The Five Steps To Smile

Chapter Six

Nolan followed Khloe back to the school, curious as to what she wanted to show him. As they pulled into the now empty parking lot, he parked besides her before shutting off the engine. Khloe was already out and waiting patiently for him as he locked his car. Putting his keys in his pocket, he walked over to where she stood and gave her a questioning look.
"What exactly did you want to show me?" he asked and she smiled at him brightly.
"Follow me," she didn't say any more as she turned and began walking down the sidewalk. Insanely curious, Nolan followed her without complaint. They walked side by side, Nolan noticing that they were walking towards the back of the buildings. The pair was silent as Khloe led the way, a small smile on her lips as she couldn't wait to show off her friend.
She was almost like a proud mother showing off her daughter, and she was not embarrassed to admit it either. Plus, she personally thought Nolan and Adira would make an adorable couple. It couldn't be helped in her eyes, she had a mini cupid in her and she was ready to let go of the arrow of love whenever she got the chance. Hopefully, this was one of those chances.
Once they finally made it to the football field, they stopped and Nolan watched in curiousness as he saw two distant figures sprinting at incredible speeds around the track. The small smile on Khloe's lips turned into a broad grin, a sense of amusement emerging as she watched the two.
"Come on. We can watch from over here." Khloe beckoned Nolan to follow as she went over to some bleachers facing the field. The two went over and sat down as they watched the two teenagers race.
As Nolan observed them, he took notice of one of the figures being a tall boy with dirty blonde hair, his face stretched into a grin. The other figure, however, made him freeze and his eyes widened.
"Is that...?" Khloe's own grin widened and she nodded.
"Yep. Quite fast, isn't she?" Nolan said nothing as they watched the pair sprint. Honestly, from where they were sitting, it looked as if Adira was taking a simple stroll while the boy strained to keep up. They were now coming around the turn, about forty yards away from the finish line.
"Is that all you got, Prez?" The boy shouted with elation, a challenge deeply soaking his words.
          Prez? Nolan thought, intrigued.
"In your dreams, Tin-Tin." She answered back, their voices carrying up to them.
          Tin-Tin? Nolan was becoming more confused with each nickname. He didn't have time to contemplate it, however, as he watched Adira amazingly go faster. With a burst of energy that he couldn't believe that she had, Adira was just a slight blur as she surpassed the boy completely and crossed the line. She slowed down gradually, barely breathing hard as she waited for the him to follow behind.
"Why... Are... You... So... Fast?" Austin said in between small pants, a mist of sweat coating his forehead. Adira raised her brow and looked down at his bent form.
"You ask that question every time. And every time, I say it's because you're too slow." He laughed as he straightened, sucking one last big breath before letting it out slowly. Wrapping a sweaty arm around her shoulders, he grinned down at her toothily.
"You're so cold, Prez. How are you going to keep your fans if you act like that?" She rolled her eyes and picked up his arm and pushed it away, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"First off, I don't have any fans. Secondly, get your nasty, sweaty arm off of me." He laughed once more and pointed his thumb behind him where the bleachers were located.
"That French dude over there seems to be completely enraptured by you." She tilted her head in question before looking passed him to indeed see both Nolan and Khloe sitting up on the bleachers. When she caught Khloe's eye, she grinned and began waving erratically. Nolan settled for a smaller, less energetic wave. Adira waved back without any expression and turned back to Austin.
"Knowing Khloe, she probably dragged the poor boy here without him even knowing what was going on," Adira sighed and rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen her muscles. "And that 'French dude' is called Nolan, by the way."
"So that's his name. I don't think I have any classes with him though," he mused. The two began walking back over to the rest of the group, seeing a tiny woman striding over with a serious expression.
"I honestly believe she could kick every football player's butt," Austin whispered to her, indicating the small woman.
"She could probably take out the football coach in one punch," she whispered back as they neared the group. "I would bet my life on it."
          "Is everyone here?" Coach Flynn was a tiny, barely five foot tall woman with a mane of dark hair who was filled with fire. She took the word 'intense' and doubled it by a million, and was definitely  not a woman who you wanted to mess with on any occasion. But Adira loved the tiny spitfire of a woman, taking all of her severe training in easy strides.
