The next two weeks go by fast, filled with track practices, schoolwork, and chores. Evan and I haven't gotten anywhere with our music piece and we've been bullshitting our way through the reports. I think Mr. Tanner is going to realize soon that we've got nothing.

Tyler's been treating me the same as before; either ignoring my presence completely or throwing jabs whenever he sees an opening. I'm so tired of it.

Mom's been traveling more than she's been home. Our first track meet is today and she can't make it. Not that I'm surprised. I'm used to having no family in the stands.

It's finally Saturday and the varsity and junior varsity teams are supposed to meet in front of the school at eight in the morning. It's an hour and a half drive to where the meet is held, and we're all driving there together in a school bus.

I'm dressed in my black running shorts and a red top that says Wellcrest High Panthers. I throw a team hoodie and sweatpants over them and shout a quick bye to Mads before hurrying to my car, wanting to be early to show a good example. A captain can't really be late. I pick up Olive and Michelle on my way and we make it to school with a quarter hour to spare.

After everyone has arrived and been counted for, we load onto the bus and get going. I sit next to Lexie, with Olive and Michelle behind us. I have my own competition day ritual and so I dig out my earbuds and put on my running playlist and close my eyes, trying to relax.

The drive goes by quickly and soon we're at the stadium. This is a big enough meet for the field events to take place during the track events, which is always a plus.

The first track event, the four hundred meter relay, is starting in an hour. The varsity runs first, then JV, and girls before boys. I've signed up for four events: the four hundred meter dash, long jump, eight hundred meters, and the mile relay. It's going to be a long day.

After signing in, most of us head straight to the bathrooms, after which coach Wheeler gives us his normal pep talk, one that always gets everyone pumped up. The other coaches are all here as well, helping us through the day.

Since my first event, the long jump, won't be starting for a while, I go support the relay team. Paige, Ximena, Nia and Zoe all look like they're going to throw up from nerves. The first meet of the year is always the most nerve-wrecking.

Finally they move from warming up to the track, taking their places. They're running in the second heat. And the gun sounds off.

Paige gets a good start and in no time she's run her hundred meters and hands the baton to Ximena, who fumbles with it a bit but manages to keep her hold on it. She falls a bit behind the other runners but she manages the handoff successfully to Nia, who can't quite catch up to the other runners. She's a few feet behind them when she gives the baton to Zoe, who speeds up. She passes one person, second, third, and comes in on fourth place.

We all cheer. Ximena looks crestfallen when she walks to me, the rest of her team trying to cheer her up. Fumbles happen. It's only the first meet. It's okay.

After the varsity girls have all run, the boys are called. Tyler, Joshua, Isaac and Zach run in the first heat and have already warmed up. I move to stand next to Evan, where I can see the race properly.

"Runners, take your marks!" the race-official yells in the megaphone. "Get ready!" the first leg runners move to their blocks. Joshua's in the seventh lane. "Get set..." BANG! The pistol is fired and Joshua sets off like a lighting bolt.

He's ahead of everyone by the time of his blind handoff to Isaac, which goes perfectly. Isaac powers through his hundred before making another beautiful pass to Zach, who runs like his life depends on it. He's holding the lead, if only by a step. Tyler's ready for him and then he's off, sprinting full-out.

I can't help but stand on my tiptoes, rooting for him. He crosses the finish line a step ahead of the next guy. I yell and jump up and down and and Evan scoops me up into a hug and spins me around.

"Yeah!" he pumps his fist into the air and I laugh. Tyler meets us a while later, grinning like a fool.

"Nice one, bro," the boys do the whole clap-on-the-back hug kind of thing guys do. The rest of the team comes behind him, all smiling happily.

"Nicely done," I congratulate them, even Tyler. He spares me a rare smile, probably too happy to care it's me. I smile again and then crane my head to spot Michelle and Olive. They're both in the third heat of the mile, which is run next. They should be warming up by now.

I finally spot them not too far away. I make my way to them.

"I'm a nervous wreck" Olive tells me the moment I'm in hearing distance.

I laugh. "You're going to do great, stop stressing out. You've done this a hundred times."

"I know," she grimaces. "I just never get used to the nerves."

"You'll be fine" Michelle reassures her. "You'll forget the nervousness the moment the race starts."

"I hope so," she smiles uncertainly. I give her a hug and then leave them do it.

"Good luck," I lift up my thumbs and they smile.

I have to get started on my own warmups, the girls' varsity long jump starting in about thirty minutes, depending on how long the guys take to finish. When long jumpers are called, I gravitate toward the pits. I'm in the fifth flight, so it's going to be some more waiting until my turn. I don't really expect to place, but I usually do quite well and it's a way to pass the time waiting for my running events. And it's fun.

I watch as Jordyn jumps in the first flight, clapping at her. Lexie's in the second flight and her jumps go great, as well. I give her a thumbs up when she walks off the pit and she grins.

When it's my turn, I head to the runway. I step over on my first attempt, but do well in the other two. Feeling satisfied, I head over to where I see Olive and Michelle.

