no one said it would be easy

Chapter 7 - crazy fast

Izzie

I run as fast as never before. My feet are stomping on the ground. Thud, thud, thud.

My whole body is overloaded with adrenalin which causes me to push myself to the edge.

I look forward and see Casey about 30 meters in front of me. She's faster than me, but I see she's not being as concentrated as usual. If I'd run just a bit faster I could catch up and maybe even overtake her.

Coach Crowley would be happy to see me running fast and it'd definitely help me getting into UCLA. Casey won't have a problem getting a scholarship. Me on the other hand...

I'm not as fast as her. I'll have to train a lot this summer and I'll have to study more. Maybe I'll get a scholarship for my good grades.

I look at Casey's back. Her hair flys from one side to the other. She's wearing a half bun again, because her hair is not long enough to put it into a ponytail.

‚Come one, Iz', I say to myself.

I push myself one last time, overtake Casey and run as fast as possible to the finish line.

I see Coach Crowley in the corner of my eye as I'm crossing the finish line and almost immediately collapse because of exhaustion.

„Izzie! You were crazy fast!", Crowley says proudly.

I breathe heavily. That must've been my quickest sprint ever.

Casey finished her sprint too and is now walking towards me.

„IZ! What the hell, that was so fucking good!", my girlfriend speaks, embracing me in a hug and cupping my face in my hands.

„Gardner! Language!", Crowley warns her.

Casey lets go of me and turns to our Couch, the biggest smile on her face. She's more happy about my achievement than me and it's adorable of her.

„Okay girls, come here, stand in a circle", Coach shouts so the whole team can hear her.

„This was our last training session this school year. I expect you to train as hard as possible this summer. If a single one of you is even a second slower after summer I'll be the devil to you. Understood?", Crowley points with her finger at the team. She's serious.

„Okay, and now: have a nice summer break", she ends the training session.

Casey and I look at each other as we are about to walk to the changing room, when Coach Crowley says: „Casey and Izzie? Do you two have a minute again?"

We turn back around to her.

„You guys are the strongest in this team. And if somebody has a chance to get into UCLA, then you two. But you have to work hard for it. I already talked about this with you, Casey", Crowley turns to face Casey, then looks at me again.

„I know you two have something special going on. I don't even want to know the details, but whatever you guys have now, it's good for both of you. Don't make it complicated again", she says. This whole conversation is getting super weird now, and I want nothing more than to get changed, go to Casey's and cuddle her.

„...cause if you do make it complicated again, I'm not sure both of you will get into UCLA", Crowley puts a hand on Casey's shoulder, then looks at me, giving me a soft smile.

~~~

Casey

„Coach was fucking weird today, don't you think?", I say, moving the stickshift. Izzie and I decided it would be best to drive home together and enjoy the beginning of summer break at home.

„Yes, I still don't really know what she tried to tell us. I think she wanted to motivate us, to not spend too much time together? Or she wanted to tell us we shouldn't get our hopes up in both getting into UCLA", Izzie furrows her eyebrows.

„Look, we'll both get in, okay? We'll be living in the dorm, we could be roommates, we'll go to a lot of parties and it will be nice.", I try to soothe her.

„Roommates? Nice way of saying ‚living with my girlfriend'", Izzie jokes.

„Oh shut up", I say, grabbing her hand and squeezing it a little.

„What happens if just one of us gets in?", she bites her bottom lip, trying to play off her nervousness, but I know her well enough to know she's anxious about this possibility.

I make a right turn, pulling into our driveway and turn off the engine.

I sigh as I'm having no answer to her question. We can't know what will happen.

„See, we have over a year to train like crazy. They have to give us a scholarship", this is the worst possible answer I could have given, but it's the only I had.

Izzie nods a bit and looks at our intertwined fingers, she softly caresses the back of my hand with her thumb.

„Hey, I have an idea. Elsa and Dad are not home so we could build a fort in the living room and watch a movie. How does this sound?", I ask, trying to make eye contact but Izzie won't look at me. She nods in response instead.

I need to think about something to cheer her up.