Perks

The next day at the academy, I see Rio on the track because we’re having another endurance test.

This time he surprises me by running at the same pace as his teammates for two full hours. I'm watching him proudly when a guy named Jerry loses his stride and ends up falling face first to the ground. I silently cheer for his failure because that means Rio won't be punished today.

Fifteen minutes later, Rio falls to his knees, completely exhausted. I immediately run to him to get him off the track before he gets hurt, and he slaps my hands as soon as he's stable.

"I can walk by myself," he growls, and I let him go. I follow his slow pace until we reach the loser's bench and sit down next to Jerry.

Now that Rio’s here, I don't look at the track at all because I don't care what's going on there. I just want to see his face. And it's even funnier because he can feel my gaze and he starts to get all nervous under my eyes, so much so that he suddenly can't stand it anymore and gets up.

"I'm