Tracking a Star

Chapter 2: Start

Chapter 2: Start

And it turns out we became really good friends. Nobody really noticed him other than a few populars, but he was just the new kid coming into high school. We would start hanging out after school doing homework, or even just running in my neighborhood. It was actually pretty fun, and I was getting the feeling that he actually liked me.

No, that is not what I should really be on. Josh Hutcherson can’t possibly be in love with me. He probably loves someone from California or Kentucky and just wants to be close friends me. I’m considering that and trying to feel okay with that. 

So when we became those close friends I decided to tell him about how this whole school works. I told him about the populars, the socials, everyone, and even told him he will be a popular someday.

“You know you can’t judge people like that,” he tells me. I shrug.

“I can, because I know all these people, and I only judge them. And yeah, some of them are really nice, but the others are just spoiled brats. And I know that, because I know about all of them. The true them that they are. And before you know it, just watch, you’ll be going out with Megan,” I explain. He smiles.

“Yeah right, I’m never going to be popular and date that Megan. She is not my type,” I laugh a little at that and smile mischievously at him.

“You. Just. Wait.”

                                                         *********************

My predictions weren’t wrong at all. Josh Hutcherson is practically king of the populars, and of course, “dating” Megan.

He would still come and talk to me, but would never speak of the school royalty here.  He would just kind of doubt it whenever I brought it up. We would still run together, but our homework dates were done. And another month later, he wouldn’t come to run with me. The conversations never stopped though. I never dared to ask him about it either, just in case so he wouldn’t get mad.

My mood never dimmed either, because I would start beating him in track, and he would just get so mad at me for it, but in that friend kind of way, because we would just end up laughing in the end. 

Our first meet was in exactly one week, so we were being graded faster. Today’s practice was hurdles.

“I wish he would put us both in hurdles,” Penny tells me while walking the track.

“I know right! That would be fun,” I exclaim.  Even though they aren’t my strongest abilities, it would be fun to try them since I haven’t in such a long while. We stretch and then get in five lines on each side for hurdles already set up.  Since we’re on the football field, it was grass people would fall onto just in case. Nobody did though.

Penny and I were champions at hurdling fast, and the coach seemed to notice this right away. After a few more rounds after jumping over two, then three, then all the way to five, we moved up to jumping over them on the track. This was a little scarier, because if you fell, that would hurt way more than the grass.  The coach only picked so many people to try the track, so me, Penny, and Josh were the ones who got to try it along with a few other people.  Josh came over and talked to me for a little while we waited for our turn to jump the hurdles.

“Well well well, it’s Mr. Popular, the track captain and dating the most popular girl in school,” I state. He smiles but doesn’t respond.

“So how’s the popular life?” Penny asks. He shrugs.

“Nobody considers it like that except you guys,” he confronts me.

“Well duh, they’re too busy talking about everyone else,” I tell him. That seems to end the subject.

“Do they really talk about us like that?” Penny breaks in. He stays silent.

“I can’t believe it.  We told you, they’re always talking about someone, and do not tell us what they say about us,” Penny quotes. I didn’t blame her, because apparently it’s true.

Penny and I were finally in the front for jumping over hurdles. The whistle rang throughout my ears as I started running, jumping gracefully over the hurdles. I thought I was doing pretty well so far, only three to go. I hope the coach is impressed, because this is what I want to do in the meets. He could tell I’ve improved.  I was trying 110% of the time, hopefully. There’s only one more hurdle to jump over, and I decide to make it my best, so I try another way to jump over one of them, making me go farther and faster. When I start to jump over the bar, I almost feel like flying in slow motion, until the front of my other foot hits the bar and I come crashing down on the ground.

I have now completely made a fool of myself, but I don’t hear anyone laughing. I hear panicked voices starting to come closer to me. I try to stand up, but my right leg feels completely numb.   There’s enough energy for me to at least sit up, so I use all my strength to bring my body upright, my leg twisted behind me. I probably landed pretty hard, because blood is smeared across the top surface of it, revealing a nasty scrape.

“Dani!” I hear someone’s voice call to me.  I open my eyes and find a huge crowd around me, where Josh is right in front. The coach moves in and studies the gash on my leg. After a few seconds, he looks up at Josh.

“Josh, take her to the nurse,” he orders him. Josh nods while Coach Bolton clears everyone up from the track.  I look back up at Josh as he takes my arm and puts it around his shoulders back, then standing me back up. He grips hard my hand, entwining his fingers through the crooks of mine.

“Can you limp?” he asks. I nod and start limping as best I can. It took a little while, because we were way across from the school. I do the best as I can though, trying harder every step. 

The school doors finally come into view so I try to limp a little faster, but almost fall so I slow down a bit.

“You don’t have to go fast, you’re okay,” he confronts me. I nod as he opens up the doors. The cool breeze hits me in the face.

“Just a little farther,” he urges me on. I keep limping a little farther until we reach the nurse’s office.

The nurse is one of the nicest ladies that works here, Nurse Jena, long blonde hair shortened by curls, deep emerald green eyes, her same nurse outfit she wears every day. We find her at her desk reading a book. Josh knocks on her door and she looks up smiling but then frowns once she sees us.

“Oh dear, what happ- hurdles?” she sighs. We both nod, she must be used to this. She guides me over to one of the chairs. I sit down as she starts treating it right away, washing away all the dried and wet blood, putting some kind of lotion on it, then wrapping a sturdy bandage around my whole knee.

“The good news is that it’s only scraped, so you only have to have this for a little while, but you might be limping for a little while,” she explains. “If it ever starts stinging, just take the bandage off and put some Vaseline on it,” I nod and look at the doorway to find Josh isn’t there. I smile graciously to her and start walking slowly out of the nurse’s office.  Putting weight on that knee hurt like hell, so I just sort of dragged it behind me all the way back outside.