"How did you do?" I ask them. The JV is running now, and it's going to be a while before the hundred meter dash begins.

"4:47:37" Olive grins. That's a good time.

"I finished a whole five seconds later" Michelle scrunches up her petite little nose.

"Well, you still have the two mile left," I tell her. She always does better in it.

"Fair enough," she smiles. "Wanna watch the hurdles?"

"Of course," I tell her. I'm going to be watching all my teammates I can. I'm not on for the next two events, so I have the time. The mile seems to be about run, and hurdles are set on the track. The guys run a hundred and ten meters, while girls run a solid hundred.

It takes a while for the first heat to be called. We have Paige in the second heat, and Hailey in the fourth. It's a lot of waiting around in meets, today being no exception.

Finally the first heat is done, and Paige hurdles fantastically. She finishes first, and seems more than happy with her execution. Hailey runs really well, as well.

After all the girls' heats have run, the hurdles are re-set and it's the guys' turn.

Tyler and Joshua are both in the first wave, while Isaac is in the fifth.

Again, I can't help but gnaw at my lip, watching Tyler compete. I mean, he's a teammate. We might not like each other, but I want everyone to do well in competition. Even if it's my public enemy number one.

Some guy I recognize from last year's meets comes first, with Joshua and Tyler right on his heels. Our team claps, coach Wheeler looking happy.

"I'm gonna grab a snack," I tell my friends. There's only one event before my next, and I need to be prepared. I eat a granola bar and drink some water, listening to music and envisioning how I'm going to run. When the time comes, I move to the warm-up area.

"You doing okay?" Evan asks me.

"Yeah," I smile at him, though I'm a bit nervous. I've done more meets than I can count, but I still always get nervous just before I'm on. And this is the four hundred, my event. And I'm the only varsity girl of our school competing in it, so there's some pressure.

"You're in the first heat, right?" he asks me. I nod.

"Well, good luck," he winks at me just when I hear the second call for the event. I give him a tight-lipped nod and move toward the other girls in my heat. The guy who runs everything takes our names and tells us our starting lanes. After the third call, he goes over the rules. I know them by heart, but I listen anyway.

"Let's have a good clean race," he finishes.

"Runners to your marks." I step onto lane four. A great place to start. "Get ready." I take my position on the blocks. "Get set." My adrenaline shoots up. BANG!

I take off like a bullet. I reach my top speed in the first fifty meters, after which I enter the transition phase, getting into stride in the bend.

 I pass the girls on the outer lanes. A blonde girl next to me keeps up my pace.

I'm on the straightaway. She's right next to me.

When I come to the third hundred mark, I run like I'm running uphill. Those hill runs in pre-season really come in handy now. I drive down, getting my arms in the action more. The blonde is right next to me, I can hear her hard breathing. I'm in pain, but I speed up.

We reach the last hundred meters. I fight through the pain, refusing to give up. I'm winning this, I'm not going to let anyone pass me. I can do this. Faster, faster, faster, I tell myself. The girl next to me falls a step behind.

I cross over the finish line. I don't stop right away but slow to a jog and then stop. I feel like throwing up, but manage to keep everything inside.

I'm handed a cup of water and I down it and then I'm bombarded by my team.

"You came first!" Olive runs to me screaming. I can see the blonde girl a bit off to the side, scowling.

Coach Wheeler reaches us, smiling. "54.14"

My brows raise. That's good, better than I imagined in the first meet. I'll have to shave off some time, still, but I can do it.

I can see Tyler a little away from our bunch, smiling at the ground.

Evan also finished first in his heat. There's a reason us track athletes are the stars in our school. I get to rest for the next event, but then is the turn for the eight hundred.

Olive is running it as well, but while I'm in the second heat, she's in the third so we don't get to run together. As my heat is called, we wish each other luck and off I go.

This time I'm on the first lane, meaning I'm starting behind everyone else, as it's a staggered start. I envision my run, knowing if I vision it, I run it. My tactic for this race is running the positive split, meaning I'm running the first lap a bit faster than the second.

The pistol goes off and I set off at a full sprint, hitting my top speed. Then I settle into a smooth pace I know I can hold. I need to run a bit slower than in the four hundred, so I keep my pace in check.

I'm somewhere in the middle, happy to follow a few steps behind the few girls at front. At the half-down mark, coach Wheeler shouts me my time. I can speed up a bit. I go through the third turn as close to the inside as I can get without being boxed in.

Two hundred meters to go. I can do this. It's just pain. I start speeding up, reaching the two girls in front of me. We're neck-to-neck.

I concentrate on keeping my eyes and chest up. I focus on a point beyond the finish line. I'm close. I give it my all, powering through the pain. One of the girls falls behind, but the other keeps up. We cross the finish line.

I'm dying, is all I can think, and throw up in a trash can on the side.

"Yuck" Michelle's voice reaches my ears and I wipe my mouth. "You came in second, by the way."

"Well, better you did that after finishing than during the race" Tyler says, looking a bit revolted, though I know he's thrown up at meets, too. I give him the stink eye and turn to my friend.

"And I still have the relay left."

