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The first day I almost died.
The second day I thought I did die.
Now I was sure someone was possessing me. It was the only way I could keep going at this pace.
“Coming!” I yelled. Putting the dish in the sink, I grabbed my mp3 player. Walt came every morning to run with me. The fun, goofy Walt vanished when it came to dancing. He was stricter than I had given him credit for. Every minute I was late was another hundred feet I had to run at the end, and I was already looking at four hundred. It seemed like nothing, but after two hours of working out, it was a new circle in hell. There was no babying me. I was thrown in the deep end once I signed the contract.
“I’m here, I’m here!” I opened the door but jumped back when I saw Theo dressed in track pants and a sleeveless shirt, exposing his arm muscles.
“You’re late,” he stated sternly.
Stunned, I nodded.
“Let’s go.” He moved aside for me to step out.
“Cleo, Mark, I’m leaving!” I yelled, closing the door and running down the stairs, out into summer.
“Did you stretch?” he stopped to ask me.
“Yeah. Walt yelled at me the first day about it. I won’t ever make that mistake again.” I tried to smile, but I couldn’t bring myself to.
He looked at me oddly but didn’t comment on my failed attempt to be cheerful. “You lightly jogged the first day and yesterday, you ran for half the trail. How are you feeling?”
“Sore.”
“Good. Try to run as much as you can today.” He was already ahead of me. My body screamed in protest, but ignoring my aching muscles, I ran right beside him down the street.
Just like Walt, he didn’t speak to me as he ran. Both of them hovered to make sure I wasn’t slacking. I wasn’t sure if it was the music I put on or the fact I knew he was running slowly on purpose that made me so competitive when I was near him. Whatever the reason, I pushed to get in front of him.
He caught up easily. Again I pushed ahead, and again he was right beside me.
He pulled one of my ear buds out. “You do know you can’t outrun me, right?”
“I wasn’t trying to,” I lied.
“So why do you keep running ahead of me?”
“Because you make me feel awkward.” The moment I said it, I regretted it because it made it seem like I wasn’t over him.
He smiled as we turned the corner.
“Don’t get the wrong idea!” I moved out of the way for another runner. “I mean, the fact that you were just next to me and not talking made me feel awkward. I would feel awkward near anyone.”
“Do you ramble for anyone too?” Urgh, that smug look on his face.
“Don’t think you’re special. I’m over—”
“I think I might love you.”
I stopped in my tracks.
“What did you just say?” I whispered.
“I said I think I might love you.”
My mouth dropped open. “You can’t just say something like that completely out of the blue and keep running.”
“Why? My feelings have no bearing on you, remember?” he replied, jogging in place. I was dreaming… wait, wouldn’t it be a nightmare? “But apparently you aren’t completely over me, or else you would have shot me down right now instead of trying to overthink things. Now keep moving. Your legs will get stiff.”
