DANGER WARNING ;;

four

Junior year was the most important year. Auden wasn't about to finish on a bad end. Colleges would be looking at this year's transcript, and she was determined to make it flawless. She went to school for eight hours, track practice for two hours after that, and then she did homework. It made for a full day throughout the week, but that made weekends bittersweet.

Auden was a runner for the track team. She used to do swimming, too, but her passion had always been for running and jumping. She ran the 800 meter and the 400 meter, but the 400 meter had always been her favorite. She'd focused on it through the summer, and by the time track season rolled on through, she'd had the best time in her year and most of the senior class as well.

She laced up her shoes tightly. She'd tripped over her own laces only once. She'd skinned her knees and hands, and even her thigh. But what was even more humiliating was going from first place to dead last. Her coach hadn't punished her, but had clearly been disappointed and had turned his attention on a different student. Auden wouldn't be letting that happen again.

It was the third practice of the season. Most importantly, it was the practice that would be deciding who was on the 4x4 team. Auden had wanted it since her freshman year, when she'd been selected for the freshmen 4x4 relay. She'd been the last leg--the fastest runner. They'd won the relay that year, but when sophomore year came around and the relay teams were selected, she was devastated to find that she hadn't been selected.

But her junior year would not be a repeat. She refused to let it be a repeat.

She stood, bouncing on her toes and shaking out her hands. She glanced sideways at her competition. There were nine lanes, so eight other junior girls to compete against. There were only two spots open on the 4x4 relay. The first and the last leg were already occupied by two seniors who had competed last year. Both seniors stood at the sidelines, sizing the girls up.

She knew her competition. Most of the girls were fair runners, but there was only one girl who could beat her: Alex. Alex was the fastest 100 meter girl in the entire high school. Seeing her even try out for the 400 meter dash had Auden uneasy. She wasn't the type to do something on a whim. Alex had an edge up her sleeve, and she was about to show that edge off.

"Good luck, Clark." Alex said, adjusting her sports bra underneath her shirt.

"You too." Auden echoed, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

Auden turned her focus onto the lane in front of her. She was in lane three, her lucky number. "Go ahead and set up your blocks, girls." Auden was already on it, placing the blocks behind the line and adjusting the position.

"Do you need me to hold them?" She looked up to see Ben standing there in shorts and a tank top, or 'bro tank', as the guys had taken to calling them.

"Uh, no--." She cut herself short, thinking to Izzy. Give him a chance. "Sure, I guess."

She'd forgotten Ben was even in track, really. He was also a sprinter, but he ran the 200 meter and the 400 meter. She'd once seen him run a 100 meter, but had complained to the coach that he hated it for the next two weeks until the coach finally pulled him from the run and kept him on the 400 and 200 meter dashes.

"I've seen you run a few times." He said from his position on the ground. Auden shook out her hands, bouncing in front of the blocks. She looked fleetingly at the long curve. Curve, sprint, curve, sprint. She knew the track well--she'd ran it enough to know her own strides perfectly. "You're not gonna win."

She whirled to face him, jaw taut and eyes narrowed. He was smiling up at her. She shook her head and pressed herself into the blocks, bouncing on her toes as she got a feeling of her weight. Uneasiness settled within her gut, threatening to make her sick. She pushed it away, pressing herself into the blocks like a coiled spring. She pressed her thumbs right up to the white line and took a deep breath... and then lifted herself, and then took off.