Dirt Poor

TWENTY-TWO - Treadmills

Unedited - anyone remember what Logan's eye color is? Because I don't lololol. See you again in 6 months? LOL.

**Vance POV**

The steady beat of the music pounding in my ears matched those of my feet on the treadmill. Over and over and over again, pushing myself further while staying in the same spot. If that wasn't a fucking metaphor for my life right now...

The day had started out normal, decent even, going through the motions until the run-in with Syre and Logan, but I didn't let it phase me too much. Classes, while enjoyable most times, just dragged on and it felt like weeks had passed until the last bell chimed out and I began to make my way to the locker room.

I didn't make it that far.

Kaya texted me an SOS after school before work and even though I have football practice, Kaya is the exception to me showing up on time. Consequences be damned.

Maybe it's a twin thing, maybe not. Sometimes people claim that twins have a special connection and it's possible we do but regardless, she's my baby sister and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her.

She's had it rough enough and the fact that she even needs medication at times to calm the tremors and shakes that threaten to overtake her is enough for me to want to scream.

I've never been much of a violent person. I'd rather use my words and logic to solve problems but for Kaya, I would swing on anyone and anything.

Thankfully, coach gets it. I rifled through Kaya's shelf in her bathroom for her meds and find the correct bottle and pocket it, trying to make quick work to get back to practice. Although she had to get a job in the complete opposite direction of where I need to be going, it's not something I really even want to complain about since it brings me closer to her.

Logan.

God, I wasn't kidding when I called her LiteBrite. That's what she is and she doesn't even know it. She may think she doesn't shine or shouldn't or can't, but she's wrong. I never knew that your heart could even drop that far into your soul upon looking at someone. Mine did the moment I saw Logan. I struggle enough stringing sentences together for my literature and composition classes at school but Logan can turn me into fucking Shakespeare or Poe.

And each time I see her coming through the door behind Kaya I damn near freeze with both terror and overwhelming gratitude. Just fucking thankful she's there, that I'm even in her presence, in her life.

Since 9th grade I promised and promised and promised myself to approach her, to make friends, to do something but I never did, never could. Each time I would choke. I even recently tried to work up the courage to ask her to homecoming, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The dance came and went and while I had a good time, all I could think about was how I would have rather danced and laughed with Logan than with Ariel. Ariel wasn't a bad person in the slightest and we have been friends since kindergarten so it was a casual date. We tried in the past to see if there was any spark between us, but there was nothing. No harm, no foul, and still good friends.

I understand that everyone views me as someone who could have "any girl" I wanted. And even though I despised that notion, I only ever wanted it to be true with Logan. Except I never found the courage to approach her beyond what naturally occurred in school. It wasn't until this year when I played my football superstar role to its extent and convinced Mrs. Briggs to switch my schedule to the one class I knew she had.

I was fortunate one day to see her slip into Mr. Norton's room. We hadn't had really any classes together in all the time we had been here and apparently, I was too much of a coward to approach her on my own. This was my solution.