Kerri

Kerri strapped on her armour and walked outside. Thee armour probably wasn't necessary but it gave her a feeling of security, one that she felt rarely outside of New Rome, even being within the safe boundaries of the Greek camp couldn't make her feel safe.
"Hey, beautiful!" A voice called from the boundary of the makeshift Roman encampment.
Kerri groaned, she'd been trying to throw off her pursuers since she'd arrived. She skirted the side of the camp the voice had come from and exited the side closest to the arena.
She only got a few meters before she was stopped by a dazzling smile.
"Trying to avoid us, gorgeous?" He asked sweetly, the look in his eyes reminding her of an abandoned puppy.
"Why would she do that?" Another smile popped up from behind a bush.
"Maybe because you're in the group? She only wants me!" A different bush protested.
The Apollo boys began fighting about who she wanted again and it was all Kerri could do not to let out another sigh. The boys from the Apollo cabin had adopted her as a sport of some sort, seeing how long they'd have to pursue her before she fell for one of their dazzling smiles.
"Move." A gruff voice said from the back of the pack. Dakota pushed his way to the front and gave her a much more preferable red-dyed smiled. At her insistance he had cut back on the Kool-Aid, but not completely.
"Get out of here, she's mine." He said. The Apollo smiles turned into frowns as they slumped away liked dejected puppies.
"Thank you." Kerri said, brushing her copper hair out of her eyes.
"No problem." He smiled down at her.
"Did you mean that?" She asked.
"Mean what?" His smile turned quizzical.
"That I'm yours?" Kerri asked.
"Only if you want to be." He gave her a goofy red grin.
She smiled and looked up at him and his lips met hers.
Kerri stored that moment in her memory, the tweeting of morning birds, the smell of pine trees, the taste of Kool-Aid, the swelling of her heart with joy. It was a feeling she never wanted to forget.
"So I'm guessing that's a yes?" He asked her.
"Well I'm not exactly going to kiss you then say no, am I?" She asked, meeting his laughing lips in another kiss.
They stood there in the forest for a while, everything in silence except for the beating of their hearts to the same tune.

---

Kerri hefted the javelin in her grip, facing the field where her competitors ones layed stuck in the grass. She almost let out a laugh, this would be too easy.
She swung the javelin over her head in an arc, releasing it and watching its flight, it soared for a moment, pausing in the air as it smoothly cut through the wind. It dropped to the ground and finished its arc, quivering in the ground at least two meters futher away than the others.
She let out a whoop that could hardly be heard underneath the cheers of the crowd.
"Kerri Davis wins for the Roman's!" The announcer called.
Even Kat and Delia were cheering. Dakota jumped the arena barrier and she jumped into his arms, her heart soaring with victory and love, happy for the first time in forever.
She had won. Not just the javelin contest, no, that didn't matter. She had also won the heart of a man she wasn't even aware she loved, but that's the best way to fall in love, isn't it? So slowly you aren't even aware it's happening until it's done.

Notes

Ok, so I might have read too many romance novels in the past week...
But I'm quite happy with this chapter all in all :)