Vanessa drew her hand back sharply, letting it close into a weak fist at her chest, as if burned. She couldn't show the hurt, had to show that she was stronger than that. She kept her gaze as level with Josh's as she could, but she could not deny the stinging she felt behind her eyes, a warning sign of things to come. She still matched him step for step, now on the very top stairs herself. She wasn't sure how much further she could push, but she had to keep trying.
"Then the rest of the summer is never going to get any better! Look, I don't care about the points or anything, but the lack of teamwork is making things difficult for everyone on the team, not just you and me."