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A DEAL, A REUNION, AND A DISTRACTION (7)

MAYA POV
A Nike deal meeting after a day of finals wasn't something I'd ever dream of. My dad signed some contracts legally making me go forward with the brand deal. He's become more controlling with the social media influence I can have; all accounts of mine are now owned by him, and interviews focused on me are normally only allowed to happen if my dad is the one being interviewed. He's enjoying the fame, whereas I want to just leave this earth and not deal with it anymore.

The running track is right next to the hall where my finals take place, the alphabetical order of my fellow students place me right next to the window. It's a physical display of how despite the grades I will gain, running will always bleed into my future. I've found my finals astonishingly easy, and I can tell that can be a bad thing, I know I'll have to abandon any sense of an academic future for running. For another Olympics, where another slap to the face is possible. A slap that maybe could draw blood from my lip or nose, a black eye which is too dark for makeup to cover.

The weather has been representing anything summery, no clouds and only blue sky. The aircon hasn't been working since August and despite it being a month in fall, it feels like a heatwave is upon us. The windows on the ceiling scatters sunlight around the quiet hall, little orbs of light marking my small table. It's a distraction but an inspiration. A creative writing paper had never seemed so easy, despite clouds not being in the vicinity I chose to write about the softness and the calmness it could bring me. How the light represented warmth that I never experienced at home and how the clouds are so out of reach, a dream that I won't achieve for a long time. The paper was writing itself, the orbs of light seemingly outlining critical words that I thought were worth writing.

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The meeting itself was interesting but complicated. Each part of the shoe had been discussed and defined as something to represent me. To represent someone with no motivation, an Olympian and a failing high school student. The colours had to be visually pleasing with some signature look to portray who I am. I tried choosing black for the whole shoe, black like the dark was something I found comfort in. A quietness that I wanted and asked for when I couldn't catch the counting sheep frolicking around my brain and walls. Black was basic and thrown purely at the bottom of the shoe, my dad decided that. The main body of the shoe was a mottled dark green colour, white imbedding the green very so slightly.

The rest of the shoe was designed by the representatives of the company itself, thankfully any pressure on me was handed away from me. The meeting lasted 4 hours and by the time it ended, it looked like the first draft of everything was complete. An unexpected smile was caught on my face for the final half of the meeting, wiped under the rug when my dad reminded me of the training. The training to celebrate my brand deal.

CARINA POV

My mama had a stroke again, it's nearing Christmas and I was already flying over. It wasn't meant to be this way; my papa was struggling with the news. His sickness was getting worse, his manic behaviour was becoming something his team recognised and steer cleared of. Notice after notice was handed to him for sick leave but until he was released from work with the help of security guards, he didn't take it seriously.

My flight was long, long enough for a meal or two and a movie. Unable to pay for the Wi-Fi, I found myself people watching. Next to me was a young family, husband and wife talking while their children played on their laps. In front of me was a gay couple with their adopted daughters, they were both beautiful families. The openness of happiness was commendable, but it had me reflecting on my own life and my sexuality. Both families were happy, outwardly happy. Peanuts and a water were a sad lifeline I used for the remainder of the 12-hour flight.