Run For Your Life

eleven.

• Maggie Griffin •

"Come on boys! Pick it up we have a meet next week, Summer Ridge Public's Leo's aren't slacking so neither are we!" Will Collins was many things : talented, driven and a perfectionist but most importantly he was like a dictator when it came to the team.

He was a pain in my ass...well Lewis but that was also mine, okay you get it.

I had made the stupid mistake of wearing white so I was sweating and I stank it was so gross. I wanted to vomit and that took a lot of self control not to.We had to do five sets of drills and hurdles then we had to work on our own specialties. It said I like the pain of knowing what I worked for but today I was dying for an ice bath.

Nearly everyone else was as dead as I felt and at the end of the practice we all trudged away from the field, it had been my third practise since taking on my persona and I was glad to have a day off tomorrow.

Since it was my birthday tomorrow.

We all went towards the locker room, a mouldy room which smelt like any locker room but the problem was the fact you had to get changes in there. I usually snuck off to the bathroom on the other end of the school telling everyone that I leave my gym bag in my locker and I'll just get changed in the bathroom.

No one ever questioned it.

I had gotten the job at buttercup blooms which was a blessing and it kept money flowing in case I didn't get an athletic scholarship (Eight dollars an hour was not a lot of money, it was below the minimum wage by two dollars) I was going to work for nine hours a week while I trained.

I still also had to answer my mums questions on what I wanted to do for my birthday. I was thinking just a home cooked meal would be enough for me, I didn't feel like celebrating this year.

Walking out of the bathroom I began to rummage for my keys of my bike, damn it if I lost them again my mother would kill me. I was one of those people who had an accessory on their keys, mine was a large pink bow which made them easy to spot.

"What are you doing here?" I froze in my spot because I knew that voice. I tried to walk away but I forgot I was dealing with an athlete so said person was in front of me in minutes. "Will...I had detention!" Will Collins looked at me with caution and I couldn't help but falter under the gaze.

"Detention? It's only your third week" he smiled and I shrugged. "I don't like homework" I wanted to slap myself, now every time Will Collins would catch me here after hours he'd think I was going to detention. Honestly that was the least of my problems. "Do you need a ride? My cars out front" he gestured to the parking lot but I shook my head. "No I've got a ride thank you" before he could answer I took off as fast as I could where I finally made it to the side street.

I had to be more careful.

---

Three days later I was sitting in bed and mulling over if I should get out or not. I was no longer sixteen because today was my birthday. I knew today was a school day but I didn't want to go, this was our first birthday without dad and I didn't want to remember that ... not today.

"Maggie?" I heard a soft tapping at my door and my mother came walking in, a small box and a cupcake in hand. "Happy birthday Mags" she handed me my cupcake which had a little candle in it. Blowing out the candle I took the cake out of her hand "I got them specially ordered from the cupcake store in town, good thing your favourites vanilla...we can get that anywhere" she then handed me my box, a small and black tied with a sparkly ribbon. When I opened the box inside was a necklace with a heart at the end. It was gold and simple, it was perfect.

"Thank you mum" I gave her a hug and she helped me put on the necklace. "Now I have to go to work now but I'll be home in time for us to have dinner, okay?" I nodded and she walked back out of the room. I walked toward my wardrobe and began to get ready but my mind was filled with thoughts of my dad and what we did last year and every year before that. But I felt like I had lost my best friend and I was so close to crumbling.

Trying to pull myself together I decided I'd walk to school. It wasn't long, just a forty minute walk. I began my walk with about twenty minutes until the bell but I didn't care about my lateness. I was twenty minutes late when I finally walked into the school (I knew I had to walk so why did I wear a dress!?) the schools quietness meant o was very late and I tried with no success to sneak in the building.

"Miss Griffin!" I grimaced and turned to see Headmaster Wells. "Maggie, your late" he was tapping his foot and looked pissed off "I'm sorry sir but I-"
"No excuses, you'll have to have a meeting this afternoon with me and if this happens again, detention do you hear?" I hung my head and nodded.

Today really was not my day.