           Coach Flynn scanned the crowd while Adira watched in amusement at the straightening of backs as her eyes passed each of them. Coach nodded once she saw that everyone was accounted for and called out, "Go and do the usual. Adira, come here for a moment before you start." Adira shared a look with Austin but he shrugged and gave her an encouraging smile before starting the usual ten laps.
          "Something wrong, Coach?" Coach Flynn shook her head and gave her a smile.
          "I was just curious about your opinion as to whether who you think will take your spot next year."Adria raised both eyebrows and tilted her head slightly.
          "I haven't put much thought into it, actually.  I just figured that you would choose like you normally do," Adira bounced lightly on her feet, keeping her muscles warm. "Isn't that how you always do it?" Coach nodded her answer before she began explaining.
         "Yes, that is usually the case. However, you are one of the more outstanding athletes that I've had under my supervision, and I can see that you are closer to all of the team members than me. I trust your opinion enough that you won't pick wrong." She smiled warmly at Adira before giving her shoulder a light pat. "Now, go and do those laps. It wouldn't be good if the others saw their captain slacking." Adira nodded and excused herself, going at a light jog as her thoughts pummeled her relentlessly.
          It may not seem like much, but being the overachiever that she was, Adira did not want to disappoint or end up falling short of expectations. However, this dilemma should be an easy task to overcome, as she did have someone in mind to become captain next year after she graduated.
          I just hope he accepts. But I wonder what I will do if he doesn't?  She pondered her thoughts absentmindedly, her brows dipping slightly. As she thought, she unconsciously began to speed up as she was starting to relax into a faster rhythm.
          The boy in question would be Vic Hudson, one of the fastest runners that the team had, after her and Austin that was. He could easily surpass the couple of other seniors on the team, who were not exactly slow either. And, he was a natural leader so Adira shouldn't have any doubts that he would decline. But something still tugged uncomfortably at her gut, a sense of hesitation that she couldn't shake.
         As she was pulled deeper into her spiraling feelings, she did not notice how she was near sprinting now, overcoming everyone else with an effortlessness that caused a few of her fellow team members to stare at her blurred figure with wide eyes.
          Wait, what lap am I on?  She realized that she had no idea how many laps that she had run, and she was starting to feel the familiar burn slowly creep through her muscles like a slow burning fire. Looking forward, she saw Austin's mop of dirty blonde and she pushed herself in a quick burst so that she was now running alongside him.
         "Hey," she managed to say without sounding too out of breath. "What lap am I on?" He gave her a blank look, his breathing slightly more labored than hers as he tried to get enough air to answer.
         "Prez, were you deep-thinking again?" His words were somewhat breathy as he tried to keep up with her pace, his competitiveness rising up. She huffed and nodded reluctantly. He gave a little chortle before answering her question.
         "You're on your sixth right now," he told her.
         "Huh, doesn't feel like it," she murmured, "How many have you done?" He pursed his lips and looked as if he was pouting slightly.
         "On my fifth," he grumbled. "But you went all turbo and started running as if there was a serial killer on your heels." If she were normal, she would have been in laughing like a mad man, but since that was something that she couldn't do, she always opted a tilt of her head to show her laughter in a visual way. Luckily, Austin recognized the shine in her eyes and the familiar tilt all too well.
         "Ah." Was her only response, making him to turn his head sharply and narrow his eyes at her.
         "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked in an accusatory tone. She simply shrugged and gave him an innocent look in return.
          "Nothing. Just that it's just too easy to leave your butt in the dust," she said seriously. To prove her point, she picked up her pace once more. Austin swore quietly under his breath and sped up as well.
          "I'm going to make you bow before me after I beat you," he hollered after her. She raised her hand without looking back and gave him a dismissive wave. He stared holes into her back and his lips twisted into a challenging smile.
           "What was that? I can't seem to hear you over the sound of loser." She taunted back and the two begun another relentless race.
           Back on the bleachers, Nolan sat in amazement as he watched the two athletes sprint around the track, passing all the other runners.
          "How do they not die?" he inquired to no one in particular, the sun beating down on him like a hammer. "And how are they still breathing let alone taunting each other?"
