We're Still Human

Chapter 14: Elite Athlete(s)

I drown out the sound of the crowd as I stretch, getting ready to run relay for the first time as a captain. Of course, I've run for Riveria before, but this time it's different. It's been about 5 weeks of training, and now we're finally competing for the term. Our first race; held at none other than Devington Private Institute. Today is really going to be the first time I've put myself to the test.

Today, I'm putting myself out there for the scholarship.

Part of me was worried that Kendall wouldn't even show up, not after what happened last time. She hasn't spoken to me since, and I know it's only been 3 days, but I do miss her dearly.

Another part of me is worried about messing up, especially since my mom, brother and father are in the crowd, waving a flag with my face on it. Having my family here is comforting and terrifying at the same time, and the thought of even having a misstep is something that needs to be studied.

I look at my brother, who gives me a thumbs up, then winks. I search the crowd for Kendall, and just before I can lose hope, she sits a few chairs away from my family. She has sunglasses on, but once I think she's spotted me, she gently waves, a small smile on her face. I nod at her, then rest my eyes on Nadia's parents, who are cheering for Nadia.

Speaking of Nadia.

She hasn't said a word to me in three days. I don't know how badly one has to fuck up for a shit starter to shut up and ignore you, but it seems I've reached that pipeline. Of all people to get ignored by...Nadia shouldn't be one of them.

And neither should Kendall.

I turn around to address the person who tapped my shoulder, only to find Nadia, a water bottle in hand. On Thursday, we agreed to her being the one to finish the relay, with me being 3rd in line. Discussing roles with the coach was easy, since we weighed everyone's strengths and weaknesses, and chalked it down to Nadia and I being the finishers.

She hands the water bottle to me. "Just in case you need it."

I accept it, nodding at her. "We got this."

"Yeah, we do," she says. "I just wanted to say that...we have our issues, yes, but if we can just set it aside-"

"We're leaving it on the track, Nadia," I interrupt her, not trying to hear her bullshit.

Nadia's taken aback, but nonetheless sticks her hand out for a handshake. "All on the track," she repeats.

I look at her hand, then back at her. I sigh, taking her hand and firmly shaking it. The warning whistle goes off, and she surprisingly pulls me in for a hug, a tight one at that. Perplexed, I pat her back, trying not to think too deeply about this.

There's no time for it anyway. It's time to lock in.

I get into position, looking at Nadia ahead of me. She turns to give me a wink, and I nod again, waiting for the gun to sound. And once it does, we're off.

For this strategy, we put Raelle and Collette, two of our classmates, as starters, simply because they did start off a bit slow. Collette had the fastest speed out of our bunch (excluding Nadia and I) so she's the one that starts while Raelle moves a bit slower than her. If I'm being honest, we're just a team of elite athletes.

And now that Collette has passed me the baton, I'm about to prove that theory.

I begin to pick up the pace, passing the other Devington runner. Nadia's matching my pace, and when I reach her, she grabs the baton with much force, sprinting faster than I could ever. I try to match her speed, and look behind me, trying to encourage the other girls. They're right behind me, and Nadia crosses the finish line just before the Devington chick does. The crowd roars as she crosses, and I sprint up to her, jumping on her in excitement. The other girls join us, and we put our hands in to begin the Riveria Chant. For the last athletic event of the day, we showed out.

Nadia pats my back as we get to our bags, reaching for another water bottle. I tap her shoulder, and she looks at me, gratitude written all over her face. I hug her again, this time a little more sure. She hugs me back and we spin around, giggling like little kids.

If there's something we can agree on, is sport. And I think I can live with that.

***

After taking loads of pictures for the school's media accounts and with family, Kendall finally approaches me, a small box in her hand. I take it, opening the box to find a seashell. Confused, I pull it out and examine it.

"I guess I need to continue studying, cause I can't figure out why this was given to me," I joke. "What's the hidden meaning?"

"Resilience," Kendall states. "Determined. Smart. Calmness. Beauty."

"You think I'm all those things?" I fight back the smile trying to make its presence known.

Kendall smiles, the wind blowing in her chestnut hair softly. "I think you're so much more than that."

We stand in silence, the sweat on my skin now fully dry. She removes her glasses to reveal red, puffy eyes, her eyebrows barely combed either. My immediate response is to throw my hands on her, pulling her in for a hug.

"You've been crying," I whisper in her ear, looking at my mother in the distance before closing my eyes.

"And so have you," she mumbles. "I saw you at the prep hall, sitting alone on the steps."

I remain silent, my grip tightening onto her. I open my eyes momentarily to see if my mom's still looking, and noticing that she still is, I pull away from Kendall gently, holding hands with her discreetly.

"It doesn't matter, I deserved it," I reassure her. "I hurt you."

Kendall looks away briefly, before resting her eyes on me again. "I'm not exactly a saint either."

"What do you mean?" I furrow my eyebrows together.

"I haven't focused on only you for the longest time, and that's on me," she explains. "I didn't know about the scholarship."

I sigh. "I didn't want to worry you, Kendall. I truly just want you to be happy."

"That's the thing, Yas, how can I be happy if you're not? If you're going through different issues and I have no idea about them?" She asks me.

"Hello Kendall."

My mother taps her shoulder, and Kendall smiles at her. "Hello, Mrs Thompson. It's been a while."

"It has, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to take my daughter home to celebrate," mom says.

Kendall, visibly uncomfortable, nods. "Once she's done talking to me she'll go with you. I'm just congratulating her."

"For over 10 minutes?"

"Mom, I'll be home by 7," I interject. "I need to talk to her."

My mother glares at me, before nodding in agreement. She walks away with my family, and Sanele winks at me, before they disappear from sight. When I focus on Kendall again, her cheeks are now tinted, and I smile.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I just...I don't think you have ever defended me in front of your mom. Like ever," she says.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?" I chuckle, the butterflies in my stomach growing as she holds my hand, squeezing it lightly. "Kennie."

"Yas."

"I'm so sorry for hiding my issues from you," I begin. "I never wanted to worry you, and sometimes it's hard for me to express my feelings sometimes-I mean, I'm still learning how to do that in a relationship-and it gets a bit scary to talk about this stuff with someone. Like, it's hard to just...speak and have someone listen, you know? You probably don't." My hands shake, and I stare at them uncontrollably as my breathing turns shallow.

Kendall grabs both of my hands, her eyes on me and me only. She gets a little closer to me, her finger caressing my palm. As if it was magic, my shallow breathing begins to go back to normal.

"Focus on me," she whispers, her hand now on my chest as she's impeccably close to me now. Our noses touch, and I close my eyes, focusing on Kendall's calming presence. "It's okay."

My eyes flutter open, my lips accidentally brushing against Kendall's as she holds me. We both smile and embrace one another right there on the track, the world around us, disappearing.