I find Nick scowling at another red rose taped to my locker when I grab my gym bag for class in the afternoon. “Hi Nick.”
“Shortie,” he grunts.
I stick the rose with my first one on my backpack, and we’re off to the gym. Coach calls me over when I get there. “Hi Coach.”
“Summer. Take it easy on the track today since you’ll be training after class. The track team meets at the outdoor track closest tothe baseball field unless it is raining,” she says. “Jaxon,” she yells. A guy I’ve seen running before comes over to us. “Jaxon, this is Summer. She’s joined the track team. Her first practice is today. Show her the ropes.”
“Sure thing, Coach,” he replies as she walks off. Jaxon is a nice looking guy, around 6 feet tall, with short brown hair and matching eyes. I would guess from his lean frame that he’s a distance runner. “Nice to meet you, Summer,” Jaxon smiles. “We have AP Biology and AP English together.”
“We do? That’s great. Nice to meet you too.” I give him a smile in return.
“Why don’t you get changed and meet me on the track?”
Nodding, I head to the locker room and quickly change. It’s my first day in a tank top and shorts where you can see part of my thigh scar and the one on my arm. Hopefully, everyone is respectful. It’s just too darn hot to train outside in anything else. I apply my cream and walk back out to stretch. When I’m done, I jog up to Jaxon, who's warming up. “So, what’s your specialty?” he asks.
“The 400m and 800m, but coach wants me to try the 200m relay too,” I reply, adjusting to his pace so we can continue to talk.
“My best friend will be so happy to hear that. Holly runs the 200m, but they didn’t have enough girls for the relay this year.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that. What about you?” I swing wide to pass another guy jogging along the track before closing the gap with Jaxon again.
“I’m strictly long distance. So you’re from Virginia, right?”
“Yes. How did you know that?”
“Gossip. You are friends with Seb, Elijah, Alex, Nick, and Baylor and are taking all AP classes except gym. You’re not friends with the cheer bitches.”
That’s impressive. News must travel fast here. “All true,” I reply.
“Don’tworry, Holly is a sweetheart, but I have to warn you that the other two girls that run relays are friends with Cara and crew. Everyone else is pretty nice though.” He tells me.
“Noted.”
“I’m gonna pick up the pace now. You want to join me?” he offers.
“Thanks, but I’m getting back in shape after being away for a year. I was told to take it easy before practice.”
“No worries. I’ll give you my and Holly’s numbers after class. If you ever need a running buddy, you can call me. I run 6 days a week.”
That is nice of him to offer. Some runners can be very particular about their practices and routines. “Sounds good, Jaxon.” He waves and picks up the pace.
I continue a light jog for about 30 minutes, then stop to stretch. I walk for the remaining time, not wanting to get tired before practice. Jaxon tells me I can leave my stuff in the locker room, so I grab my water bottle and follow him outside to the far end of the track, where we sit in the stands to wait for everyone to arrive.
“What do you think of South Carolina so far?”
“Most of it is good. Warm and too humid, but I’m getting along well except for Cara and Ben.”
“Ben Bancroft?” he asks, also looking concerned.
“I’m not sure. He’s in our gym class and plays baseball?”
“Yup, that’s him. He’s from my neighborhood. Is he bothering you?”
“Sort of. I’ve told him several times I’m not interested, but he isn’t listening.”
“I’m sure your friends will step in if needed, but let me know if you need help, too.”
“Thank you, Jaxon. I appreciate that. The guys are protective, but he hasn’t actually done anything but be pushy.”
