The Last Lap

Chapter Five

Monday couldn't come fast enough. I didn't see Isaac after Alex left but I texted him. He said that he would see me today but I couldn't wait. I could only think about how bad it looked that Alex and I were hanging out together. My chances with Isaac seemed dim before but they seemed nonexistent now.

I looked over my own schedule online once again, as if I hadn't seen it a million times. As if I hadn't had it ingrained into my skull four months ago. I knew that Isaac mentioned something about having English during this time so I lingered around my locker a bit more. That way I could possibly, maybe, see him walk with his friends down the hallway and wave if he looked at my direction.

Totally not crazy, I thought to myself.

I folded a paper and shoved it into the plastic covering of my math binder and used my fingers to brush my hair behind my ear. The senior hall, where all of our classes were, was not that far from the junior hall and lead me to bump into one of the junior long distance runners from the track team.

It was A'isha, Alex's step-sister. She was cute, pretty even. The way that her hazel eyes exposed her every thought and the way she styled her natural hair made her give a vibe that established a sense of confidence. She was light-skinned, just like her brother, and had the sharpest winged eyeliner out of her group of friends following her. She gave me a sweet grin, her soft, glossed lips emphasizing her perfectly straight teeth. The amount of sweetness spilled out of her was unmatched to anything I'd seen before.

"Good morning, Ema."

"Hey, good morning girls," I greeted everyone. I started to play with my hair under her gaze. Sweat started to form at the back of my neck.

"Are you going to be at practice today?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be there like I've always been.. You know... for four years now," I slowly explained. She did not seem phased by my slow speaking but continued to respond in her own unique way.

"Alex said to give you this note. I didn't read it because he said it's the captain's business or something. If it wasn't you that I was giving the note to, I'd read it. But you're my favorite so I have respect for you."

"Thank you."

I took the note from her and put into the clear plastic of the math binder, right next to the schedule. I looked quickly at my watch and noticed the time was seven-fifteen. I had five minutes before class started. I started to plan my steps in my head before hearing A'isha ask, "What is that on your necklace?"

"Hmm?" I looked down at my necklace. It was my little Qur'an necklace. "Oh, it's a holy book."

"The Bible?" She lifted it with her right thumb and index finger. I backed away a little and shook my head. She eyed my expression carefully and let go.

"Okay, well we have to get to the first period. Oh, my gosh there's this cute senior in my English class. I don't know what his name is, I could barely hear his words when he was introducing himself if I'm being honest, but he is so hot. I'd date him."

"Oh, that's cool. Tell me later at practice if you find out his name. Maybe I can get you in there," I winked at her. Her group of friends grabbed her by the shoulder and pointed behind me before whispering, "There he is!"

I turn around and faced the direction that her friend was pointing towards. I braced myself for the boy that the group was fawning over. My hair fell into my face and I flipped it out of the way as I turned. It was him.

Isaac.

His beanie, pink and bright, hid his naturally beautiful hair and accentuated his chiseled jawline and electrifying blue eyes. As soon as we made eye contact with one another it sent chills down my spine. Then disappointment filled me. A'isha liked Isaac and she had a better chance than I ever did. And she was only a grade below us.