Running from You

4

"What's your opinion on Europe?" Lucas asks, looking at his phone. The cool winter breeze is making my cheeks and nose hurt, but still, we automatically go to the football field during our breaks.
"Europe?" I ask.
"Yeah, Europe" he says. "Like... What's the best country?"
"Uhm... France?"
He rolls his eyes.
"My mom said that. I said it should be the United Kingdom..."
"No" I say. "Brexit".
"Right, my dad said that. He wouldn't be able to get a job there..."
He sighs.
"Why would he need to get a job there?" I ask.
"He doesn't" Lucas says. "But just hypothetically. My dad always gets carried away in hypothetical games".
"So what did he think the best country was?" I ask.
"He said Russia. My mom didn't agree. You know, because Putin".

"Hi!"
We both look up.
"Hey Landon" Lucas says with a big smile.
"What were you talking about?" he asks, sitting down.
"The best country in Europe" I say. "It's probably France".
Landon stays quiet for a while.
"Sweden" he decides.
"Really? Why?" Lucas asks.
"Free education" I say. "So no student debts. Scandinavia in general is a pretty good choice".
I look at Landon. He shrugs.
"I just thought the flag was pretty, and Owen said he wants to go there one day".

I hear some shouting somewhere across the football field. It's the cheerleaders. Well, the cheer captain, mostly. She's yelling at all the girls about not doing their best. The girls all look a little bit scared.
"She's beginning to remind me of Kathryn a little bit" I say. Lucas shudders, and whispers: "Ugh, Kathryn".
"Aw, don't say that" Landon says, and he crosses his arms. "Alex is great if you get to know her".
"Sure she is" I say.
The bell rings. We get up, and walk to class.

After school, we have volleyball practice. Landon, Lucas and I are in the dressing room. Lucas is nervously fiddling with his shirt, looking up at the door every few seconds.
"There's no need to be scared, Lucas" Landon says. "Coach will watch us, Kathryn can't hurt you in there".
"I know" Lucas says, and he sighs. "She's scary, okay?"
"I'll protect you" I offer. "You should tie your shoelaces".
He reluctantly ties his laces, and gets up.
"I'm done" he says, and he starts walking around in circles nervously.
"Can you stand still for just a second?" I ask, as I put on my shoes.
"No" Lucas says.
When me and Landon are also done, we get up and walk into the gym hall. Kathryn is already there, hands on her hips, scanning all our other teammates like a hawk.

Jay is done too. She's talking to one of the other girls on the team, while mindlessly bouncing a volleyball up and down at her feet. Lucas stares at her for three seconds, before shaking his head quickly and walking to the rack with the balls stacked on it. I raise my eyebrows for a moment, before turning to Landon.
"Seems like he's doing better" I say.
"Better at what?" Landon asks. He wasn't looking at Jay, he was looking out of the window.
"What's up with you?" I ask.
"I don't know if Owen knows I have volleyball practice" he murmurs. I roll my eyes, and walk towards Lucas. Landon has a boyfriend, and he's very happy with it. I've been seeing him less lately, he hangs out with his other friends a lot more. Good for him, I guess. At least he's happy. There's really no need for him to mention how happy he is all the time, but I'm sure he isn't doing it to shove it in our faces. I'm just saying that if I ever got a girlfriend, I wouldn't talk about that girlfriend as much as Landon talks about Owen.

Assuming I'd ever get a girlfriend, of course.

"Hi" I say, when Lucas jogs up to me with his volleyball.
"Hey!" he says, and he throws the ball towards me. It hits my head.
"Thanks" I say, and I pick the ball up.
"Sorry" he says, chuckling.
"Okay guys, we're starting in ten minutes" our coach says. "I have to go and talk to the principal for a while".
He leaves the gym room, and Lucas's smile suddenly dissapears. Kathryn watches the coach leave. She seems to hate him a little bit less than all the other people on the world. She never yells at him, and she treats him with respect. Respect being that she follows his orders but still giving him nasty looks whenever it doesn't comply with what she thinks we should do. Now that he's gone, she's free to do whatever she wants again.

She spots us, and her cold eyes fill with hate. Purposefully, she marches towards us.
"Dean" Lucas whispers, sounding scared for his life.
"Don't worry, she can't hurt you" I say.
"Her words hurt" he says. I roll my eyes.
"Don't be so dramatic" I say.
"But it's true! Every time she says I suck..."
Kathryn stands still before us, and crosses her arms. Lucas makes a small squeaking noise, grabs me by my shoulders, and pushes me in front of him. I roll my eyes again, and cross my arms too.

"What's up Kathryn?" I ask. Lucas squeezes my shoulders a little bit, but I gently pat his hand to reassure him.
"I just wanted the warn you that you two are on the verge of being kicked out of the club if you don't get better at this game. I talked to the coach and I brought up making this a girl-only club. You and your stupid friend will be gone unless you do your absolute best every single practice and every single game we play from now on" she says.
"Okay" I respond. Her eye twitches a little bit, and she breathes in.
"That means you'll be gone soon" she says slowly.
"Okay" I respond just as slowly.
Her nostrils flare as she breathes back out, and shakes her head.
"You're not even scared" she says. She raises an eyebrow as she looks over my shoulder at Lucas, who squeezes my shoulders even harder.
"Well, one of you. Lucas, stop being a baby. It affects your technique".

"Don't call him a baby" I say, and she puts her hands on her hips.
"Okay, Lucas, stop being an infant, it affects your techniques".
"I would prefer it if you didn't call him anything under the age of twelve" I sigh. "But when do you every listen to your teammates".
"During a game" she says. "And during practice. When they call out my name because I need to smash the ball over the net, because I always end up carrying everyone in this team".

She turns around, her dark brown ponytail almost smacking me in the face, and marches away. Lucas finally lets go of me, and I turn around to face him.
"My shoulders hurt".
"Sorry" he says quietly. "I got scared".
"I noticed" I say, and I roll my eyes. "You really are such a baby".
"And an idiot" he says.
"Yes, exactly".
"I know".

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