Race of Love

Chapter 1

"Maya?" she was snapped back to reality as she stared at the timer on her, Coach Veneci's hand.

"0.60 seconds that's better rookie"

She didn't know what to say, she just fell back onto the grass with a resound sound sigh as she caught her breath.

"With a higher Candace you've shaved off 10 seconds...you're doing great, Maya." She could hear the joy spilling out from each word, but that's what she loved about Coach, she was so alive and her passion for running only fueled Maya more.

"Sounds...good, coach" she said with a soft laugh. She stood to her feet, stretching in the process.

"Here" she took the bottle of mineral water that was offered, happily snapping the plastic seal and drinking half its contents.

"So I'm good to take off for tonight?" with a nod, she was released from her session.

On her way back to the locker rooms, she looked over the buildings that comprised of the campus and the distant and yet semi-familiar faces she had come to recognize. Auburn university wasn't her first choice when it came to her academic, but more so when it came to pursuing her love of track. The school is one of the top five in the country to bring home gold for state championships and have even produced a few Olympic competitors.

Things had become routine and Maya for the most part like it that way, thou she looked forward to the thought of going back to her dorm,Kaeo was a bit of an extrovert something she wasn't used to be being around. Even growing up, her parents were pretty quiet people, and she had no siblings to rough house with.

It was also nice that Kaeo was also on the track team, least they had this that they could bond over. Entering the gymnasium, Maya made her way past basketball practice and into the ladies lockers rooms. The orange and white walls were painted with school logos and memorabilia. As she walked down the hall, she could hear a conversation near the back end where the track team's lockers were.

"What is she out there working on anyway?"

"Coach said her cadence or some shit like that," said another voice

"Does she think she's going to become head of the squad by kissing coach's ass" She could hear a pair of laughs follow behind.

"Right, maybe we should warn Kaeo her spot is up for grabs..haha"

Doing her best to hide the hurt, Maya rounded the corner coming into view she made her way to locker forty-two. The two women who were talking stopped their laughing as they noticed her. She kept her eyes forward, but she felt their eyes on her as she walked past the benches and into the small enclave of lockers.

Putting in her combination left...17, right...04, left...32. Click. Pulling down hard,she removed the lock and grabbed her bags and phone. The sooner she got out of there to shower, the better.

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The weekend had finally come, and Maya was glad to have some alone time and to get some school work done. Between practice and classes, she found her load a little full at times. But she knew that it would all pay off in the end.

"Knock Knock bookworm" she heard her door open as Kaeo walked in wearing her adorable smirk, it caused her cheeks to have these little dimples that just made the smile infectious.

"You know it doesn't count as knocking if you say knock knock" replying with a smile.

"Mhhm that's why I say it. 'Can I come in?'" she leaned on the door, one hand on the knob, the other door frame as she loomed her top half in and her feet behind the threshold.