Relapse

"I see destruction and demise"

Soundtrack
Clint Eastwood—Gorillaz
When You Were Young—The Killers
Numb—Linkin Park

6

Mia

It was sunny, warm—but not humid. That was good. That meant Jack would be able to breathe easily. Well, sort of, Mia thought.

Mia drove herself and Andy to the location of the 5k, and as they stretched beside her parked car, she had a flash of panic, trying to think of how she would be able to justify it to Andy should Jack bail. He wouldn't bail. He couldn't.

Mia had folded herself in half, arms wrapped around the backs of her legs, cheek pressed against knees, really trying to loosen up her back and her hamstrings, when the crunch of gravel in the distance made her ears perk, so she glanced over, hoping to see Jack's car pulling in. False alarm.

She kept herself pressed in half, focusing on her breathing, willing the oxygen to reach her muscles. The next time she heard the gravel give way to tires, she didn't bother to look. She was focused and ready to meet her goal. Sub 8 minute mile. You can do it. When she felt the warmth of a hand spread across the small of her back, she let all of the air in her lungs exhale.

As Mia began to unfold herself, she noticed the shoes she put on her nearly maxed out credit card pointed directly at her. Jack had an easy smile on his face, as if this run were going to be the simplest part of his week.

"Hey, beautiful."

With two simple words, Mia was putty. "Hey." She popped up onto her toes to kiss him. Andy rolled his eyes behind Jack; regardless, he made his way around the car and held out his hand.

"Morning." Andy's face was tight, but he was being civil, and that was the best Mia could ask for; she prayed Jack would reciprocate.

"Morning. Good to see you."

They exchanged strained nods, and Mia took that as her cue. "Alright, boys. Shall we go to the registration booth?" She didn't wait for an answer and instead let them trot along with her, one on each side.

As they mingled near the start, Andy eyed Mia competitively. "Good luck, sis. I'd say given the last few runs I've had, I've just about caught up to your pace."

He was crafty; she'd give him that. He was testing her, seeing if she were going to sacrifice her goal by hanging back with Jack. Not today, brother dearest.

"We'll see." Mia turned to Jack, speaking lowly so Andy wouldn't hear. "You'll be okay without me?"

"Who says I haven't gotten quicker? I may beat you." He winked, and Mia felt her legs shudder. It'd been a long time.

"And who am I to crush your dreams? See you at the finish line."

An announcer came over the sound system and instructed everyone to take their places near the starting line. With the artificial sound of a gunshot, the race began.

Mia weaved in and out of the people near her; she paced herself over the first mile, and then picked up speed as she came around the curve of the trail they were on. She hadn't seen Andy or Jack since she left the start, and she let a scenario play in her head of the two of them disregarding the race for a trip to the nearest bar and becoming best friends. A girl could dream.

Mia wasn't first, or second, or even twentieth. But Mia did get there before Andy, and that was all she really cared about. She made it seem as though she'd been waiting for him for a while when she saw his face in the crowd; one hand resting on her hip, the other angled towards her face as if staring at a watch. His eyes narrowed at her into slits, but he accepted his defeat, as well as the water bottle she'd snagged for him while she was waiting.