The Elites

Chapter 2

Nash

Nash curled the dumbbells towards his chest and Caiden did the same next to him. They sat on the black bench of the Elites building, sweating from their hour long workout. From where he sat, Nash took in how large the room was and how it was filled with dozens of workout equipment, such as treadmills, ellipticals, weights and more. The gym was located in basement and he always looked forward to his workouts where he and Caiden could forget about the rankings and titles and just focus on themselves.

"Holy shit," Caiden said. "Summer has gotten me out of shape."

"Sure looks like it," Nash said.

Caiden shot Nash a look and Nash grinned. He continued to curl the dumbbells towards his chest, taking pleasure in the pain.

And as they continued to work out, his eyes drifted to where the treadmills were. On one of them was one girl. One blonde, tiny girl with bright green eyes. She ran next to Sophia whose black hair was thrown into a pony tail. Sophia was in the midst of telling her a story, which Nash could tell by the way Sophia gestured with her hands wildly to reenact a scene.

"Are you checking out Chloe again?" Caiden asked.

Nash nearly dropped the dumbbell at Caiden's accusation. He glared at Caiden, who simply grinned sheepishly in return.

"No. Why would I be checking out Chloe?" Nash muttered. "I just can't believe she's the first Elite again. How could I lose to her!"

"She's brilliant, talented and well, perfect," Caiden said. "It's believable."

Huffing, Nash dropped the dumbbells onto the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. He lifted his head up defiantly. There was no way Nash would admit that Chloe deserved to be first.

"I don't get how everything comes so easily to her. She must be cheating or something," Nash said. "I work so hard. I deserve more! This doesn't make sense."

"Why can't you just be happy that you're the second Elite," Caiden sighed. He dropped his own weights, looking tired not just from the workout, but from Nash's constant rants about Chloe. "You're second out of hundreds of students. Be proud of your achievement."

"It's not enough."

Caiden frowned and he plopped down on the bench next to Nash. Nash glanced at Chloe once again, unable to help it. And when Nash forced his eyes back to Caiden, he grew surprised to see him watching Sophia.

"Sorry," Caiden said, pulling his eyes away when Nash cleared his throat. "What were you saying again?"

"I was saying that being second isn't good enough for me," Nash said. "Being an Elite makes me feel like I'm something. I thrive off succeeding and I'm proud of what I've achieved, but it's not enough. I want- No, I need to be first. Just once, I need to beat Chloe."

"I mean, I get it. We're Elites. We're competitive keeners." Caiden ran his fingers through his caramel coloured hair. He stretched out his long body, looking exhausted. "You know, I still can't believe I'm an Elite. Even if I'm only the last one, I'm glad I made it. Even if I barely did."

Nash patted Caiden's back, knowing how hard he worked. Things didn't come easy to Caiden - not like it did to the other Elites. But through hard work and determination, Caiden always ended up as an Elite.

"I'm grateful I'm an Elite, too," Nash said. "It's crazy. We're treated like kings and queens for being well rounded and earning top scores in our studies, athleticism, and other talents. I mean, we deserve it. But it's crazy to think about."