Afternoon Run

two; ❝you can speak?❞

I wait by her home, 4:30 pm on the dot, and wait for her to come out. When she finally heads out of her house, she comes up to me with a shift in attitude. I notice the change in her manner of walking: a confident strut that keeps my eyes on her and only on her.

Today, her long brown hair is in a ponytail, and she's opted for a black sports bra with matching black leggings. Her black running shoes seem to be new, and I even tilt my head as I take her appearance in. Usually, she decides on a t-shirt, but it seems like she's been feeling the rising heat of our town.

"Hey, Adelina," she says with a wink.

I'm shocked by her words.

Two simple words that break our long and mutual silence.

Like a fictional reindeer, I feel myself begin to glow bright red, and I decide to look down, glancing at her chest area. There's not much else that I can do.

"I'm up here."

"You know my name...?"

"Please, as if I'm the only one that did my research. You're really impressive Adelina. I mean, math clubs, chess club, and track team? And president of them all? All to your name?"

"How do yo—"

Except, I know.

It's easy to find information about people, especially in our modern ages. I assume she must have taken a similar path that I did, with gathering yearbooks and going through social media. My own social media page is public, and I imagine that she must have taken advantage of that.

"Let's continue with our run."

I stay silent as I run with her, deciding that being quiet is better than making a fool out of myself.

"I saw that you're in band. What instrument do you play?" I ask her after we remain in silence for a while.

I might as well confirm her thoughts that I did some searching about her too.

"Clarinet," she tells me.

"That's a cool instrument."

"I've been playing it since I was 7, and I've been passionate ever since. I love playing it."

"I wish I could play an instrument, but it seems far too complicated."

"It really isn't. You should come over to my house some time — not to wait for me but actually go inside so I can teach you," she says.

"My attempts to play it would be far too embarrassing."

"I'm sure you can't be that bad. Besides, I'll be your teacher so you'll be in good hands," she tells me with a wink.

There goes that mysterious wink again. She winks as if she's part of an inside joke with herself that I'm not aware of.

"When can you teach me?"

"Tomorrow," she suggests. "Same time as our run, but I'll give you lessons instead."

"Tomorrow then," I agree.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," she says.

"Wha-"

Somehow, we're already back at our starting destination, and I'm left completely dumbfounded. It feels like today was one of our quickest runs ever, and I'll let our newfound conversations be responsible for that. Turns out that speaking up can make every  tunic  better.

"You're not running to my house?" I ask her.

"I'm tired," she admits. "I have no idea how you can run so much."

She giggles and I let out a small laugh with her, having no idea how I manage it either. I've always been the kind of person that runs. Whether it's running around the gym at school or running from life, I have a talent for it. I never think much of it, and it's beneficial for my mind.

"See you tomorrow, Jessy," I tell her, smiling at the nickname that I've spontaneously come up with.

"See ya, Addy," she says, returning the same style of the name.

We both wave at each other one last time before she enters her house, resuming the rest of her usual day.

I find myself alone in the neighborhood, and when I look at around the quiet buildings and areas full of grass, I'm reminded of just how dangerous the silence can be. It's suffocating, and I've been known to let myself fall down that rabbit hole far too many times.

When I feel a pair of eyes on me, I turn around and find that Jesenia is standing at the window, curiously watching me and likely questioning why I'm still at the same spot she left me in. I decide to give her a weak wave, and she smiles before closing the cloth curtains.

The small interaction provides me with another burst of energy, and I use it to run to my house faster than ever before.