Chapter 196

From where she was falling, it wasn't just scraped knees to worry about-if Isla hadn't caught herself with her hands, her face might've taken the hit too. As Isla's bestie, Vanessa wasn't about to stand by and do nothing. She reached out and steadied her just in time, but that little save had them both stepping out of line-literally and rule-wise. Alex Foster spotted it and, without missing a beat, pointed at the three of them. "You three, out. Ten laps." On a breezy day, ten laps wouldn't be a big deal. But today? Under this heat? That's just asking for someone to pass out. Isla immediately protested. "Instructor, it was Snowy who shoved me-Vanessa only broke the rules trying to keep me from hitting the ground!" Alex's sharp gaze flicked between Isla and Vanessa, cold and precise. "I said before-rules are rules. Break 'em, you get punished." "But it wasn't even our fault!" Isla argued. "Argue back? Congrats, that's twenty laps now." His tone didn't change a beat. Vanessa frowned. Were