And Then There Was Victor

Chapter 15

The end of the spring semester was insanity and I had almost forgotten the looming 5K until the week before when Victor reminded me of it. I must have looked as startled as I felt because he smiled.

"You don't have to do it," he said.

"I have to, I promised Jackson to spirit walk," I said. The unraveling of my hair was escalating as I had just barely passed my Pre-Calculus final that morning.

Victor rolled his eyes and tossed his gym bag over his shoulder. Of course, he had nothing to worry about, he was perpetually fit. Yes, I had been doing a lot of walking for the HSIC but I hadn't prepared for a 5K, to me a 5K sounded like hell. Utter hell.

"It's not that bad," Victor said.

"I really can't trust you on this, you run like 10 miles a day," I said.

He laughed. "I really don't. I'm more into weightlifting. I haven't really run since Coach Nago."

Coach Nago had been a brutal little man with the Varsity Football team and us girls had often enjoyed the view from the bleachers as the guys were made to run shirtless until most of them passed out under the Florida heat.

"Plus, you're just walking, think of it like going to Disney," he pointed at my badge. I had just landed a part-time summer job at the theme parks.

"I'm going to be red, sweaty, and smelly," I said. "None of this is sexy."

Victor raised a brow.

"Get your head out of the gutter," I said with a finger to his face.

He laughed and tugged at my bun which did not need much help from him to completely unravel making my wild curls tumble down.

"I've just got to train before the 5k –"

"It's in 5 days."

"No Burger King until after this is done," I said to him specifically. "And –" I stood up and hovered over him. "You meet me at the track by my house at 7 am tomorrow morning," I said.

He raised a brow. "I'm not waking up that early."

"May I remind you that you volunteered yourself for this so you're in this hell with me."

"I didn't sign up to wake up at 7am."

"7:15."

"Eight. And not a minute before." He stood clearly overtaking me in the height department. I gave him my best Montana glare but he remained rooted.

"Fine 8 am. But stretching starts at 7:45," I smiled sweetly and turned to walk away.

What the hell had I been thinking? I couldn't even manage to put in my contacts, my glasses were smudged, my hair was in some sort of rat nest embrangle, I had no workout clothes so my baggy size 16 joggers were low on my hips and my tank top had coffee stains on it.

"You don't look OK," Victor studied me in slight distaste.

He, of course, looked awake and refreshed. His clothes were not the wrong size and stained, they fit well and he made a Rubik's cube of black and white tonalities.

"I got my period this morning," I said.

He closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "This friendship thing is stretching the boundaries."

I frowned. "It's life. Men get to stay firm and unblotted and we're cursed to carry their spawn or be punished by bringing the fury of the gods upon our vagina."