Say Hello, Wave Goodbye -- Louis Partridge

6. Into the groove

Today was a Monday. No words could describe how I felt about Monday afternoons. I dreaded them. Monday's were when I had to do two and a half hours of sports. If I was athletically capable maybe it would have been better. But both my mum and my dad also sucked at sports. I was a lost cause.

For some reason I wanted to go to school early. So I had my bike parked outside the school at eight fifteen. I was searching for something, something that seemed like I wasn't going to find. But when I saw him I realised my eyes were searching for him. He came through the school gates skating. He was good too, didn't wobble or look at the ground too much. When he saw me he immediately started skating towards me, a bit too speedily.

"Ava look out!" He yelled and suddenly he was going to crash into me. I don't know what he did but he somehow twirled around me instead of toppling me over. I couldn't help but start laughing.

"How on earth-"

"I've been skating since I was eight, Ive learnt some tricks."

"I can see that..."

"So, our speeches are due tomorrow. Do you have anything nice to say about me." Yes.

"Not really, no." I lied. He smiled, seeing through my lie.

"You can always add that I'm an actor, you know."

"Oh please, humour me."

"Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you are better off a model." His mouth dropped and I started walking to our form room.

"Was that a compliment?" I fought back a smile.

"No."

We walked into form together, apparentIy we were late and when we waltzed into the class everyone's eyes were on us. I could see Carly raise an eyebrow. Louis went to the back of the class, I didn't know if I was still mad about the whole stealing my desk situation. It was debatable.

After lunch it was PE. I deliberately didn't have lunch on Monday's because it was bad enough that I had no coordination whatsoever, I didn't need a full stomach to slow me down. This term we were doing running and I hated running because it was the only sport that the boys and the girls did together. It was first the girls only marathon, then the boys, and then it was mixed. I saw Louis stretching with a group of boys. I was about to go up to him when Carly came up to me.

"Come on, coach is calling us!" She then sprinted across the stadium benches and all of the boys cheered her on. Ugh, sometimes she got it so easy. I tried walking to the group of girls and stumbled twice.

"Right girls. There are fifty of you so you will split into two groups and do the a thousand metre run okay. That is a full lap around this pitch. First half of the register first."

I walked to the starting point, hoping that the first half would be slow people. Carly and her group were all athletic and somehow were all in the first group. Well that was great. I was dreading this moment for so long.
"Three, two..." I heard someone call out my name and everything stopped around me. It was Louis from the chairs. I smiled at him but apparently the others had started running.

Shit

I tried to catch up but I was very slow. When they finished I was at half point. The funny thing is I could always hear Louis cheering for me. When I finished he ran towards me and gave me a hug.