"Sucks to be you," she sticks out her tongue. "I'm still running the two mile, but I've got enough rest already. Like, the wait is the worst. It's been hours since I've done anything else than wait."

"You could always fill up the time with a field event," I grin at her, knowing she's not really a fan.

"Yeah, no thanks," she shakes her head and gives me some water. I spurt out some at first, then actually drink the rest.

"The day is close to an end" Lexie saunters to us with Jordyn. "We only have triple jump left."

"Well, we're still going to be here for hours, but okay," I tell them.

"Always the party-pooper," my friends joke.

"Ha-ha," I reply.

---

By the time the last event, the four by four, strolls around, everyone's more than happy for the day to be over. It's been a long day. But since every other event is over, we have our whole school team cheering us on.

"Okay, let's do this!" I tell my relay team as our time comes and we huddle. "Run strong and fast."

"No other way" Zoe smiles and the rest of us move aside as she steps on lane five. At the mark, she positions herself on the blocks, and then they're set off. In the first leg, which is staggered, she has to keep to her lane. She's got a good start.

Nia moves in position on the lane. As Zoe nears, Nia starts running, looking behind her and extending her hand. Zoe hands over the baton successfully and Nia is off.

After hundred meters, everyone makes their way to the innermost lanes. Nia is in second place, doing good. Hailey moves to stand on line two, the receivers lined up in the order of the incoming runners.

Nia passes the baton to Hailey, who starts sprinting. She's a few feet behind the black girl who's leading the race. Hailey can't get past her, but thankfully she keeps her place.

As I stand on the acceleration zone, I realize the girl next to me, the one whose team is leading, is the same blonde who I raced against in the four hundred dash. I narrow my eyes. I beat her then, I'll beat her again.

Hailey gets closer. I start accelerating and extend my left hand behind me at hip height with my palm facing upward. Hailey passes the baton in a downward movement into my receiving hand and I speed into a full sprint, closing in on the blonde a few steps ahead.

I focus on my own race, but at the same time I concentrate on passing her. She manages to keep a short distance to me up until the last two hundred. At that point I start accelerating, determined to win. She hasn't sped up yet, probably waiting for the last hundred. Her mistake.

I reach her side. I'm in so much pain and my body is so tired I would probably slow down if I wasn't as stubborn and competitive as I am. Instead, I keep pushing myself over what I thought I could. I'm half-a-step ahead. The finish line is right there. I can hear my teammates shouting my name, telling me to keep going. And then it's over.

I'm exhausted, but I can't stop smiling as the realization hits me. We won! I'm sure that was the best time of the day, no way we're not placing.

"That was amazing!" Hailey squeezes me. "You were amazing!"

"So were you," I smile at her. "You all were," I hug my team. "We did it together."

"Whoo-hoo!" Olive screams as we head to the sidelines. "You were great!"

"That last lap sure was exiting" Jordyn grins. "So close."

"Yeah, she was a worthy opponent," I say. I've never seen her in competition before, and being that good, this can't be her first year.

After coach tells us our time, I shriek in happiness. We have a change at state!

But the day isn't quite over, yet. We wait for the rest of the heats to run, after which is our guys' turn.

Ian starts the race really well, gaining some ground for Zach, who manages both the receiving and passing the baton perfectly and keeps the lead. Corbin is fast, but two other runners are faster and pass him. Luckily the lap is over and Evan takes the baton, sprinting to catch up. He makes impressive work, gaining on them fast. But it's not quite enough. He finishes in second place, only a step behind the first.

He looks disappointed, but smiles after a while. It was a good race.

"That's it," coach tells us. "Only awards left. It's going to take some time before points have been calculated, so get some food and rest."

I follow that advice full-heartedly, heading to my bag to grab a peanut butter sandwich and a banana.

When the results are finally in, the awards ceremony starts. The first three places get medals and the fourth and fifth get ribbons.

I win first place in the four hundred and fifth in the eight hundred. And our relay team did indeed run faster than the others, so I get two gold metals for today. I couldn't be happier. What a great start for the season.

A lot of our team won medals today, and in the end it turned out we came second in the overall scores between the twelve schools invited. Though it isn't first place, we're happy nevertheless. We'll win next time.

Needless to say, the coaches are very happy.

---

I'm loitering in the parking lots, the others talking with their parents and other relatives who came to watch the meet. I've been slowly gravitating toward the bus, hoping we could leave already, and it seems Tyler's had the same idea.

We lean against the bus, not really knowing what to say. He's the first to break the awkward silence.

"Congrats for today," he says, not meeting my eyes. "Those last two hundred meters... it showed that you really wanted to win."

"Yeah," I say, looking at the ground. "I'm not really good with losing."

His lips pull up at the corner, just a little. "No, you're not. I remember."

I glance up at him, then. He doesn't usually talk about the times we were still friends. He gives me a dry smile.

"I—" I start but the air suddenly escapes my lungs as I catch something behind him. Not something; someone. My heart clenches and I can't breathe. My heart picks up speed and my vision goes hazy around the edges. I can only see him. "Dad," I manage to whisper.