          "Only God knows that answer, since he's gifted them with amazing powers. Honestly, are their legs even real?" Khloe mused while rummaging through her purse and smiled in triumphant once she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the umbrella, she unwrapped the strap before clicking the tiny button on the handle. With a click, a purple polka dot umbrella was revealed and shaded the two underneath.
          "That's better. But seriously, I have no idea how they survive. I can barely walk down my driveway to get my mail without getting winded. Life is quite the mystery." Khloe spoke easily, one hand holding the umbrella while the other fanned her face. He couldn't help but agree and the pair watched the cross country team finish their laps, bringing no surprise that Adira finished first, even if she had started later. As they all drank the water greedily, Nolan watched as a petite woman dressed in dark blue warm up pants and white t-shirt with a White Rock Cross Country logo printed on the front move her lips as she spoke but they were too far to hear anything that she was saying.
          "Is that the coach?" he asked. Khloe nodded and rested her chin on her palm, her elbow on her knee.
          "Yeah, but don't underestimate her. She's more fierce than four grown men full of testosterone." She tapped her fingers on her cheek, watching the wordless interaction ensue. "I bet she could kill a man with just a look. I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't already."
          "That scary, huh?" Khloe scoffed at his question, turning to look at him in amusement.
          "You have no idea, Frenchy." Nolan chuckled and he looked down and caught sight of his watch. He jerked in surprise once he saw the time.
          "Who knew it had gotten this late," he muttered before standing. Khloe watched, unmoving from her position.
          "Gotta dash?" she asked. He nodded and sent on last look towards Adira, only to be surprised to see her already looking at him. Her eyes the color of light green colored glass held his, the distance between them nonexistent as she tilted her head and raised her hand. She gave a little wave, and at that moment the sun glinted off of her hair, showcasing the golden strands entwined with her darker locks.
          Almost in a daze, he repeated her action and gave her a little smile. Her expressionless face held no reaction but he could still see the lightness in her eyes as she held his unmovable gaze before turning to listen to what a girl was saying to her.
          Broken from her invisible grasp, he shook his head and looked down at Khloe. Only to see her giving him a sly grin.
          "I'm rooting for you, Frenchy. And I want to be the godmother of your children, or else." She pointed her finger threateningly but she smiled to show her teasing. He laughed and shook his head at her.
          "I think you're seeing a little too far into the future, Khloe." She shook her head at his answer and gave him a determined look.
          "You're the French fiend, but I am Cupid. The arrows of love trump all, my friend. And I shall make this happen." She grinned mischievously at him before raising her hand and shooing him away. "Now go, you looked as if you were about to be late for something."
          "I'm going. See you guys tomorrow?"
          "Do you even have to ask? You've become friends with the coolest people in this school, and we have welcomed you with open arms. Just know, we always meet in front of the school at 8. Try not to be too late," she informed him as he turned and began making his way back to the parking lot.
          "Promise I won't," he called back and she answered with one final 'You better!' before he disappeared around the corner. As Nolan walked down the sidewalk, the late afternoon sun beginning to start to tilt towards the horizon, he couldn't help the small smile that formed.
          My mother will ecstatic once she hears I actually  made friends, Nolan thought to himself dryly. She'll probably end up crying she'll be so happy.
         Chuckling at his own thoughts, he made it to his car and unlocked the doors, sliding into the stifling interior. Turning the car on, he immediately turned cranked on the cool air and buckled. Reversing, he pulled out of the parking lot and made his way home. Barely listening to the radio, which was that of some Prince song that he couldn't quite remember the name of, he began thinking back to the day's events. By the time he had pulled into his driveway, he was grinning like a little boy as he felt excitement for the upcoming year.
          Parking his car, he got out and shut the door behind him. He climbed the dark wooded porch steps that let to a two-story house painted light green, now reminding him of a pair of particular light green eyes belonging to a certain girl.
          By now, he was grinning so much his cheeks hurt, and he walked into his new home with the smell of his mother's cooking wafting throughout the house. His dad, seated in his signature recliner against the wall across the front door, looked away from the baseball game playing on the TV. He smiled once he noticed the grin gracing Nolan's features.
          "Have a good first day?" he questioned, but he already knew the answer.
          "Dad, you have no idea."