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“Then, I have it,” I said heading for the door. About to leave, I stopped. “Hey, remember sophomore year when we took that camping trip to Big Bear.”
“It’s hard to forget. When we arrived there was half a foot of snow on the ground. It was the middle of spring.”
I laughed. “Yeah. And we ended up doing a hike around that lake?”
Claude thought a moment and nodded. “When we got there it was lightly snowing.”
“Remember how the sun was at a perfect angle to make the water sparkle? And do you remember the snow-topped mountains in the background.”
“Yeah,” he said losing himself in the thought.
“You know, I’ve traveled to a lot of cities since then and that is still the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. We had a few good times together, didn’t we?”
Claude grunted pensively.
“I’ll call you,” I told him before taking a final look at my once best friend, and then walking out.
Chapter 4
Claude
I stared as my reason for leaving university early retreated to a rental car and drove away. My heart pounded. A prickling heat washed over my skin, rattling my bones. Taking a deep breath, I struggled to breathe.
I couldn’t take this. Feeling caged within the office, I needed to run. I leaped to the door and flung it open. Before I knew it, I was running with all the strength and speed I had. Losing myself in the trees, all I could think about was the feeling as my leg muscles drove me forward.
I could feel the wind whip past me when I was up to speed. Around me, the world slowed down. This was how I had felt with the football in hand and a defensive line fighting to get past our offensive’s wall. If I had ever had a secret weapon, it was this.
I sprinted for as long as I could. As I slowed down, I fell into a still brisk pace. I couldn’t have guessed how much seeing Merri again would affect me. At one time he had meant so much to me. But after he showed me who he really was, I had realized that I had never known him.
At university, players had joked that the reason I was so good was because I was robot programed to throw a football. That implied that I had no heart. I did have a heart, and it broke after the things Merri had said to me.
Exhausted and feeling like my legs were on fire, I eventually stopped. Bent over with my hands on my knees, I struggled for breath. I remembered this feeling. It was how I had felt when the loneliness got too much for me.
When the world felt like it would collapse around me, I ran. Running was the only thing that would help me do my duty. Running quieted my mind enough to be the person I had to be.
Standing as my swirling mind slowed, I looked around. I knew where I was. I was at one of the stopping points on Titus’s tour. In front of me was a pond that connected to the stream that flowed by our office. Further upstream, it connected to a river that began at the mountains. With the lush green trees surrounding it, it was beautiful, peaceful.
Needing to talk to someone, I pulled out my phone and checked for a signal. Finding two bars, I called the only one I knew would answer.
“Claude, what’s up?” Titus said in his usual cheerful voice.
I paused before I spoke. Why had I called him? I had needed to hear his voice? Did I just need to know that I wasn’t alone?
“Claude?”
“Yeah, sorry. My phone slipped.”
Titus laughed. “So, what’s up?”
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No. I just left class. I’m walking back to my dorm. Is Cali with you?”
“No. I was, ah, I was calling to let you know that I got the keys yesterday. We officially have an office.”
“That’s fantastic! Does it feel like home?” Titus joked.
“It feels like a practical space to work from,” I clarified choosing my words carefully.
