Carlyism: When you really love the person, the things you do for them seem like nothing. I feel bad for the people I don't like all that much.
Carly leaned over and breathed a coughy breath. Tears sprung to her eyes. Joining the cross-country team had been a stupid idea.
She had come in last--significantly farther behind everyone else, but then she was like that with everything: tests, getting in on the joke, getting anything done. Carly Mack was a slow person.
Before she got too depressed about it, she felt a sharp clap on her back. She coughed again. "Fantastic, Mack!" It was Davion.
Carly looked up. Everyone else was walking towards them with their bags. They had probably been waiting for a while. Davion was right. The team was small this year. Only three other people were on the team. Two tall thin boys—Carl and Brendan and one girl. Carly couldn't remember her name, but whenever she had seen the girl before, she wore her hair up in a bun and a headband fastened around her forehead. Carly had seen her around campus. She never smiled, and she always wore sweatpants. She had a pink bookbag with a Mickey Mouse on it who gave everyone the finger.
"I'm sorry I took so long," Carly breathed.
"Yeah. You suck, but you didn't stop!" Davion clapped his hand on her back again, and Carly gasped. Joining cross country had most certainly been a mistake.
"Dave!" Carly looked up to see Carl yawning. Carl had supremely thin lips and red hair. She wondered if they would ever become close enough to where they would make jokes about how similar their names were, but he seemed pretty unfriendly. "Can we go?!"
Carly glanced at the watch around her wrist. She felt the wrinkles on her forehead digging into her skull. She had texted Sam that she would be there ten minutes ago, and he needed her.
Carly could see Davion frowning out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah. I guess." Everyone started to turn around, but Davion clapped his hands together loudly. "Remember, 7am run, every Thursday!"
"Those are optional this year, right?"
Davion frowned again. He had very intense eyes. Carly wasn't sure she would want someone like Davion Kensman angry at her. It was hard to see this strict side of him from the promotional flyers her Dad got in the mail for supporting the college. "They may not be mandatory," Davion said.
Carly felt guilty for having her phone in her hand, but nobody else seemed intimidated or even attentive to what Davion was saying. They were walking away. Carly joined them.
"It is all about dedication, people." Davion sighed and turned away from them, walking in the opposite direction they were all going. "Dedication!" Carly jumped as she heard him yell after them once more.
"Geeze!" The other girl on the team was walking next to her laughing at her. "Don't be scared of him."
Carly squeaked out an apologetic laugh. She hated when people noticed her reactions sometimes.
"I get it, though," the girl said. "He's a freaking psychopath. Coach Griffin never would have made us run this far on the first day." She swatted Carly in the arm. "Ya' did good, girl." She offered Carly her tan bronzed hand. "I'm Taylor."
"I'm Carly," Carly shook Taylor's hand and smiled at her. "Nice to meet you. Aren't you in the Europe orientation?"
"Oh yeah," Taylor said. "I knew you looked familiar. It's going to be freakin' sweet!"
YOU ARE READING
Enormous
General FictionCarly and Sam Mack have looked out for each other ever since their mother left their family when they were very small. Sam is an aspiring musician entering college. Carly is in her last year at the school, wanting to remain the supportive sister s...
