aiden, don't worry!' He
continued to stare straight ahead at Richard. "'You've got this,' she reassured him.
"'Don't pay attention to anyone else. Just focus on yourself and do your best.'" When the
crowd saw Richard's rippling muscles, the outcome of the competition was no longer in
doubt. Aiden didn't stand a chance.
A girl in the crowd approached Amy and said, "'You shouldn't give your brother false
hope. You'll make it worse.' "'Why are you all so ready for him to fail?' Amy asked in
exasperation. "'Aiden can do this.
He has to. Otherwise, we'll never hear the end of it from Sarah.'" Amy glanced over at
Sarah with a look of determination. Sarah had stopped crying at this point and was
looking at Richard stretching in preparation.
"'Let's go, Richard!' she screamed. "'Come on, Richard!' It was time for the competition
to begin. Richard didn't wait for Aiden.
He dropped down to his hands and knees and then pressed himself up into a plank
position. He dropped his chest to the ground with a surprising speed and control and
then pushed himself back up. "'One,' he said.
Richard's form was impeccable. He kept his back straight, his shoulders back, and his
stomach tucked in. Every time he lowered his body down, his chest nearly touched the
floor.
He wasn't taking any shortcuts. He kept up a steady pace and let the crowd around him
do the counting. "'Three!' "'Five!' "'Six!' Aiden still hadn't started, but he didn't seem
worried.
He was watching Richard intently, observing the movements of each part of his body.
Push-ups are relatively simple, but there's still technique involved. If you do them
properly, you can conserve a considerable amount of energy, and the more energy you
conserve, the more you can do.'" Triggering Sensory Memory Ability and Recording
Details of the Target's Movement A picture began to form in Aiden's brain, a mental
diagram of Richard's body.
The moving diagram broke down Richard's movements into a series of micro-
movements. Palm, wrist, arm, abdomen, chest, waist. The way everything worked
together was truly amazing and surprisingly complex.
Aiden was beginning to understand the series of movements more fully. The human
body is fascinating, he thought to himself. People in the crowd started to wonder what
was going on.
Why hadn't Aiden started? Was he thinking about throwing in the towel already? Aiden
ignored the strange looks he was getting and concentrated on Richard. Amy was growing
more and more concerned. Richard had already done more than 30 push-ups.
What was Aiden waiting for? Is there something wrong? She asked anxiously. Aiden
smiled at her and shook his head. Then he bent over, lowered his palms to the floor, and
kicked his legs out into a plank.
Aiden's first few push-ups were a little rough, but with each one, his movements became
increasingly confident and graceful. After about a dozen, he was at least as good as
Richard. Doing push-ups. Chest strength, plus one. Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner.
Core strength, plus one. Tricep strength, plus one. Deltoid strength, plus one.
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