Striking Distance

 Brennan, Sarah Rees. Striking Distance. Book 1 of the Fence series. 368p. ISBN 9780316456678.

Nicholas Cox has always had a chip on his shoulder. Born to a single mother, Nicholas has always wanted to emulate his father, a fencing champion, but fencing lessons cost money, something his mother never had. Now enrolled at the elite Kings' Row private school, Nicholas finds that he lacks the skills that others have worked on for years, but his raw talent compensates for the tutoring he never had.

The fencing team at Kings' Row is made up of misfits. Aiden is as sexy as he is infuriating, and he would rank in the the top 50 in the country if he applied himself, instead of pinning for his best friend, roommate, and completely oblivious team captain Harvard. Seji is Nicholas' roommate, and he hates sharing his room with a slob like Nicholas, but despite his best efforts he cannot avoid becoming friends with the scholarship kid. The other boys on the team all have drama of their own, as they compete with each other to earn a top spot on the team. 

Feeling the need to strengthen their team spirit, which she finds sorely lacking, Coach Williams assign them a series of team building exercises, culminating in them having to share a personal history so that the other team members can understand where they are coming from. Dreading this activity more than anything else they've ever done, all of the fencers wish they could do anything else but write about themselves. Their dream is about to be answered ...