Broken Arrows

09 | a flower crown

"Just once, I want my life to be like an '80s movie."

—Easy A (2010)

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Sachi was glad that she hadn't drunk so much the next before, because she woke up with a fresh mind and no pounding headache. She dressed for her run and was ready to leave until she made it to the front door.

She was about to leave when she noticed a figure lying on the floor. His legs were stretched out in front of him, nearly reaching the wall on the other side, and his back was hunched as if he was trying to make himself smaller. And since Hunter would probably be bed-ridden for the majority of the day, there was only one person it could be.

"Elliot?" she asked softly.

His head snapped up at the sound of his name, his eyes wild. "Hey. What're you doing up?"

"You know I run every morning."

"Oh. Yeah." He hugged his knees to his chest as if to let her pass, but she took her time in grabbing Lady's leash and attaching it to her collar. Once her sneakers were firmly on her feet and she was all ready to go, she put one hand on the knob.

Still, it felt wrong to just leave. Just because he'd left her all those years ago didn't mean she had to do the same thing. She turned her body halfway, offering a small smile. "Hey. I don't know if this is something you'd be into, but you can join me if you like. It'll hurt like hell, but it's super relaxing." Her smile stretched into a full-on grin. "And it'd be nice to have a partner. Y'know, besides Lady." The dog nuzzled into her leg at her name, and Sachi patted her head.

"Um ..." Elliot swallowed.

"You don't have to. I swear. I won't be offended. It was just a question."

"Um. Yes. I'll come." His answer must've surprised even himself, because his expression became unreadable. He got to his feet, dusting off his pants. "I'll ... um, let me go change first."

"All right." He disappeared back into his room, and Sachi gave herself a small pat on the back.

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The run started off calmly. Lady kept a good distance ahead, trotting as she always did. Elliot was just warming up, so he stayed by her side until they took a turn on the road.

Sachi had unknowingly sped up once they'd turned; it had become routine for her to pick up the pace at the corner, and she couldn't stop herself. Elliot, however, wasn't discouraged by her speed. He seemed ... She couldn't describe it—the way a smirk crossed his lips and something like determination came over.

Sachi had always known Elliot to be competitive. He could be the eternal peacemaker outside of sports, but on the field—especially the soccer field—he never gave anything less than his all. When Sachi had played, they'd spent hours in his backyard practicing. Challenging each other. It became a competition between them, and she could foresee a competition forming now.

Even as she thought this, Elliot pumped his arms and used newfound energy to speed ahead. He only made it a few feet before he slowed again into the jog, but the grin he shot her over his shoulder only spurred her on.

After all, she'd been running here for days. She wasn't about to let Elliot beat her.

Sachi sprinted ahead, waving at Elliot as she passed, and the sound of thundering footsteps behind her told her he'd picked up his pace. Lady, upon noticing that her two current caretakers were running faster than they normally did, waited for them to catch up before bounding forward. She was entertained by waiting for the humans and then taking a quick sprint.