Coached ➳ l.p [au]

chapter 5

"How long...are...we going to be doing this?" I pant at a steady pace, pedaling my legs faster as we go.

He tries to hide a smile at the corner of his lips but I know one when I see it.

"For about two miles or so," he seems unaffected by the pace we are pedaling.

"Two miles?!" I gasp, catching my breath as cars pass by. If I get ran over, I would be happy to explain to the police that he was the reason it happened. Or if I was already dead, I could just come back and haunt him forever.

That sounds just lovely.

"Or so," he repeats, passing me up so that he is now in front of me.

I purposely pedal faster and pant as I ride beside him again.

"My legs are killing me already!" I yell through hard breathing.

"Stop talking then, it takes the energy out of your physical effort. Plus, it's more peaceful," he tells me chuckling at the last part.

"Sure, whatever," I say as he almost passes me up again. This time I purposely go faster than him and am now in front of him by at least more than two feet. The sidewalk below me feels almost harder to pedal on now, and i'm almost losing my breath. Why does it feel this way?

Then I realize we're going up a large hill.

I think I have officially decided that Liam is trying to kill me. I mean, I never would have thought i'd die this way. I always pictured me dying of something like pneumonia or some kind of tragic illness, but never from biking up a hill.

Okay maybe I am exaggerating just a tad bit.

I hear him pedaling behind me and I feel like almost giving up, but if I stop then we'll crash and I don't think i'm quite up for getting injured.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't quit, Jo. You can do this, I know you can." He says from behind me.

How does he know I was going to quit? And why does he keep calling me Jo.

I hate that nickname.

Well maybe not so much when Liam calls me it. But you didn't hear that from me.

My calves feel like they're burning as I continue to pedal faster, almost at the end of the street where the top of the hill is.

When I get there, I slow down until Liam is right beside me.

We both are panting, me obviously breathing heavier, before he hands me a water from his pouch.

"I did it," I manage to say, smiling to myself.

I actually have never ridden up a hill before.

"I'm proud of you," he smiles and watches me chug down my water before he drinks his own.

Although I have the feeling of accomplishing something new with Liam's help, I realize that I am letting him win. But do I want this to happen? I don't think I know what I want. I can't even decide between the color green or the color orange so how could I be able to decide now.

Just yesterday I knew what I wanted, but I don't want to think too much about it because it creates stress in my mind. I don't like to deal with stress, in case you don't know. But who does anyway?

I hand him my mostly empty water and after he drinks some of his, he tucks them both back into his pouch.

For a moment we stare at the bottom of the hill, where a park is.

No kids swing on the swings or play at the playground at all. Oh yeah, it's six something in the freaking morning. Why would they even be up that early in the summer?