Gethsemane

Chapter 3: Hide 'n' Seek-rets

"All right, students!" Chris bellowed into the bleachers, where the contestants sat. "Today, our competitions will be totally random, mostly because I haven't finished the lesson plan yet." He chuckled.

Gwen glared at him for keeping her awake. She could barely keep her eyes open as she slouched next to Duncan. Her hair, though she had brushed in, had refused to co-operate, stray strands hanging in her face played about in the cooling late-summer breeze. Her top and corset were not sitting right and skirt had twisted around her waist.

She looked to her right, at Duncan's blackened eye. His Mohawk was starting to fall. He looked every bit as tired as she did. His skull t-shirt was on inside out, the bright red tag at the back of his neck drawing her attention. She'd let him wear it inside out. It served him right for making her stay up with him all night.

Smiling softly as she remembered spending the night, sleeping for twenty minutes, only to awaken in order to make sure Duncan did not over sleep.

He is kind of cute when he sleeps… She thought to herself before she caught the thought. Oh, crap, all of this 'There must be something go on between Gwen and Duncan' must really be getting to me! He is most definitely NOT cute!

Gwen's vision blurred as a fist past closely in front of her eyes.

"Earth to Gwen!" Eva said, holding a set of bells in front of her face.

"What is this?" She asked, groggily.

"Our challenge! Were supposed to play hide and seek with these bells on. You need to get back to the foyer without getting caught. Each team has one seeker. The bells are to make it harder to keep quiet." Eva replied, thoroughly annoyed, her uni-brow forming a deep 'V', causing Gwen to silently wonder if Eva and Duncan were related.

Don't be silly, Gwen. Duncan doesn't have a uni-brow, he's just always angry. When he really smiles you can see…

"How do we win?" She heard Duncan mutter beside her.

"The team with the most people back to the foyer without being caught wins." Beth chimed in.

Getting up, avoiding finishing her thought about Duncan, she snatched the bells from Eva's hands. She pulled her lucky necklace, which Trent had been nice enough to return last season, from under her shirt and affixed the bell.

"We have ten minutes to hide, now let's all split up." Eva said, jogging off, prompting the others to split off.

"Well, Sweetheart, I've got a sweet spot all picked out to hide and catch some z's, so…" He said, starting to walk off.

"Oh, I see how it is." Gwen joked, "You keep me up all night, and then leave me." She said, not un-suggestively.

She watched as he froze, then slowly, turned around and rolled his eyes at her.

"All right, FINE. But if I help you with this, we are square for last night."

Even though he was extremely tired, she caught the inflection in his voice and the spark that flashed in his eye, a spark she was finding more and more appealing.

Ignoring the new attraction she was beginning to feel for her friend, she jogged up to him.

"So, what is the plan?" She asked as they fell in to step beside one another.

"Just follow me, Sunshine." He said, casting her a sideways gaze.

As they entered the school, she watched him look around the foyer. In the center of the fifty foot by fifty foot room stood a fifteen foot tall statue of Chris. Above Chris's head, there was a grate leading into air duct.

Gwen followed Duncan's gaze as it ran up the statue of Chris, falling on the grate so high up. Her own face fell in disappointment.

"You can't be serious." She complained.

"Hey, you wanted to hide with ME, Sweetheart. Now quit your whining and get climbing."

Sighing, Gwen began to climb the statue, full conscious of the fact that he was staring up her skirt.

Don't think anything of it, that's just the way Duncan is. It doesn't mean he likes you or anything… And, hey! Since when do you care if he likes you or not?

Reaching the top of the statue, she stretched upward, hooking her fingers around the friction-fit grate and pulling it down. She then reached up and tried to hook her fingers around the edge of the opening, but found she wasn't quite tall enough.

"Duncan, I can't reach."

With in thirty seconds he reached the top of the statue, then, turned to her with a grin. Bending down, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her, teetering a little under the extra weight on such un-sure footing.

