“Come and hang out with us today then,” I offer. We grab our bags, walking around the track to climb the stands. Seb gets up and gives me a hug, and everyone congratulates us as I sit beside Zander. “Any sightings?” I ask him.
“No, nothing. So what’s the plan for the rest of the day, ladies?” Zander asks.
“An early light lunch for us,” I tell him.
“I’d like to be here when Jaxon finishes,” Holly adds. “The distance runners should be back between noon and 12:30.”
“Okay. Where do you want to eat?” Zander looks between us and the guys.
“There’s a restaurant nearby that does a great high-protein salad,” Holly offers.
We all agree and head to the parking lot, splitting up into two vehicles. There’s no wait at the restaurant since it’s still early for lunch. We put two tables together and take our seats. Holly and I both order the high-protein salad. The food comes quickly, and we dig in.
“This is fantastic, Holly,” I tell her.
“It is. I always order this when the meets are at our high school.”
“I think I can replicate this if you girls want me to make it for all your meets,” E offers. “Maybe change a few things,” he says, examining my plate.
“E is going to be a chef,” I tell Holly.
“Oh wow. That’s great,” she responds. “I wouldn’t turn down a chef prepared salad.” I offer him a bite of my salad so he can taste the dressing. He pulls his phone out, making notes and dissecting the salad. I smile at him and go back to eating.
The guys ask us questions about the different races and the competitors as we enjoy our meal. After a relaxing lunch, we drive back to the school, and Holly and I break off to go to our team canopy to wait for Jaxon.
Ten minutes after we arrive, Jaxon comes around the school and onto the track. Holly and I clap and cheer for him as he does his last lap. Coach is beside us, cheering too. He passes the finish line first, all by himself. We jog over to congratulate him as the coach hands him an electrolyte drink and a towel. One of our teammates follows a few minutes behind Jaxon to finish second.
We walk Jaxon back to our canopy so he can have a rest. Once he has his legs back under him, Holly and I stretch for the relay as the twins join us with the coach. “Okay ladies. The good news is that all the relay teams are new this year, so all our competition is here today. I want clean handoffs from everyone. Work together out there. You have the inside track in this race. Let’s go.”
We follow the coach onto the track. She follows me as I take a spot in the centre ofthe track with the twins getting their positions. “Just do your best today, Summer. That’s all I ask.”
“Will do, Coach,” I nod, jogging a bit in place to warm up my legs. The official asks the runners to take their positions. As the gun goes off, twin one takes off like a rocket. These girls are super fast. I take my position on the inside lane as I watch twin one slow down a bit as she gets closer to twin two, allowing a few other runners to almost catch up to her. Twin two flies after the handoff, pulling ahead again.
“Get ready, Summer,” the coach yells. “Go, go, go!” She tells me. I run with my hand behind me as twin two hands off the baton. She’s given me a good lead, so I take off hard around the bend. I can hear Seb and Zander cheering me on in the stands as I come to the straightaway. I can feel a few girls coming up behind me as I push myself harder. I hand off to Holly at almost the same time as two other teams.
“Go Holly, go,” I cheer, trying to catch my breath. I follow her progress around the bend. Two other teams are right with her as they hit the straightaway, then Holly takes off. She pulls away from the other runners and easily wins. I cheer for her and run around the track to meet up with everyone at the finish line.
“Fantastic job, girls!” The coach exclaims. “I’ve got a good feeling about this season,” she smiles. “Summer, twins, go rest your legs and hydrate. You’ve got one more to go today.” I nod and grab my things from the canopy with Holly.
“You did so well in the race, Summer. I’m gonna get my scholarship for college!” She tells me excitedly.
“Thanks. That was a tough one for me,” I admit. I’m also feeling pretty tired after the two races.
“You kept up with the other girls. That’s all you needed to do. I can’t wait to see how much faster you get as you keep training.”
“We’ll see,” I smile. “Let’s go join the guys.” We walk around the stands and climb up to sit with everyone as congratulations areoffered, and Jaxon gives Holly a big hug. I grab my water and a granola bar to munch on as we get comfortable to watch the next races.
“How are you feeling?” Zander asks me.
“Okay. Tired but good. I’m gonna be sore tomorrow, though.”
“Got enough steam left for the last race?” Bay asks from behind me.
“I hope so,” I smile at him.
Zander says he’s going to check in with Troy and Nick at work and gets up to move away, so Seb takes his spot beside me. “Hi Sunshine. You’re magnificent out there,” he says, putting his arm around me.
“Thanks, Hurry,” I smile at him.
