Tracking a Star

Chapter 1: New Day

Finally, the first day the track season starts up. I couldn’t wait to just start running miles and miles of laps, beating all the guys, because it was really fun. Well beating the guys was fun, running is always torture most of the time. Couldn't you agree?

I probably shouldn’t start off with that. Let’s start with me, because I’m sure that’s what you’re wondering. My name is Daniella, but all my friends and other people call me Dani.  I have one older sister, Dana, who is way to full of herself, but can have a soft spot for others.  Sometimes. Then there’s my mom and dad who work up in the Pentagon. They’ve been in the military together before I was born, and I’m seventeen.

Dana is still twenty at home but is scheduling to leave for college to become a nurse. She says she wants to “get started early” I admire her for that, because I’m never going to go into anything with the word medical in it. Blood? Ew..no gross. I can barely look at my own blood without freaking out.  

You’ll get more information on my life later, so let’s go back to today, the first track practice. I was chatting with my best friends Penny, who hesitantly decided to try out with track with me. She was so surprised she made it, and I’m glad she did, because she’s the only friend I have that’s on this team. The rest of the girls are just all the populars.

Oh the wonderful populars that I enjoy, not. The one who really gets on my nerves would be Megan, the one who stares at you as if you’re from another continent if you do anything weird or she doesn’t like. I like to call her Aphrodite. It just seems to fit her.

 Okay, sorry for the stories. Let’s just go back to my conversation with Penny.

“I can’t believe you actually talked me into this,” she complains for the hundredth time.

“Hey, you tried out and you made it, besides, I have no one else to run with,” I shrug.  She nods and gives me a smile. 

“And here’s a bonus, you get to beat all the guys, because you are faster than all of them combined. That’s why you’re on the team,” she smiles at that.

“So beating my crush is a good thing?” she asks.

Of course. Crushes are very popular in high school. Along with dating, making out, more details. Yeah, of course. Penny has had this wild crush on this guy named Blake Thorton since first grade. I’m not kidding, guess where all her valentine cards went to without return names.

“Yes, impressing a guy is one of the ways to get him to like you,” I explain. She nods quickly as we turn on the track. Not everyone was out yet,  so we had a while of chatting to go.

“So, now that we’ve already started a new season, you still have no crush on any guys?” I shake my head.

“Nope, there is no one here good enough for me,” I say with a smile.

It seems like everyone else comes out at exactly the same time out of the locker room and start walking the track like we always do. In just a few minutes, Coach Bolton calls us for a meeting.

“Congratulations everyone, you have made it to the exclusive track team to represent our school,” he says happily but sarcastically.  We all let out a little lagugh.  

“Now, I will judge you all on what you can do best to bring us to the top in our division, so let’s start off with one round of the track, do what you would do in an actual meet, so go fast when you’re supposed to go fast, and do your best 110% of the time,”

Everyone gets up and starts walking over to the track and lines up in one big group. I feel like I hear something so I turn around to see some guy coming out of the locker room. He jogs across the street to the track and runs over to the coach, handing him a note. I watch him, suddenly fascinaed in studying his features.

He has silky back hair just over his ears and hazel eyes. He seems quite short for himself, about as tall as me. I’m only 5’5 though, so I guess I’m pretty short. I keep watching as he says something to the coach, those eyes never switching off him. He finally looks up and notices me staring at him, and just starts gazing at me. I don’t move any part of me, just follow his gaze as sweat from the heat drips off of me. I finally shake my head and turn around, running to the track,  as I’m sure he goes back to talking to the coach.

Woah, I’ve never seen a guy like this, one who would just stare back into my eyes like that. I feel like I know him, and really wanted to be friends with him. . No, no I should not be focused on this. I push that thought to the back of my head and start running as Bolton blows the whistle. Penny, as always, is in the front with Aphrodite. Someday I will beat her.

I keep my pace okay, as everyone’s breath echoes around me. I pass a few middle populars, (or socials) and end up right behind the fast group of guys.

“You know, I’ve never found a girl who stood out like that,” I look to my side and notice it’s the silky black-haired guy with a smile on his face talking to me. He seems as fast as me, sweat dripping down his face. I smile back at him.

“Me either, well a guy,” he laughs at that.

“Do you run often?” he asks. I nod.

“Two miles, everyday, I try,” I brag a bit.

"That’s cool,” it stays silent for a bit as we’re almost done.  I decide to break the silence.

“I’m Daniella, but everyone calls me Dani,” I tell him. He looks to side to face me, still running.

“I’m Josh, Josh Hutcherson, and you know, I seem to like Daniella more than DanI,” he says with a smile, holding out his hand. I shake it with a firm grip and keep running. Suddenly there's all these  movie trailers start to zoom through my head, all containing him. Wait.

This is Josh Hutcherson. The Josh Hutcherson, the star of all movies, the famous hottie who has his poster on millions of girls walls. This Josh Hutcherson is in Washington D.C, going to our school, apparently not doing any new movies. This is just weird. Why would he be going to our school? I mean, shouldn’t he be in LA or something at some talented school? I get that this is Washington D.C but what about some talented school in Chicago or there? Going to some school full of talented kids and dating some girl. Huh.

Well I guess he’s here now, and I think I’m going to like him, famous or not.

A.N.: Hey! Here's one of my first Jhutch stories which I just finished editing.  Hope you liked it, I'll be putting the next chapter up tonight. So chins up, smiles on, and may the odds be ever in your favor. :) -Cookie