As he swayed, she wrapped her legs over his shoulders for a better grip. She instantly realized her error as she felt hot breath against her panties, causing her to squirm a little at the sensation, before she reached up and grabbed a firm hold on the edge of the vent.

Once in the rather large cold air return duct, she turned around and reached down to Duncan. His facial expression, one of complete awe, gave her an odd feeling of satisfaction which she covered with annoyance.

"Duncan, come on!" She hissed down at him.

As he came out of it, he looked up at her, his eyes landing on her breasts as she leaned down further. She watched as his eyes slowly traveled up to her face, her angry expression snapping him out of his hormone-induced trance.

"Nice view." He smirked.

"Shut up and take my hand."

He reached up and grasped her hand. For a moment, they stopped, staring into each other's eyes, something inaudible passing between them, something she chose to ignore.

She pulled him up into the dark, dusty duct and quickly snapped the cover back in place before turning to glare at him.

"I trust you got a good look? I guess you can add pervert to the list of your offenses."

"Hey, Sweetheart, you're the one who stuck it in my face!" He said, indignantly.

Satisfied that she had feigned offense at his behavior well enough to fool him, she lay back in the duct beside him as if in silent forgiveness. They lay next to each other, silent for a few moments before they both drifted off to sleep.

"TWO MINUTES UNTIL TIME'S UP. ANYONE NOT BACK IN THE FOYER IS OUT." Chris's voice startled them both awake.

Gwen lifted her head from a much softer and much warmer place than she remember laying it down. She looked up into Duncan's face as he removed his arms from around her. She blushed furiously and he simply returned his 'she so wants me' face.

"I…" She started, before he clamped his hand down over her mouth and pointed down to the room below. As she began to nod, he removed his hand.

She watched him as he observed the room below. He signed to her 2 N, 1 J, indicating that 2 Screaming Nerds had made it back, while only one Killer Jock had. That meant that this was up to them.

"ONE MINUTE, PEOPLE!" Chris's voice boomed over the PA system. Duncan seized the opportunity to remove the grate with out being heard.

Using great stealth, he slid his body out of the opening and dropped in silence to the floor before turning his eyes up and holding out his arms.

Her stomach turned. She was going to drop twenty feet and land on her friend, who was going to catch her. Her eyes searched his face, finding nothing but confidence that he could catch her, as he shook his arms impatiently. Rolling her eyes, she turned and lowered her legs out of the opening, and, taking a deep breath, dropped. The fall felt like it took an eternity, her life flashing before her eyes, or, at least the use of her legs.

Her anxiety was for nothing as she landing safely in his arms, her arms reflexively wrapping around his neck. She felt his chest vibrate against her ear and cheek as his spoke, but was unable to hear his words. She was too busy enjoying the warmth and safety she felt in spite of herself.

"Gwen." He said, releasing her legs, but retaining an arm around her torso. "Hey, you in there?"

She stood and took a step away from him, needing the physical distance, guilt washing over her at the attraction she had not choice but to acknowledge.

With the distance, she took a good look at him. He, much like she imagined herself to be, was covered in dust, a grey fluff ball hung from his falling Mohawk. As her eyes moved over him, she found a spot on his collar, which caused her alarm.

Moving closer, she whispered in his ear.

"Duncan, your collar has some blue lipstick on it."

His eye grew side.

"It's okay, your shirt's on inside out anyway. Just flip it right side out." She said, feeling his apprehension.

He speedily pulled his shirt of and began to turn it right side out, but, before he could get the fabric back over his head, a cold wave passed through the room, emanating from the doorway. Both turning to feel the source, both sets of eyes landed on Courtney.

She was shooting icy daggers at them. As she started to cross the room to them, her mouth beginning to open, Chris cut her off via overhead announcement.

"Okay, final score was Screaming Nerds 2, Killer Jocks 3. Killer Jocks take this one. Now, out to the field for the next challenge!"

Before Chris had finished his announcement, Gwen had already begun her hasty retreat to the football field. Duncan, still pulling his shirt on, was hot on her heels.