Promises || Road To Nationals

|6| From Afar

Kai's POV: 

   "Give me back my notebook, you piece of shit!" 

   "Hell no! There's gotta be something about me in here somewhere..." 

   Jordan chases Angel down the narrow sidewalk behind the main campus. Her jet-black hair bounces through the air as she throws a pencil at the guy's head. Vex peels over laughing, and Lyric watches from a nearby bench along with Daiki. 

   This Jordan and the one I observed in Colorado are almost identical. It wasn't uncommon to see her chasing around Noah or Warren after or even during a race. So full of life. This Jordan and the one I ran into in the girl's dormitories are two different people. Or maybe they are one in the same. 

   When you admire someone, you tend to make a false image of them in your head. Jordan isn't a cheery girl that lets everything roll off her back. She gets angry when she drops a bowl of cereal. She gets stressed when her professors assign too much homework. She hides behind a smile. She's human: just like the rest of us. On one point, I was relieved to find that out, but on the other, I was extremely disappointed. Whether that be in myself or her, I'm still unsure. 

   Up until this point, I had no choice but to watch her from afar. And no, not in a creepy way. At least not intentionally in a creepy way. I would steal glances at her during meets, listen to the sound of her soft laugh, and the obnoxious ones of those she entertained. She had a power I didn't. People were drawn to her, and I was no exception. 

   "Eh, who's this Warren guy you wrote a lot about in these first few pages? An ex-boyfriend or something. Seems like you really hate the guy," Angel teases, coming to a stop, looking down at Jordan with a smug grin. 

   In the matter of just those few words, the jet-black-haired girl goes back to the Jordan on that bridge that night we found each other. Her eyes narrow, and lips press together, snatching the notebook out of his hands. "That doesn't matter," she mumbles under her breath, walking off in Vex's direction, leaving Angel stunned.

   I've never been one to hate people per se, but there was always one person who I couldn't stand. Warren Jackson. Just looking at him made my blood boil. The thought of him now makes me feel the urge to slap someone with my shoe. 

   I know for a fact that he wasn't all that fond of me either. He would constantly send glares my way, even going as far as to bump shoulders with me. That inherently didn't bother me. What bothered me about him was so much more complex than that. 

   "Yo, Kai, we're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!" Jordan's voice calls out to me. I snap out of my thoughts, gazing in her direction. She's really right there, looking me in the eyes, the others following along behind her. It's such a simple gesture, maybe not even one at all, but it shakes me to my very core. 

   "Coming!" I say, catching up with everyone. 

   Jordan Parks. I want to learn so much more about you.

.

.

.

   I was always a lonely kid. I've only ever had one friend in my entire life, and he came around much later. That's why when I first laid my eyes on Jordan, I felt this strange pull. 

   She stood slightly behind her tall father, eyes wandering all over the rundown rink with such wonder. Her hair looked so soft that day. All I wanted to do was reach out and feel it. Her eyes held so much warmth, and her smile had the power to light up a room. She would make everyone laugh, and there wasn't a soul she couldn't get along with. Still, she had a faint dark aura around her. One similar to my own. At the time, I chose to ignore it: as did the others. Sometimes I wish I didn't. Because maybe I could've been the one that she wanted to befriend.