Chapter 44: Partners

Astrid

"Astrid and me," Xander said immediately, before anyone else could speak.

I looked at him. "You didn’t even ask."

"I was saving us time."

"Astrid and I should go," Reed said, calm as ever.

Xander turned toward him. "Why?"

"The challenge is strategic."

"I’m strategic."

"You’re impulsive."

"I’m creatively impulsive."

I sighed. "Can both of you stop arguing for five seconds?"

They both looked at me at once, and I realized, with a small jolt, that they were actually waiting for me to decide.

I asked the instructor what the challenge involved. Stage Two, apparently, was an observation and navigation test, two representatives entering an unfamiliar section of the grounds to identify hidden markers and return. No fighting. No brute force. Just observation, memory, and communication.

I thought it over, then chose Reed.

Xander’s expression flickered with disappointment for half a second before he caught himself.

"It’s not because I don’t trust you," I said.

"I know," he said, smiling again. "Go win."

Reed and I made our way toward the starting point, the challenge beginning almost immediately with limited information handed to us on a single sheet of paper. Reed started analyzing it right away, his focus narrowing in on the words instead of the world around us.

I noticed the gap. "You were looking at the map."

"Yes."

"You should’ve been looking at the environment."

He glanced up, scanning our surroundings properly for the first time.

"Got you," I said, smiling.

A faint smile answered mine. "Maybe."

We worked in near silence after that, the kind that didn’t need constant conversation to function. He trusted my instincts without demanding explanations for every observation, and I found myself trusting his logic the same way.

We hit a narrow stretch of loose ground partway through, and I slipped, my footing giving out beneath me. Reed caught me around the waist before I could fall.

Neither of us moved right away this time.

I looked up. He was close, closer than either of our previous near-misses had been, close enough that I could hear his breathing steady against mine.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No."

He let go slowly. "Good."

I looked away, my heart beating strangely fast, and told myself it was simply the adrenaline of the challenge.

Nothing else.

We reached the final marker not long after, and I noticed the clues we’d collected formed a clear pattern I hadn’t quite seen until that exact moment. I explained it to Reed, and he trusted the observation immediately, no hesitation at all.

We retrieved the marker cleanly.

On the walk back, Reed said, "You make people underestimate you."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It is when you know how to use it."

I smiled. "You’re getting better at compliments."

He looked at me. "Maybe I’m getting better at you."

I froze mid-step.

He didn’t elaborate. We kept walking, the words settling somewhere I wasn’t ready to examine yet.

We returned successfully, and the instructor announced Stage Three shortly after, requiring a different pair this time.

Xander looked delighted. "My turn."

"You sound five," I said, laughing.

"I’ve been waiting patiently."

Reed gave him a flat look. Xander only grinned wider.

"Don’t worry," he told me. "I’ll bring her back."

"I don’t need bringing back," I said.

"Exactly," he said, already pulling me toward the next starting point.

This challenge required physical movement, crossing an obstacle course while carrying a flag between us. Xander turned it into a competition almost instantly.

"Race you," he said.

"We’re supposed to work together."

"We can work together competitively."

"That makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense."

He took off before I could argue further, and I followed, both of us laughing our way through the first section of obstacles, the whole thing feeling entirely different from my quiet, focused time with Reed. This was loud. Playful. Easy in a way that asked nothing from me at all.

We hit a difficult section further in, a rope bridge swaying dangerously over a gap. Xander attempted it first and slipped, his balance failing halfway across.

I caught his hand before he could fall.

"Got you," I said.

He looked down at our joined hands, then up at me, and for once no joke came ready to his lips.

"You really do worry about me," he said.

I released him immediately. "You were falling."

"Still counts."

I rolled my eyes, though he was smiling now, softer than his usual grin.

"I’m glad you’re on our team," he said, suddenly sincere.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because things are more fun when you’re around."

Simple. Sincere. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just kept walking.

We reached the final obstacle a short while later, and I spotted the solution instantly, a pattern in the ropes that would let us cross safely without wasting time on the collapsing sections. Xander was already moving to charge forward on instinct.

"Wait," I said.

He stopped, actually listening, and I laid out the plan quickly. He followed it without argument, trusting me completely, and we cleared the final obstacle together.

"You’re really good at this," he said, impressed.

"I know," I said, smiling.

He laughed. "There she is."

We rejoined Reed at the main field a short while later.

"How did it go?" Reed asked.

"We won," Xander said immediately.

"We barely won," I corrected.

"A win is a win."

Reed looked at me. "Did you enjoy it?"

I paused, considering the question honestly. "Yes."

I glanced between the two of them, and something uncomfortable settled quietly into place. I’d enjoyed both experiences, entirely different from each other, and yet neither one felt wrong. Being with Reed had been quiet, focused, intimate in a way that made me feel understood without needing to explain myself. Being with Xander had been loud and fast and easy, the kind of energy that made everything feel lighter than it actually was.

I didn’t know what to do with either feeling, so I set them both aside for now.

The scoreboard updated behind us, our team climbing even higher than before. The Headmaster’s voice carried across the field once more, announcing the final stage of the day’s competition would require all three of us together.

"Perfect," Xander said, grinning.

Reed nodded once, already scanning the arena ahead.

I smiled, surprising myself with how little fear accompanied the thought this time. I wasn’t worried about being the weakest link anymore.

I knew they’d need me. And I knew, without question, that I could rely on both of them in return.

We walked toward the final arena together, Xander bumping my shoulder as we went.

"Try not to slow us down," he said.

I bumped him back. "Try to keep up."

Reed walked quietly between us, clearly amused by the exchange, and I realized something as we crossed the field.

I wasn’t afraid of losing anymore.

I just wanted the three of us to win this together.