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However, fighting all the time really zaps my energy. And staying up until two in the morning just to shut Seth’s mouth isn’t really the smartest thing to do. Especially, when finals are coming up this week. And there’s a huge track meet.
If I win this, I will be able to show Coach I have what it takes to apply for the Olympics. It’s only a few months away, and I have to give my training everything I got. That means no more pushing Seth’s buttons.
Something creaks and I jump, looking around for any ghosts or spiders that could be hovering nearby. Instead, I find a door slightly ajar and Seth’s wincing face poking out of his room. He groans while stumbling into the kitchen, wearing only shorts and a tight-fitting shirt. His brown hair sticks up in tufts.
“Where are you going, Garcia?” I ask while watching him shove his feet into his tennis shoes.
“Run,” Seth says groggily.
My head tilts, watching him as he grabs his runner’s jacket and pulls it over his arms. “Are you sure that’s okay?” I find myself asking, reminding myself of my own mother. “It’s icy out. What about your leg?”
Seth shrugs. “It’ll be fine.”
I sigh and stalk towards him, quickly shoving on my shoes and grabbing my jacket as he opens the door. “Well, let me go with you. I don’t want anything bad happening to you. Rachel will kill me if you injure yourself again and I could have done something to stop it.”
Seth doesn’t say anything, and I decide that means he agrees with me. I barely have time to grab my keys before he runs down the steps.
“Easy!” I whisper harshly, my hand gripping the banister. “There could be ice!”
Seth waits for me at the bottom, stretching his legs and his arms. As soon as I reach the landing, he’s off, running towards the campus town, keeping his pace light. I sidle next to him, reminded of another time when we would run together.Paris.I enjoyed those times. It was fun teasing Seth and running ahead of him. I had really been hoping we could race together at the marathon. I wanted to see what Seth had. It was unfortunate he injured himself. He took it too far. He should have taken better care of his body.
Looking at him now, I wonder if he’s doing the same. He’s running slow, slower than he’s ever run before. I know he can run faster, but given the ice, I suppose he is being careful. Part of me worries he’ll be kicked off the team next year. My heart twinges at the thought. I enjoy running with Seth. Him and running have always gone together, at least since I began running at the college level.
What if I’m never able to run with him again?
“You should be careful,” Seth says softly, making my brows furrow in confusion.
Is he talking about the ice? Running? Or in general. I roll my eyes. Maybe he’s only waking up now and realizing who he’s running with. That would be just like Seth.
“Ok, Garcia,” I murmur while pushing forward, ready to speed ahead of him.
“No, I’m serious.” Seth’s hard gaze meets mine. “You should be careful with Rachel.”
My eyes widen, only realizing now what Seth is talking about.
“Lucas, Hunter, and I love her. We don’t ever want to see her get hurt.”
I nod. “Of course. I care for Rachel, too. I would never do anything-”
“See that you don’t.”
I grab Seth’s shoulder and slow my run to a light jog. Seth matches my pace until we are standing at a street corner, near a running store. The lamps shine above us. Flurries wet Seth’s hair and he stares up at me, with hard, glimmering eyes.
“I won’t hurt Rachel,” I say, more forcefully this time. “And I won’t hurt you either.”
Seth scowls and shoves my hand away from him. “Whatever,” he grumbles, moving to run, but I step in front of him. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open. I speak before he can yell at me to get out of his way.
“You should be careful with your foot,” I say softly, putting all my worry into those words, hoping he gets the point. “I don’t want you getting injured again.”
Seth chuckles. “Why do you care?”
“Because I do.”
Seth rolls his eyes. “Okay, whatever.”
“You may be my rival, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. You push me to go harder, be better. I can’t lose you, Seth.”
Something glimmers in Seth’s eyes for a brief moment. Something I can’t quite place. “Okay,” he says with a curt nod. “I’ll be careful.” He pokes his finger into my chest, making me wince with pain. “But just so you know, as soon as I’m better, I’m going to fucking destroy you in January, Goode.”
